The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday sent a letter to Vuk Jeremic, a former Serbian politician and former president of the U.N. General Assembly, requesting documents, communications and records related to the Biden family's foreign business dealings.
In a letter obtained by National Review, committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) says a review of testimony in a federal criminal case shows Jeremic has records and other information related to the Biden family's foreign business dealings.
The case involved Patrick Ho, the former head of CEFC China Energy's U.S.-based operations. He was convicted of international bribery and money laundering in 2018. Jeremic testified during Ho's trial about Jeremic's own business relationships with CEFC officials, including Ho and Chairman Ye Jianming, both of whom had connections to the Chinese Communist Party, according to Comer’s letter.
CEFC, now state-owned by the CCP, approached the Biden family to expand its energy portfolio in the U.S., the letter says.
"The Committee is investigating whether President Biden knew of or was involved in certain foreign business ventures that included the same CEFC officials who participated in the schemes described in United States v. Patrick Ho. Evidence shows that you developed a business relationship with Hunter Biden and his associates and communicated with them about Chairman Ye and CEFC," the letter says.
Comer said in a statement that Jeremic is a "key witness" in the committee's investigation of Biden's involvement in his family's "international and domestic business schemes."
"Mr. Jeremic's previous testimony regarding business relationships with officials who participated in international bribery schemes raises red flags that there may be evidence showing the Biden family and associates peddled influence and attempted to sell access, including to individuals connected to the Chinese Communist Party," Comer said. "If President Biden is compromised by deals with foreign adversaries, this is a clear threat to national security.
Jeremic testified in the trial that he was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars annually by the CEFC to act as a consultant who would "open doors" by introducing CEFC employees to business and political leaders in various countries. The letter notes Jeremic attempted to introduce Chairman Ye and CEFC to Hunter Biden and his associates in December 2015, though it does not appear a meeting took place at that time. However, Hunter Biden “would later develop a lucrative business relationship with Chairman Ye and CEFC.” By 2017, The younger Biden planned to share office space with Ye and Joe Biden at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., the letter adds.
“Based upon your trial testimony, the Committee believes that you possess communications with CEFC employees regarding Hunter Biden,” Comer writes. “For instance, you testified about an email—between you and Patrick Ho—where you were organizing a dinner between Chairman Ye and another person in Washington, D.C. on December 6, 2015. Outside the presence of the jury, the DOJ prosecutor requested the court redact the name of the individual who you were "willing to bring to a dinner with the [C]hairman Mr. Ye" because it "could introduce a political dimension to this case that we [DOJ] don't think is worth dealing with."
The committee asked Jeremic to turn over the email and to say whether the redacted name was Hunter Biden.
“The Committee has obtained evidence corroborating your testimony that on December 1, 2015—one day after your email above with Patrick Ho—you emailed Eric Schwerin requesting Hunter Biden attend a dinner in Washington, D.C. on December 6, 2015, with Chairman Ye,” the letter adds.
Jeremic’s email to Schwerin, one of Hunter Biden’s friends and business associates, described Ye as “an old friend” and “one of the 10 wealthiest Chinese businessmen.”
“He's very young and dynamic (39), with the top-level connection in his country. They have recently started making big investments abroad (billions of dollars), and plan on doing much more,” the email said. “I would like to invite Hunter to join me at this private dinner (small dinner – this is not an event of any kind). I am confident that many interesting projects may come out of that in the future.”
The committee gave Jeremic a March 7 deadline to turn over all documents and communications from 2014 to present with Hunter Biden, James Biden, Schwerin, Devon Archer, and James Gilliar, as well as all documents and communications from that time with any associate of CEFC, including Ye and Ho.
Comer also asked Jeremic to participate in a transcribed interview with committee staff. Comer gave Jeremic a March 14 deadline to schedule the interview.
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