President Biden insisted Monday that he was truthful when he claimed he had never spoken to his son Hunter Biden about business deals despite the release of an alleged text message in which the first son threatened a Chinese businessman and said he was “with my father.”
“No,” Mr. Biden said responding to a reporter’s question about whether he lied about speaking with Hunter Biden about business deals.
Mr. Biden’s remarks, which occurred during a White House event to promote high-speed internet access, is the first time the president has addressed the growing scandal.
The House Ways and Means Committee released the text message last week after receiving closed-door testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS supervisory agent who spearheaded the tax fraud investigation into Hunter Biden.
In the message, sent in July 2017 through WhatsApp, Hunter Biden references his father in an apparent attempt to pressure a Chinese businessman into sending him money.
The younger Biden’s attempt to leverage his father in that exchange contradicts the White House’s claim that Mr. Biden was “not in business with his son,” a message the president has repeated.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter Biden wrote to Henry Zhao, a Chinese Communist Party official.
“Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and that means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman. I will make certain that the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father,” the message continues.
Mr. Shapley and another agent who worked the case have said the Biden Justice Department sought to influence the probe by moving the focus away from the president and stymied efforts to bring felony charges against Hunter.
Hunter Biden last week reached a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve the investigation into his failure to pay about $1 million in federal taxes and the purchase of a handgun. Under the agreement, he will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges and will receive probation.
Source:Washington Times
