Allegations of corrupt international dealings of Biden's "criminal family"

Then-outgoing US President Joe Biden received great backlash in the end of 2024 when he granted a pardon to his son, Hunter, who was convicted of unlawfully obtaining a firearm and admitted to tax violations. It was a move that he explicitly stated he would not do only a couple of years ago. While observers were still debating the controversial move, seeing as the pardon covers any offenses commited dating back to 2014, Biden signed another document just 21 minutes before his presidency ended, extending clemency to his sister, two brothers, and two in-laws, shielding them from legal scrutiny for any actions taken during the same period.

This move was widely interpreted as an effort to protect his family from Republican-led investigations into alleged financial misconduct, according to an article by the British The Times journal. Critics, particularly Republicans, have long accused the “Biden crime family” of leveraging Joe Biden’s political influence—especially from his tenure as vice president between 2009 and 2017—for personal financial gain.

James Comer, a Kentucky congressman and chair of the House Oversight Committee, condemned the pardons, calling them an implicit admission of corruption. He claimed that at least ten Biden family members and their associates had amassed over $30 million by exploiting Joe Biden’s influence in dealings with entities and individuals in countries like China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan.

China

In 2017, Hunter attempted to broker a deal with CEFC, China’s largest private energy firm. An email from his abandoned laptop suggested that “the big guy” would receive a 10% stake in the venture. Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter, asserted that “the big guy” referred to Joe Biden. According to the article, Hunter testified that his colleagues had merely floated the idea of involving his father without his knowledge, and the plan never materialized.

Later revelations indicated, however, that Hunter profited significantly from dealings in China. During his tax trial, he disclosed earning $664,000 from CEFC. Comer’s committee further claims that the Biden family and their associates received a total of $8 million from Chinese sources.

Russia

Comer’s investigation also uncovered a $3.5 million payment made in February 2014 by Russian billionaire Elena Baturina to an account controlled by Devon Archer, a business associate of Hunter. Of this amount, the article points out that $2.75 million allegedly went to a company jointly owned by Archer and Hunter. Shortly after, Baturina attended a dinner at Washington’s Café Milano with Hunter and his father Joe Biden, who was still the vice-president at the time, as well as Archer. Republicans suggest that Baturina’s exclusion from US sanctions against Russia was a possible quid pro quo arrangement.

Ukraine

Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine have attracted the most scrutiny and have been publicly outed, in large due to the Republican party's focus on them in the course of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. In April 2014, he joined the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma, reportedly earning $1 million annually. At the time, Joe Biden, serving as vice president, was responsible for overseeing US policy toward Ukraine. After Biden left office in 2017, Hunter’s salary was reduced by half, and he resigned from the board in 2019.

Republicans argue that Hunter’s role at Burisma was merely a favor in exchange for his father pressuring Ukraine to dismiss Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin. However, Shokin’s removal was also backed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, who accused him of failing to combat corruption.

Romania

Between 2015 and 2017, Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian real estate tycoon, allegedly funneled $3 million to a company controlled by another associate of Hunter Biden, Rob Walker. From there, over $1 million was distributed to Biden family members, including $10,000 to Hallie Biden, the widow of Joe Biden’s oldest son, Beau Biden, who died in 2015 following a long battle with a brain tumour. It was reported that his widow entered a romantic relationship with Hunter following his death. 

During this period, Joe Biden met with Romanian leaders to address corruption. Hunter was hired as a legal consultant to aid Popoviciu’s defense, raising concerns that his recruitment was influenced by his father’s political position. A special prosecutor later indicated that Hunter and an associate had received funds from a foreign principal attempting to sway US policy regarding Romania’s corruption investigation into Popoviciu.

Kazakhstan

Kazakh businessman Kenes Rakishev attended the same Café Milano dinner as Russia’s Baturina, Hunter, Joe Biden, and Archer. According to the article, Rakishev’s Singapore-based company transferred $142,300 to Hunter’s firm less than a week later —the exact amount Hunter then spent on a luxury sports car a few days later.

By Nazrin Sadigova