A tranche of emails, texts, and business documents released by Hunter Biden’s former business partner Tony Bobulinski reveals a complicated web of foreign figures, all of whom trade off access to the former vice president or off the Biden family name.
The hundreds of files, which were shared with the Washington Examiner, detail the inner workings of how Hunter Biden’s former business partners, Bobulinksi and James Gilliar, routinely pitched deals with their firm as politically advantageous due to their relationships with the Biden family. Both Hunter Biden and Joe Biden’s brother, Jim Biden, were often copied on the emails, many of which describe banal meetings or opportunities to pitch business to new clients.
One of the bigger deals pursued by Hunter Biden and his associates was related to a joint venture dubbed “Oneida Holdings” — an attempted partnership between Hunter and Jim Biden, Bobulinski’s SinoHawk company, and since-bankrupted Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC China Energy.
Others, like one addressed to Ye Jianming, the former chairman of the CEFC, explicitly mentioned the unique benefits of working with members of the Biden family.
“When I heard your personal story and CEFC’s global focus on building bridges between the United States, China and other countries I was inspired,” Bobulinski wrote on June 15, 2017. “I am a former US Naval Nuclear Power Officer and have spent my entire career after the military investing money around the world with and for some of the world’s wealthiest families. I look forward to leveraging those relationships along with the political and strategic value of the Biden family…”
Two days later, Hunter Biden followed up with his own email to Ye, touting the “political and economic connections we have established in countries where you are interested in expanding in the coming months and years.”
“Please accept the best wishes from the entire Biden family as well as my partners,” Hunter Biden wrote on June 17, 2017. “We are all hoping to see you here again soon, or in Shanghai.”
Bobulinski, who has been invited to be a special guest of President Trump at tonight’s presidential debate, said before the event: “It was made clear to me that Joe Biden’s involvement was not to be made in writing, but only face to face … I have no wish to bury anyone.”
He is listed as one of the recipients of a May 13, 2017, email detailing their business deal, and he claims that “the big guy” mentioned is a reference to Joe Biden, whom he claims Hunter regularly asked for business advice.
“I am the CEO of Sinohawk Holdings, which was a partnership between the Chinese operating through CEFC / Chairman Ye and the Biden family. I was brought into the company to be the CEO by James Gilliar and Hunter Biden. The reference to ‘the Big Guy’ in the much-publicized May 13, 2017 email is, in fact, a reference to Joe Biden. The other ‘JB’ referenced in that email is Jim Biden, Joe’s brother,” Bobulinski said on Thursday. “Hunter Biden called his dad ‘the Big Guy’ or ‘my Chairman,’ and frequently referenced asking him for his sign-off or advice on various potential deals that we were discussing. I’ve seen Vice President Biden saying he never talked to Hunter about his business. I’ve seen firsthand that that’s not true because it wasn’t just Hunter’s business, they said they were putting the Biden family name and its legacy on the line.”
The “big guy” email from Gilliar to Hunter Biden and others discusses “expectations” of a potential deal while claiming that, “we have discussed and agreed the following renumeration packages.” The email notes that “Hunter” would receive “850” ($850,000) and lists him as “Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC” — the China Energy Fund Committee. The email also says that “at the moment there’s a provisional agreement that the equity will be distributed as follows,” including “20” (20%) for “H” (Hunter). The email also asks about “10 held by H for the big guy” as well as “10” for “Jim.”
Amid negotiations over the potential deal, which the firm titled “Project USA China” in emails, Hunter Biden would regularly feud with Gilliar and Bobulinksi on matters of compensation or their firm’s corporate organization.
“I have been the only one asked to give up all other active commercial interests – no consulting fees no promoting another business no con tinting to work on existing projects etc … so I have to admit I do expect that if I can’t keep my toe in other things I will need a hell of a lot more than 850 p/y on a monthly basis,” Hunter Biden wrote in a reply to the now-infamous “big guy” email that allegedly detailed a payout to Joe Biden. “And this is my own personal problem but ill make it yours also I’m sure (HA) -$2M to me means $1M before taxes the other half goes to her- 850 to me means 100K to me – she has a 750 floor. That does not include all [sic] he debt I assumed and not one dime for the girls ([sic] twoIvy league school living expenses and the most expensive highs cool in DC.”
Those demands from Hunter Biden were a cause of consternation between Gilliar and Bobulinksi, who kept an open line of communication on the texting platform WhatsApp. At one point, Bobulinski calls Hunter Biden “bipolar and manic.”
“I don’t want an accounting nightmare. And the JV is only distributing cash annually,” Bobulinksi said, seemingly referencing Hunter Biden’s demands.
“That’s his problem for sure,” Gilliar responded.
“I don’t want to be getting a call from H demanding we distribute daily weekly nonsense,” Bobulinski wrote. “Cause he can’t manage his life.”
As negotiations proceeded between their company and Yi, both Gilliar and Bobulinski candidly admitted the allure of working with them — which had little to do with the Biden family’s business acumen.
“Tony I ain’t that stupid. I know why he wants the deal … Ye wants… and what makes it enormous. It’s the family name in reality they could have asked for 51 percent, maybe u would not be interested but many US moguls would have been, Gilliar wrote in a message to Bobulinski on May 18, 2017. “Man I get that we just need a good rational (sic).”
Gilliar cautioned against any mention of Joe Biden’s involvement in the deal and warned about the potential political repercussions of the arrangement leaking to the public.
“U need to stress to H[unter], does he want to be the reason or factor that blows up his dad’s campaign, things need to be done right and protective of that fact,” Bobulinkski wrote on May 20, 2017. “I pinged H, and just said I saw he called last night when [sic] does he want to connect. Meaning taking the position w Director and Chairman.”
Outside of the deal with Yi, individuals like Jim Biden would ask for mundane favors such as helping his daughter, Caroline Biden, for a job in Los Angeles.
“As her uncle Joe would say, she has the most raw talent of any of us. She’s just looking for the right opportunity to start. Thank you for any help and assistance you can provide,” the June 7, 2017, email read. “Right now she is staying with a friend in the Pacific Palisades. Attaching her resume again for your reference. She is prepared to take interviews/meetings immediately.”
Caroline Biden, 33, was arrested in 2013 for a fight she had with a former roommate over a rent dispute. Nearly a year after that email from her father, she was sentenced to two years probation by a Manhattan judge for using a friend’s credit card to buy over $100,000 in products from an upscale department store. In 2020, she was arrested for driving under the influence and without a license in a wealthy Philadelphia suburb.
The leaked files provide a more detailed picture of the extent of the Biden family’s business dealings, of which Joe Biden has repeatedly denied any knowledge. On Wednesday, the Washington Examiner reported on text messages from Bobulinkski scheduling a meeting with Hunter, James, and Joe Biden at the Beverly Hilton.
Bobulinski spoke at a surprise press conference in Nashville just over an hour before the second and final presidential debate began.
“I have heard Joe Biden say that he has never discussed business with Hunter. That is false. I have firsthand knowledge about this because I directly dealt with the Biden family, including Joe Biden,” Bobulinski said, adding, “on May 2, 2017, the night before Joe Biden was to appear at the Milken Conference, I was introduced to Joe Biden by Jim Biden and Hunter Biden. At my approximately hourlong meeting with Joe that night, we discussed the Biden’s history and the Biden family’s business plans with the Chinese, with which he was plainly familiar, at least a high level.”
Bobulinski added: “On numerous occasions, it was made clear to me that Joe Biden’s involvement was not to be mentioned in writing, but only face to face. In fact, I was advised by Gilliar and Walker that Hunter and Jim Biden were paranoid about keeping Joe Biden’s involvement secret.”
The Biden campaign denied that Joe Biden had been involved in any family business dealings or any overseas deals.
The Biden campaign responds to Tony Bobulinksi, who is Trump’s invited guest tonight. Statement from @AndrewBatesNC pic.twitter.com/adPs2NSvLt
— Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) October 22, 2020
“Joe Biden has never even considered being involved in business with his family, nor in any overseas business whatsoever,” Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said. “He has never held stock in any such business arrangements nor has any family member or any other person ever held stock for him.”
The statement from Bates did not address the apparent conflict between Joe Biden’s previous claim that he had never discussed overseas business dealings with Hunter Biden and Bobulinski’s claims that he had discussed a potential China-related business deal with Joe Biden and that the former vice president had already known about it beforehand.
