Despite President Biden’s efforts to distance himself from his family’s business dealings, a comprehensive report from Politico reveals that individuals within his inner circle have been heavily involved in ventures involving his brother, Jim Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.
Jim Biden commissioned Dale Pupillo, the former head of the then-Vice President Biden’s Secret Service detail, to investigate a Chinese executive that Hunter Biden was scheduled to meet in 2017. The details of this potential venture were kept from Jim Biden, as per their family’s practice of maintaining separate business dealings.
Jim Biden has a history of utilizing connections through his influential brother. In 1975, during Joe Biden’s first Senate term, Jim Biden secured a loan from the senator’s former law firm to support his nightclub venture. One of the firm’s partners, Mel Monzack, subsequently served as President Biden’s personal attorney and campaign treasurer, and his current firm is the registered agent for the president’s personal S Corporation, CelticCapri.
Monzack has also been involved in Jim Biden’s personal affairs, advising on a deal that would have provided his company with a 35% stake in the Americore hospital chain. While the deal ultimately fell through, Monzack’s involvement raised questions, though Jim Biden claims to be unaware of any arrangements with President Biden.
Another close associate of President Biden, Fran Person, remained involved with Hunter Biden after leaving his government role in 2014. Emails indicate that Person proposed a plan to develop SeaWorld parks in China with Hunter Biden in 2015, involving his business and the Chinese Development Bank.
WhatsApp messages revealed as part of an IRS investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax matters show conversations between Person and Hunter Biden, including discussions about a Chinese business partner who was eager to assist with Hunter Biden’s financial difficulties.
President Biden’s personal bookkeeper, Eric Schwerin, has also been involved with the family, handling both the president’s and Hunter Biden’s finances. Schwerin testified during the impeachment inquiry that there was no intermingling between the two, but the Politico report suggests otherwise.
The connections extend even to President Biden’s personal physician, Army doctor Kevin O’Connor, who was also the former vice president’s physician and became his White House physician. Jim Biden sought O’Connor’s assistance in his proposed Americore deal, which aimed to use vacant space at rural hospitals to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment on the report, which raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest within the Biden family and their associates.
