Hunter Biden's lawyer, Kevin Morris, told Congressional investigators that then-President Trump's first impeachment in February 2020 made it “urgent” for the president's son to file his tax returns. What he told Congressional investigators was revealed in a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Fox News. Digital.
Morris testified privately before the House Oversight Committee last week as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Congressional investigators discovered an email from Morris in February 2020, when then-Vice President Joe Biden was a candidate in the Democratic primary, in which he mentioned “political risks” during the campaign. .
Hunter Biden (center) and his attorneys Abby Lowell (right) and Kevin Morris speak at the Rayburn Building on Wednesday: “I recommend that the House of Representatives find Robert Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress.'' The resolution arrived for markup before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. , January 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Kevin Morris provides 'massive' financial support to Hunter Biden, raising campaign finance concerns: Comer
The email, shown during Morris' interview, was dated February 7, 2020, and said: “The state of emergency has been lifted today. We still need to file on Monday. It is also at great political risk.” [tax] Return. ”
Asked what was urgent, Morris pointed to Trump's impeachment, where Republicans had threatened to call Hunter Biden to testify.
“As you know, I want you to remember that during this period, there were ongoing impeachment proceedings against President Trump,” Morris said. “And they were avoiding the possibility of calling Hunter… until the very end. I believe that's the end of it. I think that was… what prompted us — you know. As per, this is regarding the preparation of his tax returns.”
Morris explained that he had just started working with an “addiction-related” client, Hunter Biden. “Taxes are the most important thing,” Morris said, adding that it's “a habit and habit to be accurate about taxes.”
“It's part of the recovery, part of the redemption,” he said. “That's important.”
Flashback: Democrats clash with Republicans over prospect of calling Hunter Biden in impeachment trial
Asked whether the “political” concerns were due to Biden's presidential candidacy, Morris countered that “there is no importance between those two things.”
“Personally, he didn't file his taxes, okay? That's his personal problem,” Morris said of Hunter Biden. “And politically…look, there were impeachment proceedings going on. His name and face were all over the world.”
But Morris said “political risk” has nothing to do with Joe Biden's candidacy for the White House.
Morris testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax debt.
Hunter Biden (center) with attorneys Abby Rowell (right) and Kevin Morris at the Rayburn Building on Wednesday, January 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said the move was meant to “exonerate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability.”
Morris also admitted to the committee that the “loan” he provided to Hunter Biden would not have to be repaid until 2025, after the next presidential election, and could be forgiven, the committee said. Stated.
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019 and was acquitted on February 5, 2020 on both articles of impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Biden allegedly 'forced' to pay millions of dollars to Burisma CEO to help fire Ukrainian prosecutor: FBI form
In a July 2019 phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President Trump discussed the Biden family's actions and business dealings in Ukraine, specifically Hunter Biden's business with Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings. He was impeached after pushing to open an investigation into Joe Biden's efforts to secure a meeting with the former president. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin has been fired.
At the time of the call, Hunter Biden had been under covert federal investigation since 2018 — an investigation stemming from suspicious foreign transactions.
Trump's request was seen as a quid pro quo by Democrats, as millions of dollars in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also claimed that Trump was interfering in the 2020 presidential election, including by asking foreign leaders to investigate Democratic political opponents.
Republicans were investigating Hunter Biden's business dealings, particularly those involving Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings. House Republicans, who were in the minority at the time, requested multiple times to subpoena Hunter Biden to provide testimony and documents related to Trump's impeachment and his business dealings, which were central to the proceedings.
Then-President Trump holds up a newspaper with the headline “Trump Innocent” during the 68th National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on Thursday, February 6, 2020, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden acknowledged that while he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, where Hunter held a high-paying position on the board that paid him thousands of dollars a month. The vice president at the time threatened to withhold $1 billion in vital U.S. aid if Mr. Shokin was not removed from office.
“I said, 'I'm not going to get a billion. I'm leaving here.' I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said, 'I'm leaving in six hours. Prosecutor dismissed. You're not going to get the money, you're not going to get the money,'' Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.Biden recalled the conversation at a Council on Foreign Relations event. In 2018.
“Well, B's son, he got fired,” Biden said during the event. “And they had solid people in place at the time.”
Then-President Trump holds up a newspaper with the headline “Not Guilty” during the 68th National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton on Thursday, February 6, 2020, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Biden supporters have argued that the then-vice president pushed for Shokin's removal over concerns that Ukraine's prosecutors were mitigating corruption, and that Shokin's removal was a policy position of the United States and the international community at the time. claims.
Now, as part of the impeachment inquiry, Republicans are investigating whether Biden was involved in his son's business dealings.
Republicans obtained an FBI FD-1023 form containing a confidential source detailing allegations made by Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky claimed he was “coerced” into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to fire Shokin amid an investigation into his company. .
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018.
President Biden speaks during a meeting of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Special Counsel Weiss indicted Biden on nine federal tax charges, including three felonies and six misdemeanors. $1.4 million in unpaid taxes What has since been paid.
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Weiss indicted Hunter in December, alleging a “four-year conspiracy” in which the president's son failed to pay federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 and also filed false tax returns.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Mr. Weiss also indicted his eldest son on federal firearms charges in Delaware last year. Hunter Biden also pleaded not guilty to these charges. His lawyer is trying to have the case dismissed completely.
