GOP Senators call for transparency in Hunter Biden probe
Sen. Chuck Grassley discusses concerns of a possible conflict of interest and calls on Justice Department official Nicholas McQuaid, who oversees investigations, to recuse himself.
NBC News published a lengthy report on Hunter Biden based in part on a copy of his infamous laptop hard drive, with their findings raising "questions about national security, business ethics and potential legal exposure."
The report published Thursday found that between 2013 and 2018, President Biden's son accumulated $11 million through his position as an attorney and Burisma Holdings board member, as well as his work with a Chinese businessman who has been accused of fraud. The report noted that Biden, a recovering drug addict who is under a federal tax investigation, spent his money quickly on lavish items.
"Expenditures compiled on his hard drive show he spent more than $200,000 per month from October 2017 through February 2018 on luxury hotel rooms, Porsche payments, dental work and cash withdrawals," the piece said.
VALARIE OWENS WAS TIPPED OFF ON ‘THE VIEW' THAT SHE'D BE ASKED THORNY HUNTER BIDEN QUESTION: REPORT
It also reported that an ex-business partner of Biden advised him to amend his tax returns to include the "$400,000 in income" from Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm at the center of President Trump's impeachment proceedings in 2019.
NBC News authenticated Hunter Biden's laptop on Thursday, May 19. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The contents of Biden's laptop were first reported by the New York Post in 2020 prior to the election. NBC News reported at the time that its reporters had "not been granted access to the documents." The piece said the biggest reason the story was not getting mainstream media traction was because it lacked "major new revelations." NBC's story Thursday was based off a hard drive copy obtained from a representative of Rudy Giuliani, in addition to documents released by Senate Republicans.
The NBC analysis also emphasized Biden's book, which, according to NBC, "describes the efforts he made before he took the Burisma job to be sure the company was ethical, as well as steps he didn't take."
The report noted Biden's relationship with a Chinese businessman that has been accused of fraud, adding the president's son made $5.8 million "from two deals with Chinese business interests."
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: Hunter Biden (L) and Joe Biden. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA) (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for World Food Program USA)
NBC's report emphasized the documents and hard drive do not indicate that Biden was acquiring money to give to his father or other members of his family.
"Family members of presidents and other political officials are going to make money," Walter Shaub, former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, told NBC News. "They’re going to have jobs. They’re private citizens. And it’s really not for us to say how or when they make money. … Unfortunately, Hunter Biden seems a lot like somebody whose primary profession is being Joe Biden’s son. But unless there’s a direct connection to Joe Biden, that’s really more of a criticism of one private citizen rather than a government official or an administration.".
NBC is the latest major news outlet to publish reporting based in part on the laptop. The New York Post's original findings were dismissed widely in the media as "Russian disinformation" or a Trump campaign plant. Politico published a story based on a letter signed by dozens of intelligence officials who claimed the Hunter Biden story was Russian disinformation, and many CNN and MSNBC figures also derided the story on the air. NPR's managing editor even released a statement about why the left-wing outlet was not covering the laptop, saying, "We don't want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories."
That was in addition to Twitter and Facebook taking unprecedented steps to limit the sharing of the New York Post's story at the time.
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"NBC Nightly News" aired a report on Hunter Biden's tax investigation as well Wednesday night, and reporter Hallie Jackson discussed the prior media dismissal of the laptop.
Since President Biden took office, Politico, the New York Times and the Washington Post are among other legacy media outlets to authenticate and report on the contents of the laptop.