Former Attorney General Bill Barr says that his Department of Justice (DOJ) did not close an investigation into President Joe Biden despite Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-Md.) comments to the contrary.
“It’s not true,” Barr confirmed for The Epoch Times. “On the contrary, it was sent to Delaware for further investigation.”
The duo said the unclassified document raises questions about Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine with his son Hunter Biden and alleges that Joe Biden took a bribe while vice president.
Since then, Comer and FBI Director Christopher Wray have been involved in an escalating confrontation over the document as Wray continues to refuse to hand the document to the panel, prompting Comer and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to threaten contempt of Congress charges.
Raskin Stands By Statements
Raskin stood by his comments after Barr’s comments.
Raskin accused the majority of “closing out” Democrats and said he’s uncertain about the contents of the FD-1023 because of this.
“I don’t know what this document is because the majority has closed us, Democrats, out,” Raskin said.
Nevertheless, Raskin said his understanding of the document’s content stems from public reporting, which suggests a connection to Hunter Biden’s business activities in Ukraine.
Raskin said during his June 4 appearance on CNN that Barr has expressed skepticism toward these allegations and opined that Republicans are now “going back to recycle these unfounded accusations,” which he dismissed as “allegations that went nowhere.”
“Rudy Giuliani surfaced these allegations,” Raskin said, adding that U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, who was appointed to investigate the matter, determined in August 2020 that there were “no grounds to escalate from an initial assessment to a preliminary investigation.”
“They called an end to the investigation,” Raskin reported.
Barr’s comments to the contrary challenge this narrative, and could presage further legal action if true. But Raskin says he “100 percent” stands by his earlier comments.
“I stand 100 percent by my statements that we were told by the FBI team that visited us on Monday, June 5, 2023, that the Department of Justice team of prosecutors and FBI agents under [Brady] determined that there were no grounds to escalate their probe from an initial assessment of the allegations surfaced by Rudy Giuliani to a preliminary or full-blown investigation—and that it was therefore closed down,” Raskin said.
“If William Barr has a problem with this characterization, his problem is not with me but with the FBI, Mr. Brady, and other high-level officials reporting to him in his own Justice Department who signed off on closing down Mr. Brady’s probe.
“The obvious conclusion from these facts is that the Trump Justice Department investigated Mr. Giuliani’s corruption allegations for months and came to the conclusion it had found no sufficient evidence to justify further inquiry,” Raskin concluded.
Biden Business Dealings
Republicans have long sought clarity about the extent and nature of Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine.Previous reports revealed emails suggesting Joe Biden’s knowledge of and involvement in Hunter Biden’s business ventures—including his ties to the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma—undercutting the president’s public statements that he had no knowledge of these exchanges.
Former business associates of Hunter Biden’s have said that the elder Biden was indeed involved, including during the period he served as vice president, and received a financial cut from the dealings.
In fact, during comments he made in 2018, Biden candidly admitted that in December 2015 he had threatened to withhold a $1 billion loan guarantee from Ukraine while vice president if a prosecutor investigating Burisma wasn’t removed from his post.
“I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,” Biden said of the affair in 2018.
“Well, son of a [expletive],” Biden continued. “He got fired.”
Earlier, emails gathered from Hunter Biden’s laptops indicate he had been introduced to a top executive at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
‘Don’t Mention Joe Being Involved’
James Gilliar, one of Hunter Biden’s business partners, allegedly told fellow partner Tony Bobulinski in a May 20, 2017, email not to mention the vice president being involved.“Don’t mention Joe being involved, it’s only when u [sic] are face to face, I know u [sic] know that, but they are paranoid,” Gilliar told Bobulinski.
Bobulinski, who confirmed the authenticity of the emails in a later statement, replied at the time, “OK, they should be paranoid about things.”
Another email relayed from Gilliar to Hunter Biden, Bobulinski, and a fourth business partner on May 13, 2017—described the breakdown of each member’s shares in a Chinese business venture dubbed Sinohawk.
“'Sino’ for the Chinese side, ‘hawk’ for Hunter’s brother Beau’s favorite animal,” Bobulinski later explained.
Gilliar suggested each of the primary business partners would receive 20 percent.
Another participant, called “Jim” by Gilliar, and likely referring to Biden’s brother, apparently was to receive 10 percent.
Finally, the other 10 percent would be “held by H for the big guy.”
If the document alleged by whistleblower disclosures turns out to be accurate, it could prompt further legal action by Republicans, up to and including impeachment.
The White House, meanwhile, has criticized the investigation as a politically motivated “silly charade” aimed at tarnishing the president’s reputation.
