Yikes.
Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been at the center of his own controversies repeatedly, most notably his sweetheart deal with a Ukrainian company and history of “collaboration” with Chinese companies…
Now, Hunter has been named in a probe ignited by Sen. Chuck Grassley over an alleged transfer of sensitive technology to China during Obama’s time in the White House.
As if his father Joe needed another hit to his election chances!
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From Fox News:
Saying the potential conflicts of interest were reminiscent of the controversial "Uranium One" transaction, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley announced Thursday he is probing the Obama administration's 2015 decision to approve the sale of a sensitive U.S. technology company to the Chinese government and an investment firm run by the sons of Joe Biden and John Kerry.
Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine have already become a liability for the elder Biden's frontrunning presidential campaign, and the new investigation could lead to further allegations of corruption. Joe Biden has bragged about pressuring Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor in 2016, and critics said the then-vice president wanted to head off the prosecutor's probe into a company that employed Hunter Biden as a board member.
Grassley, writing to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, noted that Rosemont Seneca Partners, which was established by Kerry stepson Christopher Heinz and Hunter Biden, among others, joined with the government-run Bank of China to create Bohai Harvest RST (BHR) in 2013. The fund openly advertised its “unique Sino-US shareholding structure," as well as its lucrative “global resources and network."
In 2015, BHR and the state-owned military contractor Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) jointly purchased Henniges, a U.S.-based automotive company that creates "dual-use" technologies with both military and civilian applications. including anti-vibration technology. AVIC purchased 51 percent of Henniges, while BHR took 49 percent.
The Obama administration’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), by law, had to approve the sale because of its national security implications. The CFIUS is an interagency body consisting of, among other agencies, the Energy Department, Defense Department, Treasury Department, and State Department -- which John Kerry led from 2013 to 2017.
"CFIUS approved the transaction despite reports that in 2007, years before BHR teamed up with AVIC’s subsidiary, AVIC was reportedly involved in stealing sensitive data regarding the Joint Strike Fighter program. AVIC later reportedly incorporated the stolen data into China’s J-20 and J‑31 aircraft," Grassley wrote to Mnuchin.
Grassley continued: "The direct involvement of Mr. Hunter Biden and Mr. Heinz in the acquisition of Henniges by the Chinese government creates a potential conflict of interest. Both are directly related to high-ranking Obama administration officials. The Department of State, then under Mr. Kerry’s leadership, is also a CFIUS member and played a direct role in the decision to approve the Henniges transaction."
"The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns," Grassley added. "As with the Uranium One transaction, there is cause for concern that potential conflicts of interest could have influenced CFIUS approval of the Henniges transaction."
Grassley has separately sought documents that allegedly show that federal officials failed to investigate possible criminal activity related to Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation and Rosatom, the Russian nuclear company whose subsidiary purchased the Canadian mining company Uranium One in 2013.
The National Sentinel has more inside details as to the probe:
Hunter Biden, son of former VP Joe Biden, now a leading 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has been named as a source of a potential conflict of interest in a probe initiated by Sen. Chuck Grassley involving the purchase of an American company that made anti-vibration technologies by a state-owned Chinese aviation company and an investment firm with ties to the Communist Party.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dated Aug. 14, Grassley said he wants a copy of the National Security Threat Assessment linked to the sale and transaction. In addition, the Iowa Republican is seeking details about the approval timeline while inquiring about whether the White House was briefed on the relevant deliberations.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which has its origins in the Obama administration, approved the transaction when Joe Biden was still serving as vice president.
Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, son of former U.S. senator and Obama Secretary of State John Kerry, each had financial stakes in Bohai Harvest RST, the China-linked firm that acquired Henniges, the maker of the anti-vibration technology.
“The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns,” Grassley wrote. “This history with China pre and post-dates the 2015 Henniges transaction.”
The Epoch Timesgave more information:
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) named Hunter Biden as the source of a potential conflict of interest as part of a congressional inquiry into the purchase of an American maker of anti-vibration technologies. The company was acquired by a Chinese Communist Party-owned aviation company and an investment firm with ties to the party.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Aug. 14, Grassley requested a copy of the National Security Threat Assessment tied to the transaction, asked for details about the approval timeline, and inquired about whether the White House was briefed on the relevant deliberations.
The Obama-era Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approved the transaction when Joe Biden, Hunter Biden’s father, was the vice president. Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, the stepson of former Secretary of State John Kerry, both reportedly had stakes in Bohai Harvest RST, the firm that acquired Henniges, the anti-vibration technology manufacturer.
“The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns,” Grassley wrote. “This history with China pre and post-dates the 2015 Henniges transaction.”
Grassley cites several examples which suggest that conflicts of interest may have tainted the approval process. In an early example, Hunter and Joe Biden flew to China in December of 2013, one month after the merger involving the Hunter Biden-founded firm which created Bohai Harvest RST. During the trip, Hunter Biden helped arrange a meeting between Jonathan Li, the CEO of Bohai Capital, and then-Vice President Biden. Hunter Biden then had a private meeting with Li. After the trip, the business license of Bohai Harvest RST was approved.
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