CNN
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Newly released photos show then-Vice President Joe Biden meeting with some of his son Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners during an official visit to the country, and Hunter meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and others. The photo shows him meeting with other senior officials.
Although the photo shoots and meetings depicted in these photos have been known for years, this is the first time they have been made public. The National Archives and Records Administration released the images in response to a public records request from a pro-Trump right-wing legal group.
These photos are from Joe Biden’s visit to China in 2013. A series of images shows Hunter Biden with his father meeting and chatting with President Xi. In another series of images, Joe Biden introduces his son to Li Yuanchao, then Vice President of China.
Another set of photos showed Hunter Biden introducing his father to Chinese business partners, including executives at private equity firm BHR Partners. After shaking hands and hugging, the Bidens posed for a group photo with several Chinese businessmen.
These images are noteworthy because they further undermine Joe Biden’s already weak and clear claim that he never had any business-related contact with his son. In fact, the House Republican impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden revealed at least 20 interactions between him and his son’s business partners from China and other countries.
But Hunter Biden and other associates testified that despite occasional phone calls, meetings, and dinners with Joe Biden, they never had any substantive discussions about business. . Hunter Biden’s former major U.S. business partner later testified that Hunter had sold him a “fantasy” of contact with his father, but “nothing important was discussed” in these interactions.
In a statement, Hunter Biden’s attorney Abby Lowell criticized groups aligned with Trump who fought to obtain and release the images, saying there was “nothing new here.” Ta.
Referring to the closed-door deposition in which Hunter Biden was gunned down by Republicans for six hours in February, Lowell said, “These photos were taken during a visit to China in 2013, with whom he met at this public event.” “This is completely consistent with Mr. Hunter’s account in his testimony to Congress about whether they met.” .
“The attacks that try to twist these images into something they’re not are an old, tired one, spawned by some Republicans who can’t let go of ridiculous conspiracy theories and baseless accusations,” Lowell said in a statement. It’s just misinformation.”
America First Legal, a pro-Trump group, filed a records request in 2022 and later sued the National Archives to obtain the records. The group is headed by Stephen Miller, who served in President-elect Donald Trump’s first White House and is expected to return next year as deputy chief of staff for policy.
“These photos support the House Oversight Committee’s findings that Hunter Biden arranged for his father to meet with Jonathan Lee and other BHR executives during a 2013 trip to China. Lee. sought and obtained access to Vice President Biden’s political power,” America First Legal said in a news release Monday.
Asked by CNN about the newly released images, the White House press secretary said, “This trip, which took place more than a decade ago, is old news. House Republicans have already said they will prove that the president has no relationship with his son. We’ve wasted millions of taxpayer dollars over the years. It’s past time.”
Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings have come under intense scrutiny from Hill Republicans and Justice Department investigators. Federal prosecutors charged him with tax crimes stemming in part from unpaid taxes on foreign transactions. He was never charged with corruption or illegal lobbying, although Republicans allege he was involved in criminal influence trafficking.
In a controversial post-election move, Joe Biden pardoned his son convicted of 12 tax and gun crimes earlier this year. The sweeping pardon also protects Hunter Biden from future prosecution for federal crimes he may have committed between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.
“Despite President Biden pardoning his son Hunter for all acts ‘that he committed or may have committed or engaged in’ dating back to 2014, “Evidence is emerging every day that shows he used his power to serve his own interests,” Michael Ding, an adviser at America First Legal, said in a statement. Ta.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.
