After going quiet in the months before the election, federal authorities are now actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, a per
After going quiet in the months before the election, federal authorities are now actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, a person with knowledge of the probe said. His father, President-elect, Joe Biden, is however not implicated.
Now that the election is over, the investigation is entering a new phase. Federal prosecutors in Delaware, working with the IRS Criminal Investigation agency and the FBI, are taking overt steps such as issuing subpoenas and seeking interviews, the person with knowledge said.
Activity in the investigation had gone covert in recent months due to Justice Department guidelines prohibiting overt actions that could affect an election, the person said.
Biden’s attorney released a statement acknowledging the probe.
“I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs.
“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement.
Investigators have been examining multiple financial issues, including whether Hunter Biden and his associates violated tax and money laundering laws in business dealings in foreign countries, principally China, according to two people briefed on the probe.
Some of those transactions involved people who the FBI believe sparked counterintelligence concerns, a common issue when dealing with Chinese business, according to another source. The investigation began as early as 2018, predating the arrival of William Barr as US attorney general, two people briefed on the investigation said.
The existence of the probe will present an immediate test of Biden’s promise to maintain the independence of the Justice Department. Sinclair Broadcast Group reported in October that the FBI had opened a criminal investigation into Hunter Biden.
CNN has learned new details about the scope of the probe, including that it is focused on China.
Hints of the investigation emerged after President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, helped orchestrate news stories centered on a laptop purported to belong to Hunter Biden and said to include his business documents and other personal material.
The FBI took possession of the laptop in late 2019, according to a computer repairman in Delaware who showed reporters a copy of a subpoena.
It’s unclear whether the laptop’s contents are relevant to the ongoing federal probe and whether investigators can even use them, given potential chain of custody requirements for evidence.
