OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Joe Biden is caught in another potential scandal with his son Hunter and it begs the question if these conflicts were Donald Trump and one of his sons how would the media respond?
There is an ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden’s finances by the FBI and now the president could become embroiled in that investigation, The Daily Mail reported.
President Joe Biden could become embroiled in an FBI investigation of Hunter’s finances, experts say, as emails reveal the father and son shared accounts and paid each other’s bills.
Emails recovered by DailyMail.com from Hunter’s abandoned laptop between Hunter and Eric Schwerin, his business partner at consultancy Rosemont Seneca, show Schwerin was working on Joe’s taxes, discussing the father and son paying each other’s household bills, and even fielding requests for a book deal for the then-vice president, as well as managing the donation of Joe’s senate papers to the University of Delaware.
It is unclear why Schwerin had this intimate role in the vice president’s affairs rather than government officials in the Office of the Vice President.
Hunter’s claim that he and his father shared a bank account also raises serious questions whether funds from the alleged joint account were used for Hunter’s May 2018 week-long bender with a prostitute in a Hollywood hotel.
Last December, Hunter admitted in a public statement that he was under federal investigation over his tax affairs.
Someone who was a federal prosecutor who is also an expert on money laundering, but who asked to remain anonymous, told The Daily Mail that the involvement of President Biden with his son’s finances could make him a target of the FBI investigation.
“Whatever transaction you’re looking at, if there’s a connection to a family member or a friend, sure the answer is yes [they would be investigated],” the former prosecutor said.
“Obviously, if you’re talking about the President of the United States, you’d better have a pretty damn good reason to talk to that person,” they said.
The investigation by the FBI and the IRS is reportedly checking into Hunter’s foreign business relationships and possible money laundering.
Last year the Senate Security Committee raised concerns that China was making an attempt to influence the White House via a billion-dollar business deal with a company Hunter co-founded with Schwerin, Rosemont Seneca, and Chinese oil giant CEFC.
Former U.S. Intelligence Officer and Treasury Special Agent John Cassara, who is an expert in money laundering, said that if Biden were not president it is likely that he would be in the FBI’s crosshairs.
“The information available publicly is very worrisome, particularly in the areas of corruption,” he said.
“They could go at this from all different avenues. Follow the corruption trial and then charge money laundering.
“Corruption is a predicate offense for money laundering. And besides corruption, it’s the perception of corruption. This kind of thing should not be happening. It undermines full faith in the US government. It undermines trust and our international reputation. It’s an embarrassment,” he said.
In yet more evidence of the deep commercial relationship between Hunter’s firm and the VP’s office during Joe’s tenure, Rosemont Seneca received special favors from the White House while Joe was in office, including dozens of tickets to exclusive 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue events and private tours for Rosemont Seneca clients or associates.
And when an aide to Senator Robert Menendez requested VP Biden host the U.S.-Spain Council’s 2010 annual meeting at his official Naval Observatory residence in Washington DC, they contacted Schwerin rather than Joe’s White House office.
Hunter and Schwerin then privately discussed the potential to ingratiate themselves with ‘CEOs of the major banks’ if they helped arrange the request.
In a 2019 text to his daughter Naomi, Hunter complained that “half” of his cash went to paying bills for his dad when he was vice-president, which casts doubts the president’s claims that he did not benefit from Hunter’s business dealings.
“I hope you all can do what I did and pay for everything for this entire family for 30 years,” he said.
“It’s really hard. But don’t worry, unlike Pop [Joe], I won’t make you give me half your salary,” he said.
In a 2018 email to an assistant, he grumbled that he had been locked out of his bank account and that Joe Biden was using it.
“Too many cooks in the kitchen. Too many profile changes and such. Happened 10 days ago too…
“My dad has been using most lines on this account which I’ve through the gracious offerings of Eric have paid for past 11 years,” he said.
In the emails discovered on Hunter’s laptop, Schwerin also made several references to the dad and son paying each other’s bills.
“’FYI, there are a few outstanding bills that need to be paid and I am not sure which ones are a priority and which should get paid out of ‘my account and which should be put on hold or paid out of the ‘Wilmington Trust Social Security Check Account,’ he said in an email dated June 5, 2010.
“There is about $2,000 extra in ‘my’ account beyond what is used for monthly expenses,” he said.
That same month he said “Mike Christopher [a construction worker Joe hired] is hassling me so I am paying a couple of the smaller things since I haven’t heard from your Dad. Know he’s busy — so it’s OK.
“But if you think he has a moment or two to review the e-mail I sent you let me know,” he said.
And the next month, he said: “Does it make sense to see if your Dad has some time in the next couple of weeks while you are in DC to talk about it? Your Dad just called me about his mortgage . . . so it dawned on me it might be a good time [for] some positive news about his future earnings potential.”
