Exclusive: Joe Biden is said to have been considering joining the board of a joint venture formed by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after stepping down as vice president.
Joe Biden’s involvement will give him “political access in the United States and around the world,” a former business associate of his eldest son testified Friday from prison.
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained Jason Galanis’ opening statement from an Alabama prison to congressional investigators Friday morning as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.
Mr. Galanis is serving a 14-year sentence after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company connected to a Native American tribe in South Dakota. The funds were supposed to be used for specific projects, but were instead reportedly used for his personal finances. He was sentenced in 2017.
Investigators head to prison to question former Hunter Biden BIZ associate amid impeachment inquiry
President Biden and his son Hunter Biden disembark from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, February 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Patrick Semanski)
Galanis said he worked with Devon Archer and Hunter Biden from 2012 to 2015. They said their joint venture included the acquisition of Burnham & Company, a division of Drexel Burnham Lambert, combined with “other businesses in insurance and wealth management.” Galanis testified that the three individuals “owned and acquired over $17 billion in audited assets.”
“Our objective was to build a diversified private equity platform supported by a globally recognized Wall Street brand and a globally recognized political name,” Galanis testified. did. “Our goal, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and I, was to make billions, not millions.”
Before pleading guilty to fraud charges, Jason Galanis worked with Hunter Biden’s partner Devon Archer. (Facebook profile)
“Hunter Biden added value to our business because of his family name and connection to his father, Vice President Joe Biden,” Galanis testified.
“Because of this access, I agreed to provide Hunter and Devon with equity ownership at no out-of-pocket expense in exchange for their ‘relationship capital,'” he told investigators.
Hunter Biden was vice chairman of Burnham Group and “brings strategic relationships to the business from Kazakhstan, Russia, China and more.”
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“Burnham was central to the consolidation of the ‘Biden Family Office’ into a large financial firm with international influence,” he said, explaining that they were central to the consolidation of the ‘Biden Family Office’ into large financial firms with international influence, including Hunter Biden, RSP Investments and Rosemont Seneca Advisors. It added that it had acquired part of his company.
Devon Archer is a former business associate of Hunter Biden. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Galanis understood that Joe Biden had discussed joining Hunter on the board of Chinese Communist Party-related joint ventures.
In 2014, Galanis announced that Hunter had agreed to significantly strengthen Burnham & Company’s business by partnering with Harvest Fund Management, a $300 billion Chinese financial services company with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. “I agreed with Mr. and Mr. Devon,” he testified. At the time, Harvest had already agreed to become a founding partner of BHR Partners, he explained.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Joe Biden met with Jonathan Lee, who worked for BHR Partners in China in 2013.
Galanis explained that Harvest’s director, Henry Chao, was Hunter Biden’s contact.
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“Mr. Zhao was interested in this partnership because it would give the Biden family, including Joe Biden, who was scheduled to become a member of the Burnham Harvest team after becoming vice president, political access in the United States. Because it had an innovative value-add, both in the state and around the world,” Galanis testified.
Galanis pointed to a draft email from Hunter Biden dated August 23, 2014: “Please remind Mr. Henry.” [Zhao] This is a conversation about a relative of mine who sits on an executive board. Devon and I played golf in that relationship early last week and discussed the idea again and he was, as usual, very enthusiastic about the opportunity. ”
Draft emails provided by Jason Galanis to House Republicans regarding Hunter Biden (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Fox News Digital obtained a draft of the email.
Galanis testified that the email was “excerpted from the final version” but “was drafted with an understanding of what happened regarding this effort.”
Draft emails provided by Jason Galanis to House Republicans regarding Hunter Biden (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Galanis said the e-mail was forwarded to him by Devon Archer and included a note that read, “FYI…An example of a request from Hunter to Henry…This is an email he created to send to Henry.” It is said that he was
Galanis testified that the term “lean in” was “frequently used by Mr. Devon and Mr. Hunter in their business dealings as a term to access Vice President Biden’s political influence.” .
“Devon Archer was mentioned as a direct party to the conversation with the Vice President on the golf course, and it is clear from his emails that Devon believed this was an accurate representation of that conversation.” Galanis said in his opening statement.
“There is no doubt that the phrase ‘my specific relationship’ refers to Vice President Biden, and Mr. Devon told me about the conversation on the golf course shortly after this conversation occurred,” Galanis said. I testified. “And that was one of many conversations in which I understood the vice president expressing his desire to join the Harvest board after becoming vice president.”
Joe Biden enjoyed a round of golf with his son Hunter and business partner Devon Archer in August 2014
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The draft email does not specifically mention Joe Biden by name, nor does it mention a “certain relationship” with Hunter Biden as his father. But the disgraceful photo of Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Devon Archer remains on the golf course. This photo was taken of him in mid-August 2014, about a week before his email draft. According to news reports, the vice president was in the Hamptons at the time.
Devon Archer playing golf with Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, 2014 photo (Fox News)
Galanis further testified that Zhao “regularly sought reassurance about what he called the ‘intangibles'” that Vice President Biden, who serves on Harvest’s board of directors, would bring to the business plan.
“He wanted a guarantee that he would not lose face,” Galanis said. “In my opinion, there was no other reason why this huge Chinese company was interested in doing business with Burnham other than Biden’s name.”
In the end, Joe Biden did not become a director of the joint venture.
Galanis says Hunter Biden put his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, on speakerphone with a Russian oligarch.
Meanwhile, Galanis testified that he “remembers being with Hunter Biden and Devon Archer at the Peninsula Bar in New York,” where Hunter received a phone call from his father. He tells his father that Henry’s relationship with Harvest is going well and that talks may be necessary. He did little to cross the finish line. ”
“As we were at this bar, Hunter did not put the call on speaker, but I have no doubt that Hunter was discussing our business initiatives regarding the Burnham and Harvest partnership, and the vice president also discussed these initiatives. I’m sure he knew,” Galanis testified, adding: “This wasn’t the only time I heard Hunter calling his father about his business.”
Jason Galanis testifies from prison to House investigators working on Joe Biden impeachment inquiry (Facebook | Associated Press)
Archer testified last year before the House Oversight Committee that Hunter put his father, then the vice president, on speakerphone at least 20 times with business partners, and that Joe Biden was “trying to get him on the phone to sell his brand.” ” . ”
Galanis testified that this call was “not the only time” he heard Hunter “calling his father about a business matter,” adding that Hunter Biden put his father “on speaker.” I pointed out another call I made. Galanis said the May 4, 2014 telephone conversation was attended by Russian oligarch Elena Baturina and her husband, former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Joe Biden attended dinner parties with Baturina and others at Cafe Milano in Georgetown in 2014 and 2015.
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“Hunter called his dad and said hi, ‘Hold on, Pops,’ then put him on speakerphone and said, ‘We’re here with some friends and you’re coming to town. I wanted to say hi,’” Galanis said. he remembered. “The vice president said hello and said a few nice words, “I wish you safe travels,” and then said, “Okay, thank you very much,” and seemed to want to end the call.”
Galanis said Hunter responded that “everything is fine and we are moving forward.”
“The vice president said something like ‘helpful,’ but Mr. Hunter said he would call his father later and hung up,” Galanis testified. “I remember being surprised to hear that the vice president of the United States was actually speaking on the phone.”
Galanis said: “This was a pre-arranged phone call with his father intended to impress on Russian investors that Hunter had access to all the power and prestige of his father and his position.” It was obvious,” he testified.
A few days later, on May 9, 2014, Archer sent an email to Galanis, obtained by Fox News Digital, stating that Baturina was “promising a ‘hard order’ of $10 million to $20 million for Burnham’s investment banking client.” It became clear that he had done so.
Draft emails provided by Jason Galanis to House Republicans regarding Hunter Biden (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Galanis claims she was sexually assaulted in prison and is seeking home confinement.
Galanis admitted that in his “efforts” to rebuild Burnham, he “engaged in illegal conduct” and “betrayed” the trust of members’ pension funds.
“I have pled guilty. I have been in federal custody for eight years to reflect on my actions, and I deeply regret my role.”
Archer was also indicted in the scheme, but his conviction was thrown out in late 2018 by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan because “an abiding concern remained that Archer was innocent of the crimes with which he was charged.” Reuters reported at the time. However, his conviction will be reinstated by the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals a month before the 2020 election. His lawyer maintains his innocence and has filed multiple appeals, but he is currently sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
Hunter Biden was not indicted, and Galanis testified that he believed the federal government’s “prosecution strategy was aimed at protecting Hunter Biden and ultimately Vice President Biden.” .
Galanis applied for home confinement but was denied. Galanis was “sexually assaulted” by prison staff at FPC Pensacola starting in January 2023, she said. He testified that he expected confinement in his home would keep him “out of danger.”
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“Based on the events I have described so far, many of which have been memorialized in writing, I am the victim of retaliation by the Department of Justice in order to prevent home confinement that would have been completely and without compensation.” “We believe that he has become a member of the public,” he said, adding that he also has access to Congressional investigators.
Galanis said his experience in the judicial system believes he is “at significant risk within the BOP by providing information about these matters regarding the president and his son.”
