January 17th, 2023
The Honorable Janet Yellen
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20220
Dear Secretary Yellen:
Documents obtained by Committee Republicans show that the Biden family received millions of dollars from a Chinese business closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore the Chinese government, to sell American natural gas to China. According to additional information provided by a whistleblower, Joe Biden was involved with this arrangement as a business partner,1 and documents reveal he even had office space to work on the deal.2 This comes to light at a time when the cost of natural gas is at a 14-year high3 and Americans struggle to pay their energy bills.4 The President has not only misled the American public about his past foreign business transactions, but he also failed to disclose that he played a critical role in arranging a business deal to sell American natural resources to the Chinese while planning to run for President.5
In the Treasury Department’s (Treasury) September 2, 2022, letter to Committee Republicans, Treasury stated that Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) may be provided “upon a written request stating the particular information desired, the criminal, tax or regulatory purpose for which the information is sought, and the official need for the information.”6 As such, based on the documents provided in this letter, we request all SARs from Biden family transactions, including those involving President Biden, related to transactions with Chinese entities. We are concerned that the President may have compromised national security in his dealings with the country most adverse to U.S. interests—China. These SARs will inform our analysis of this matter.
1 Whistleblower testimony provided to Committee Republicans.
2 Infra, Figure 6.
3 Matt Egan, US natural gas prices spike to 14-year high. Here’s why, CNN.COM (Aug. 17, 2022).
4 See, e.g., Collin Eaton and Jennfier Hiller, As Gasoline Prices Drop, Electricity and Some Heating Costs Rise, WALL ST. J. (Sep. 13, 2022).
5 See, e.g., Aamer Madhani, Biden: I never talked to son Hunter about overseas business dealings, USA TODAY (Sep. 21, 2019).
6 Letter from Mr. Jonathan Davidson, Assistant Secretary for Leg. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Treasury to Hon. James Comer, Ranking Member, H. Comm. on Oversight & Reform (Sep. 2, 2022), citing 31 C.F.R. § 1010.950(c).
Secretary Yellen
September 20, 2022
Page 5
As America now struggles in an energy crisis, it is critical to understand why the Biden family was selling American energy reserves to the Chinese, if that is affecting President Biden’s decision making today, and why President Biden has never disclosed his relationship with the Chinese to the American public.
Joe Biden, the Business Partner with an Office
In a message provided to Committee Republicans by a whistleblower, business associates involved in the CEFC deal confirm Joe Biden’s participation. On May 20, 2017, a Biden associate—James Gilliar—writes in an encrypted correspondence to another business partner: “Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s only when [you] are face to face, I know [you] know that but they are paranoid[.]” This message is provided below (Figure 5):
A whistleblower who facilitated the CEFC transaction informed Committee Republicans that Joe Biden would be an “obfuscated partner” in the business with the Chinese, and Hunter Biden would hold 10 percent of the joint venture on behalf of his father to hide Joe Biden’s participation in the plan.11 All of this was done to hide from the American people that Joe Biden was aware of, involved in, and would profit from this Biden family deal with the Chinese to sell off America’s natural gas.
However, in a rush to complete a deal that had already generated millions of dollars for the Biden family, Hunter Biden appears to have made a mistake on September 21, 2017. Hunter Biden writes in an e-mail that Joe Biden (along with James Biden, the President’s brother, and two Chinese CEFC executives) is his business partner, and provides Joe Biden’s personal cell phone if the recipient seeks confirmation (Appendix C). Then Hunter Biden memorialized in
11 Whistleblower testimony provided to Committee Republicans.
Figure 5: WhatsApp conversation between Biden family associates James Gilliar and another business partner.
Secretary Yellen
September 20, 2022
Page 7
To make arrangements to deliver documents or ask any related follow-up questions, please contact the Committee on Oversight and Reform Republican Staff at 202-.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives and may at “any time” investigate “any matter” as set forth in House Rule X. Thank you for your cooperation with this inquiry.
Sincerely,
James Comer
Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Reform
cc: The Honorable Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman
Committee on Oversight and Reform
Appendix A
Wire transfer order from Cathay Bank account holders R. Hunter Biden and CEFC China Energy Company Limited Emissary Gongwen Dong to Mississippi law firm
Appendix B
E-mail from R. Hunter Biden to Gongwen Dong (a/k/a, Kevin), CEFC emissary, to be forwarded to Ye Jianming, founder and chairman of CEFC China Energy Company Limited.
Appendix C
E-mail from R. Hunter Biden arranging office space for the shared enterprise of Hudson West/CEFC.
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Secretary
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20220
Dear Secretary Yellen:
Documents obtained by Committee Republicans show that the Biden family received millions of dollars from a Chinese business closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore the Chinese government, to sell American natural gas to China. According to additional information provided by a whistleblower, Joe Biden was involved with this arrangement as a business partner,1 and documents reveal he even had office space to work on the deal.2 This comes to light at a time when the cost of natural gas is at a 14-year high3 and Americans struggle to pay their energy bills.4 The President has not only misled the American public about his past foreign business transactions, but he also failed to disclose that he played a critical role in arranging a business deal to sell American natural resources to the Chinese while planning to run for President.5
In the Treasury Department’s (Treasury) September 2, 2022, letter to Committee Republicans, Treasury stated that Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) may be provided “upon a written request stating the particular information desired, the criminal, tax or regulatory purpose for which the information is sought, and the official need for the information.”6 As such, based on the documents provided in this letter, we request all SARs from Biden family transactions, including those involving President Biden, related to transactions with Chinese entities. We are concerned that the President may have compromised national security in his dealings with the country most adverse to U.S. interests—China. These SARs will inform our analysis of this matter.
1 Whistleblower testimony provided to Committee Republicans.
2 Infra, Figure 6.
3 Matt Egan, US natural gas prices spike to 14-year high. Here’s why, CNN.COM (Aug. 17, 2022).
4 See, e.g., Collin Eaton and Jennfier Hiller, As Gasoline Prices Drop, Electricity and Some Heating Costs Rise, WALL ST. J. (Sep. 13, 2022).
5 See, e.g., Aamer Madhani, Biden: I never talked to son Hunter about overseas business dealings, USA TODAY (Sep. 21, 2019).
6 Letter from Mr. Jonathan Davidson, Assistant Secretary for Leg. Affairs, U.S. Dep’t of Treasury to Hon. James Comer, Ranking Member, H. Comm. on Oversight & Reform (Sep. 2, 2022), citing 31 C.F.R. § 1010.950(c).
Secretary Yellen
September 20, 2022
Page 5
As America now struggles in an energy crisis, it is critical to understand why the Biden family was selling American energy reserves to the Chinese, if that is affecting President Biden’s decision making today, and why President Biden has never disclosed his relationship with the Chinese to the American public.
Joe Biden, the Business Partner with an Office
In a message provided to Committee Republicans by a whistleblower, business associates involved in the CEFC deal confirm Joe Biden’s participation. On May 20, 2017, a Biden associate—James Gilliar—writes in an encrypted correspondence to another business partner: “Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s only when [you] are face to face, I know [you] know that but they are paranoid[.]” This message is provided below (Figure 5):
A whistleblower who facilitated the CEFC transaction informed Committee Republicans that Joe Biden would be an “obfuscated partner” in the business with the Chinese, and Hunter Biden would hold 10 percent of the joint venture on behalf of his father to hide Joe Biden’s participation in the plan.11 All of this was done to hide from the American people that Joe Biden was aware of, involved in, and would profit from this Biden family deal with the Chinese to sell off America’s natural gas.
However, in a rush to complete a deal that had already generated millions of dollars for the Biden family, Hunter Biden appears to have made a mistake on September 21, 2017. Hunter Biden writes in an e-mail that Joe Biden (along with James Biden, the President’s brother, and two Chinese CEFC executives) is his business partner, and provides Joe Biden’s personal cell phone if the recipient seeks confirmation (Appendix C). Then Hunter Biden memorialized in
11 Whistleblower testimony provided to Committee Republicans.
Figure 5: WhatsApp conversation between Biden family associates James Gilliar and another business partner.
Secretary Yellen
September 20, 2022
Page 7
To make arrangements to deliver documents or ask any related follow-up questions, please contact the Committee on Oversight and Reform Republican Staff at 202-.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives and may at “any time” investigate “any matter” as set forth in House Rule X. Thank you for your cooperation with this inquiry.
Sincerely,
James Comer
Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Reform
cc: The Honorable Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman
Committee on Oversight and Reform
Appendix A
Wire transfer order from Cathay Bank account holders R. Hunter Biden and CEFC China Energy Company Limited Emissary Gongwen Dong to Mississippi law firm
Appendix B
E-mail from R. Hunter Biden to Gongwen Dong (a/k/a, Kevin), CEFC emissary, to be forwarded to Ye Jianming, founder and chairman of CEFC China Energy Company Limited.
Appendix C
E-mail from R. Hunter Biden arranging office space for the shared enterprise of Hudson West/CEFC.
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