Photos from Hunter Biden’s laptop show he was at then-Vice President Joe Biden’s home in Delaware the same day of his alleged “shakedown” messages to a Chinese business partner.
President Biden recently shouted at a New York Post reporter when asked if he was with his son during the alleged WhatsApp discussion with Henry Zhao, CEO of Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management, on July 30, 2017, during which Hunter said he was “sitting with” his father.
Asked if Biden was with Hunter during the digital discussion, the president laughed at the question before yelling, “No!”
During the July 30, 2017, discussion, Hunter Biden told Zhao, “I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” according to the message provided by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley, who oversaw the agency’s investigation of Hunter.
“And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between 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,” Hunter added.
Top House Republicans have described the message as a “shakedown” by the Biden family.
Photos on Hunter’s abandoned laptop taken on July 30, 2017, the same day as the threatening message to Zhao, show Hunter posing in the driver’s seat of Biden’s 1967 Corvette Stingray with two young girls in bikinis in the driveway of his father’s Wilmington home.
During his June 28 exchange with the New York Post, Biden was asked specifically whether he was “sitting there with” his son or “involved” during the alleged exchange with Zhao.
“No. I wasn’t,” Biden said before shouting, “No!”
Reporter: “How involved were you in your son’s Chinese shake-down text message? Were you sitting there? Were you involved?”
Biden: “No, I wasn’t.”
Reporter: “Were you?”
Biden *yelling*: “No!” pic.twitter.com/dwLwbVQrju
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 28, 2023
The photos – published by website Marco Polo led by former Trump aide Garrett Ziegler – were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, which said one of the girls appeared to be Hunter’s niece.
The photos call into question whether both Bidens were in the same house during the time of the July 30, 2017, discussion.
A new report Sunday by the Post’s Miranda Devine said Devon Archer, Hunter’s longtime friend and fellow Burisma board member, is expected to testify this week to the House Oversight Committee that Biden, as vice president, was an active participant in at least two dozen calls with Hunter and Archer.
Committee Republicans tweeted the bombshell Monday morning, saying they “look forward to speaking with Devon Archer about this developing story.”
🚨 JOE WAS ON THE PHONE 🚨
In at least a dozen instances, Hunter put his father, then VP, on speakerphone with his overseas business partners.
In one instance with Biden associate Devon Archer, two Burisma executives explicitly asked Hunter, “Can you ring your dad?”
We look…
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 24, 2023
“Joe Biden lied to the American people when he said he knew nothing about his son’s business dealings,” Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement. “Evidence continues to be revealed that Joe Biden was very much involved in his family’s corrupt influence peddling schemes and he likely benefited financially. This includes deals with a corrupt Ukrainian oligarch and a CCP-linked energy company that generated millions for the Bidens and undermined American interests.
“It certainly appears that Joe Biden and his family put themselves first and Americans last, but corporate media and the Justice Department continue to cover up for the Bidens. The Oversight Committee will continue to follow the facts to provide the transparency and accountability that the American people demand and deserve. We look forward to speaking soon with Devon Archer about Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s business affairs.”
The White House has previously said the president never spoke to his son about his business dealings and had no knowledge of them. The president himself has also denied ever having spoken to his son about his business dealings or being involved in them.
However, a June 29 statement released by White House spokesperson from the White House Counsel’s Office Ian Sams deviates from the president’s previous denials, according to Republicans.
“As we have said many times before, the president was not in business with his son,” Sams stated.
Republicans said there has been a “clear shift” in messaging from the White House, and they are demanding to know whether that shift indicates the president knew more than he let on.
“This statement deviates from previous White House statements and brings forward concerns that the president knew of his son’s foreign business deals,” Comer, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith wrote in a letter to White House Counsel Stuart Delery.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.