Hunter Biden’s lawyers are not working on any kind of plea deal in the federal probe he’s currently facing into his “tax affairs,” the first son revealed in a new interview Monday.
Biden, 51, made the revelation to “CBS This Morning,” replying, “Oh, no,” after being asked if a plea was being made relating to the investigation.
The president’s son went on to say that he was confident his team was cooperating fully with the probe, which is being overseen by the Justice Department and handled through the US Attorney’s Office in Delaware.
“I am absolutely certain that what we’re doing is being completely cooperative with whoever is asking from any authority whatsoever,” he told CBS anchor Anthony Mason.
In December, one month after the conclusion of a heated 2020 presidential race that saw scrutiny of his foreign business ventures, the younger Biden announced through the Biden transition team that he was under federal investigation.
“I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,” Biden said in the statement.
“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
A statement attributed to “the Biden-Harris Transition” said, “President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.”
Asked by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) about the probe during his confirmation hearings earlier this year, Attorney General Merrick Garland said he had not discussed the matter with the commander-in-chief.
“The president made abundantly clear in every public statement … that decisions about investigation and prosecutions will be left to the Justice Department,” he replied.
In October, The Post revealed a trove of emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop that raised questions about his then-candidate father’s ties to his son’s foreign business ventures, including Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company linked to corruption.
Hunter’s seat on Burisma’s board earned him accusations of profiting off his father’s then-vice presidential status by earning tens of thousands of dollars per month to sit on a board for a corrupt company in an industry in which he had no prior experience.
Last September, Senate Republicans revealed through the findings of their investigation into the younger Biden’s overseas business dealings that at the time, the Obama administration ignored “glaring warning signs” about his appointment to the board.
His position with the reportedly corrupt energy company — which paid him “as much as $50,000 per month” — “created an immediate potential conflict of interest” because his father was involved in US policy toward Ukraine, the report stated.
In addition to his Ukrainian connections, other emails on the computer showed Hunter discussing potential business deals with China’s largest private energy company.
One deal seemed to spark considerable interest with the future first son, who called it “interesting for me and my family.”
One email sent to Biden on May 13, 2017, with the subject line “Expectations,” included details of “remuneration packages” for six people involved in an unspecified business venture.
Biden was identified as “Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC,” an apparent reference to the former Shanghai-based conglomerate CEFC China Energy Co.
His pay was pegged at “850” and the email also noted that “Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate.”
In addition, the email outlined a “provisional agreement” under which 80 percent of the “equity,” or shares in the new company, would be split equally among four people whose initials correspond to the sender and three recipients, with “H” apparently referring to Biden.
The deal also listed “10 Jim” and “10 held by H for the big guy?”
Neither Jim nor the “big guy” was identified further.
A former Hunter Biden business partner who was a recipient of the email in question later confirmed that “the big guy” was referring to Joe Biden.
Both President Biden and his son have continued to deny any wrongdoing.
