As members of the House of Representatives move to impeach Joe Biden, congressional investigators are focusing on a breakfast the then-vice president hosted in the summer of 2015 at his official residence in Washington, DC, for his son Hunter Biden and two business partners.
Hunter’s former best friend in business, Devon Archer, mentioned the meeting in passing during his recent closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee.
Archer attended a meeting on July 7, 2015 at 8:30 a.m., along with Marc Holtzman, chairman of Kazakhstan’s largest bank, Kazkommertsbank.
Over orange juice, coffee and pastries in the basement of the historic Naval Observatory residence on a sunny Tuesday morning, the conversation revolved around Holtzman lobbying VP Biden to support his close friend, then Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov, for Secretary General. from the United Nations.
The unstated subtext of the conversation between the four men is that Hunter and Archer are working on a lucrative energy project in Kazakhstan on behalf of Burisma, a corrupt Ukrainian energy company that pays them $1 million each.
With Massimov’s support, they will create a potentially profitable new Kazakh subsidiary, Burisma Eurasia, and bring American drilling equipment ashore through Russia to exploit gas deposits.
President Biden has denied any knowledge of his son’s business dealings.REUTERS
The then-VP hosted two of his son Hunter’s business partners at the Naval Observatory in 2015.
Helping Holtzman get help for Massimov in return was the purpose of the breakfast, and Jill Biden stopped by their table at one point to say hello, a source familiar with the discussion said.
Biden hears Holtzman’s pitch: Massimov speaks five languages fluently, has written books on artificial intelligence, and is a China expert who has studied in Wuhan, China, Columbia University in New York and Moscow State University.
But the then-VP told Holtzman it was “difficult” to support Massimov for the top UN gig because Kazakhstan was seen as under Russian control.
Biden promised to bring the proposal to President Obama when he next spoke with him, according to the source.
Massimov never got the UN job, and it’s unclear whether Biden ever endorsed him.
The conversation over breakfast at the historic Naval Observatory residence revolved around Holtzman lobbying VP Biden to support his close friend, Karim Massimov, for Secretary General of the United Nations.AP
Biden already knows Massimov. Hunter had taken her to two dinners at Georgetown’s Café Milano in the spring of 2014, and April 2015, according to Archer’s testimony and material on Hunter’s laptop left behind. Hunter also brought other overseas business associates from Russia and Ukraine to the dinner to meet his father, including Burisma executive Vadym Pozharsky.
Massimov is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in Kazakhstan after he was convicted in April of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power, in what his allies claim was a political prosecution.
In his congressional testimony, Archer explained that the 45-minute discussion over breakfast was “about who will be the next UN Secretary-General” and that he got involved “because Mark Holtzman was lobbying for Karim Massimov. But … obviously, that didn’t happen.”
Karim Massimov, right, hopes to get the support of then-VP Biden to be named Secretary-General of the United Nations. KIAR
Devon Archer, left, with Joe and Hunter Biden in 2014, a year before the breakfast at the Naval Observatory. FOX News/Tucker Carlson Tonight
Archer said that Burisma was trying to expand its business into former Soviet republics, “so I took advantage of that relationship [with Massimov] to introduce it to the company — the country and the new equipment and technology and clean drilling.”
Archer also testified that he was a “good friend” of Massimov.
A diary entry on Hunter’s laptop shows “breakfast with Devon” from 8.30 to 9.30am on July 7, and then another 2.45pm meeting later that day, again at his father’s residence, “NAVOBS”, with “dad, Steve, Mike and Ted ”, possibly longtime Biden advisers Steve Ricchetti, Mike Donilon and former Senator Ted Kaufman.
An email thanking Hunter sent by Holtzman the next day also appeared on the laptop.
Archer said that Burisma was trying to expand its business into former Soviet republics, “so I took advantage of that relationship [with Massimov] to introduce it to the company — the country and new equipment and technology and clean drilling.”Getty Images
“Dear Hunter, I can’t begin to thank you for yesterday,” Holtzman wrote on July 8. “Most importantly and as I said to Devon, I look forward to deepening our friendship and working together more closely. Sincerely, Marc.”
Another related email appeared on a laptop from Burisma’s Pozharsky, dated July 7, at 4:12 a.m., addressed to Archer with the subject: “Burisma/Kazakhstan follow-up issue”:
Pozharsky asked Archer to “follow up and discuss with our Kazakh partners” four matters including a memorandum of understanding, “signing of contracts and closing of agreements”, and “closer cooperation” between Burisma and KazMunayGaz, a Kazakh energy company.
Email from Vadym Pazharskyi asking Hunter Biden to meet for coffee after meeting Joe Biden.
Another related email appeared on a laptop from Burisma’s Pozharsky, dated July 7, at 4:12 a.m., addressed to Archer with the subject: “Burisma/Kazakhstan follow-up issue”:Serge Illin
He also asked Archer to get an “official answer” to a letter addressed to Massimov from an unknown person in Washington, DC, which had been “delivered” to the Kazakh PM at an earlier dinner.
The Naval Observatory breakfast meeting was important to House investigators because it was one example of the access Joe Biden gave to his son’s business partners to lobby for help from the US government.
Breakfast with Biden was “much more than an illusion of access,” said Rep. Marjorie Greene, R-Ga., a member of the Oversight committee, referred to Democrats’ attempts to downplay more than a dozen meetings and at least 20 phone calls between Biden and his son’s business partners.
The Naval Observatory breakfast meeting is important to House investigators because it is one example of the access Joe Biden gave to his son’s business partners to lobby for help from the US government.Getty Images
“That had full access and participation by then-Vice President Joe Biden,” Greene told John Solomon’s Just the News television show Wednesday night.
“The American people need to know about all this. And that’s what our impeachment inquiry will produce – the evidence. …. This is why we are leading an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden, because he has participated at the highest level in the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, and we will show that to the nation.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
