In 2015, as Joe Biden's tenure as vice president was coming to an end, one of China's richest businessmen offered to make a large donation to the World Food Program USA (WFP USA), which was led by Hunter Biden, documents obtained by the FBI show.
The pattern of Hunter Biden mixing charity with private business was repeated several times during his tenure as chairman of the program, the documents show, Just the News reported on April 14.
WFP USA is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and building U.S. support for the World Food Program, the United Nations organization that fights global hunger.
The documents obtained by the FBI show that charitable discussions evolved into an expanding relationship between Hunter Biden and Chinese energy giant CEFC to include business deals that would eventually reap the Biden family millions of dollars.
"CEFC China is very interested in exploring humanitarian initiatives of mutual interest to the World Food Program USA and discussing investment opportunities with Burnham," an email received and then forwarded by Hunter Biden in October 2015 stated. Burnham was one of the many firms through which Hunter Biden and his partners, including convicted felon Devon Archer, reaped large investments.
John Solomon noted in the report for Just the News that "The FBI's former intelligence chief said the Chinese overture to Hunter Biden fits the classic pattern of a foreign influence operation, much like was seen with Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell a few years ago."
Former FBI Assistant Director for Intelligence Kevin Brock said: “First, you have to understand that China does not donate to American led charities because they are altruistic. And Chinese intelligence operatives like Christine Fang don’t cozy up to Rep. Eric Swalwell because he’s a fun guy to be around. Chinese intelligence does what it does in order to steal information and influence American policy makers.”
Brock added: “Things like offers for all expense paid trips to Beijing and inordinate amounts of money in exchange for ill-defined things like consulting services or academic papers are hallmarks of CCP intelligence operations. Their methods are subtle and patient, they aim to dirty your hands and make it difficult to break free over time. We don’t know if Hunter Biden provided information useful to the CCP or even if he registered as a foreign agent as required by law. The FBI hopefully will determine that. But it looks clearer every day that he was targeted by Chinese intelligence and it’s not illogical to presume they did so because of his access to high-ranking U.S. officials.”
The documents show that Hunter Biden connected his Burisma colleagues in Ukraine to the food charity and that Joe Biden spoke at the charity's events while also attending a dinner that merged Hunter Biden's business clients and charity colleagues.
Hunter Biden served on the WFP USA board from 2011 until 2017 and was chairman from 2011 to 2015, according to the nonprofit's annual reports.
"During that time, he leveraged his connections to the UN-affiliated organization and to his father, the vice president (who headlined multiple WFP USA events), to enhance his business relationships with Russian, Ukrainian, and Chinese oligarchs," Solomon noted, adding that the Ukrainians were the first to see the potential to capitalize on Hunter Biden's WFP charitable connections.
Documents on the laptop which Hunter Biden abandoned in Delaware and which was turned over to the FBI show that on March 16, 2015 Burisma adviser Vadym Pozharskyi wrote to Hunter Biden: "Following our conversation, I would like to let you know that it would be great if we could combine our efforts and do something important together in the area of food safety, as well in other areas of interest for WFP and other UN strategic initiatives."
"This is great," Hunter replied on the same day. "My thinking is that we create and fund an operation based at CSIS.org that focuses on solutions to food security that can be implemented in real time…my long term thinking is that this is what I/ We are known for. The possible connection to the UN leadership and the real ability that we have to bring both ideas and capital to the table along with a platform (CSIS/WFP) makes this a very interesting opportunity. I would love for you to be a partner in it."
Four days later, on March 20, 2015, Hunter Biden emailed a tentative guest list to his longtime business partner Archer, who has been convicted of securities fraud, for a forthcoming dinner that would convene some of Hunter Biden's most controversial foreign business associates in the secluded "Garden Room" at the Cafe Milano in Washington D.C. Joe Biden attended the dinner.
By December 2015, Solomon notes, "CEFC had not yet linked up with Hunter Biden or WFP USA, but it had found another way into the Biden family orbit."
Former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic happened to be on the CEFC advisory board and was a Biden associate. Jeremic contacted Eric Schwerin, one of Hunter Biden's partners, and pitched him on a CEFC meeting.
"It is interesting that you raised the CEFC Chairman," Schwerin replied, mentioning the CEFC consultant's recent overture regarding a WFP USA donation. "We weren't sure if it was worthwhile but the fact that he is friends with you makes us feel better about this."
Jeremic replied that he was very close to and could vouch for CEFC chairman Ye Jianming (whose close ties to Chinese intelligence were a red flag for Republican Sens. Ron Johnson and Charles Grassley and have now been exposed in Peter Schweizer's best-selling expose "Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win"). Hunter Biden's team informed Jeremic that his referral allayed their reservations and made plans to meet with the CEFC chairman the following week.
After Hunter Biden and Schwerin met with the "#2" at CEFC, Schwerin reached out to WFP USA's Rick Leach to inform him about Hunter's idea for CEFC to bankroll WFP USA's "Purchase for Progress" program, the emails and memos show.
Having already spoken with Hunter Biden about the CEFC donation, Leach concurred. "It's a very exciting opportunity," Leach wrote.
Schwerin followed up with WFP USA personnel about the CEFC donation and vouched for the Chinese energy company multiple times.
About . . . . Intelligence . . . . Membership
