A former business associate of Hunter Biden who became a critic of the Biden family testified before lawmakers Tuesday, reiterating claims he made during the 2020 election that Joe Biden was “an enabler” of several of his family’s overseas business ventures that “sold out to foreign actors who sought to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government.”
Tony Bobulinski appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday as part of the Republican-led package. indictment investigation in President Biden.
A retired Navy officer and self-described global businessman, Bobulinski briefly collaborated with Hunter Biden in 2017 on a potential joint venture involving a Chinese energy company. Others involved in the ill-fated project have since described Bobulinski as a secondary figure in the negotiations.
In an opening statement prepared and obtained by ABC News, Bobulinski told lawmakers Tuesday that “Biden was more than a participant and beneficiary of his family’s business; he was an enabler, although protected by an elaborate plan to maintain plausible deniability.”
Bobulinski first made allegations in October 2020 that the Biden family lied to the public about the nature of then-candidate Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s proposed overseas business ventures – a claim promoted at the time by then-President Donald Trump and his allies.
While working on the future Chinese joint venture, Bobulinski wrote an email offering a 10% discount for the “big guy,” a reference he said was to Joe Biden, whom Republicans cited as proof of the president’s involvement in his son’s work abroad. .
Others involved in these deals ridiculed Bobulinski’s proposal as “wishful thinking,” “ridiculous” and unserious, with Rob Walker, another former Hunter Biden associate, testifying that no one responded to Bobulinski’s email after it was sent.
In this April 10, 2023, file photo, President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, attend an event in Washington, DC.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters, FILE
Bobulinski’s broader testimony about President Biden’s alleged role in his son’s financial endeavors is at odds with what other businessmen told the House panel. Walker, for example, said that the president “was never involved” in their commercial relations.
Bobulinski’s appearance before the committee marks the latest salvo in his pitched battle with the Bidens. Last year, Hunter Biden’s lawyers urged the Justice Department to investigate Bobulinski over allegations that he lied to federal investigators during an interview in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election.
In his opening statement Tuesday, Bobulinski called the allegations “laughable.”
Several Democrats leaving Bobulinski’s closed-door appearance Tuesday blasted his testimony.
“He literally accused almost everyone of lying, but claimed he was the only one telling the truth,” said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. “That includes his business partners, that includes the Wall Street Journal, that includes FBI agents, that includes a long list of people. This is a witness who not only has no credibility, but even when he tries to fabricate the story, he doesn’t have any factual evidence to back it up.
