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Trump Campaign Press Release - Biden's Denials Were Lies?

October 15, 2020

Joe Biden repeatedly said he never spoke with Hunter Biden about his business dealings – now, more evidence has emerged that was a lie

Key Takeaways:

BIDEN CLAIMED AT LEAST EIGHT TIMES HE DID NOT DISCUSS BURISMA WITH HUNTER

In October 2019, Biden Said "I've Never Discussed What My Son's Business With Him." JOE BIDEN: "Well, the fact is I was unaware of his investments until it occurred and I've never discussed what my son's business with him because I did not want any conflict." (MSNBC, 10/29/19)


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In October 2019, Biden Claimed "I've Never Discussed My Business Or Their Business, My Son's Or My Daughter's." VOICEOVER: "Hunter Biden Was reportedly paid $50,000 to $80,000 a month for several years for serving on Burisma's board." CBS NEWS' NORAH O'DONNELL: "Hunter said that the only thing you said to him was 'I hope that you know what you are doing.'" JOE BIDEN: "That's exactly right he's a grown man. What I meant by that is I hope he thought this through, I hope you know exactly what you're doing here." O'DONNELL: "Meaning what?" BIDEN: "That's all I met. Nothing more than that because I've never discussed my business or their business, my son's or daughter's and I've never discussed them because they know where I have to do my job and that's it and they have to make their own judgements." O'DONNELL: "Do you understand people say, Joe Biden, he's an experienced politician, statesman, knows the issues of Ukraine, why didn't he just say to his son this is one to take a pass on, it may not look good." BIDEN: "He was already on the board and he's a grown man and it turns out he did not do a single thing wrong as everybody's been investigated." (CBS, 10/27/19)


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In October 2019, Biden Said He "Never Discussed" With Hunter Anything Having To Do With Ukraine. JOE BIDEN: "No I don't because I never discussed with my son anything having to do with what was going on in Ukraine. That's a fact." (MSNBC, 10/16/20)


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In October 2019, Biden Said He "Never Discussed A Single Thing With My Son About Anything Having To Do With Ukraine." CNN'SANDERSON COOPER: "Mr. Vice President, as you said, your son, Hunter, today gave an interview, admitted that he made a mistake and showed poor judgement by serving on that board in Ukraine. Did you make a mistake by letting him? You were the point person on Ukraine at the time. You can answer." JOE BIDEN: "Look, my son's statement speaks for itself. I did my job. I never discussed a single thing with my son about anything having do with Ukraine. No one has indicated I have. We've always kept everything separate. Even when my son was the attorney general of the state of Delaware, we never discussed anything, so there would be no potential conflict. My son made a judgment. I'm proud of the judgement he made. I'm proud of what he had to say." (Joe Biden, Remarks At Democrat Debate, Westerville, OH, 10/15/19)


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In October 2019, Biden Said That He Does Not Discuss Business With Hunter. JOE BIDEN: "I don't discuss business with my son. I didn't know that was the case when in fact I found out after the fact and because I don't discuss things with my son or my family because I don't want to have any knowledge of any, I don't want to be accused of 'well you talk with your son, you talk with your whomever.'" (WBZ, 10/9/19)


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In October 2019, Biden Again Claimed That He Never Talked To Hunter About His Overseas Business Dealings. REPORTER: "Excuse me, there was a photo of you golfing with your son Hunter and his business partner Devon Archer. Do you stand by your statement that you did not discuss any of your son's overseas business dealings?" JOE BIDEN: "Yes, I stand by that statement." (Joe Biden, Remarks At Press Conference, 10/4/19)


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In September 2019, Biden Claimed To Have "Never Spoken To My Son About His Overseas Business Dealings." FOX NEWS' PETER DOOCY: "Mr. Vice President, how many times have you ever spoken to your son about his overseas business dealings?" JOE BIDEN: "I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings." (Joe Biden, Interview With Fox News, 9/21/19)


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In August 2019, Biden Said That He Never Discussed Business Interests With Family Members. JOE BIDEN: "Well, first of all, I have never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else anything having to do with their businesses. Period. And what I will do is the same thing we did in our administration. There will be an absolute wall between personal and private and the government. There wasn't any hint of scandal at all when I was there. And I'm going to propose the same kind of strict, strict rules. That's why I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else – even distant family – about their business interests. Period." (Joe Biden, Remarks During Press Gaggle, Spartanburg, SC, 8/28/19)


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THERE IS NOW MORE EVIDENCE TO SHOW BIDEN TALKED WITH HUNTER ABOUT HIS BUSINESS DEALINGS

According To Newly Uncovered Emails, In 2015 Hunter Introduced Then-Vice President Biden To Vadym Pozharskyi, A Top Energy Executive In Ukraine Who Was An Advisor To The Board Of Burisma. "Hunter Biden introduced his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, to a top executive at a Ukrainian energy firm less than a year before the elder Biden pressured government officials in Ukraine into firing a prosecutor who was investigating the company, according to emails obtained by The Post. The never-before-revealed meeting is mentioned in a message of appreciation that Vadym Pozharskyi, an adviser to the board of Burisma, allegedly sent Hunter Biden on April 17, 2015, about a year after Hunter joined the Burisma board at a reported salary of up to $50,000 a month. 'Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. It's realty [sic] an honor and pleasure,' the email reads." (Emma Jo Morris And Gabrielle Fonrouge, "Smoking-Gun Email Reveals How Hunter Biden Introduced Ukrainian Businessman To VP Dad," New York Post, 10/14/20)


  • Emails From 2014 Show Pozharskyi Asking Hunter Biden And His Business Partner, Devon Archer, To Use Their Political Leverage To Help Burisma. "Meanwhile, an email dated May 12, 2014 — shortly after Hunter Biden joined the Burisma board — shows Pozharskyi attempting to get him to use his political leverage to help the company. The message had the subject line 'urgent issue' and was also sent to Hunter Biden's business partner, Devon Archer, who also sat on the Burisma board at the time." (Emma Jo Morris And Gabrielle Fonrouge, "Smoking-Gun Email Reveals How Hunter Biden Introduced Ukrainian Businessman To VP Dad," New York Post, 10/14/20)
  • Pozharskyi Urged Hunter And Archer To Use Their "Influence To Convey A Message/Signal" To Help The Business. "We urgently need your advice on how you could use your in?uence to convey a message / signal, etc .to stop what we consider to be politically motivated actions bearing in mind the following:" (Vadim Pozharskyi, Email To Hunter Biden And Devon Archer, 5/12/14)

A State Department Official Testified That Joe Biden Spoke With Hunter About Conflict Of Interest Concerns That Were Raised

State Department Official Amos Hochstein Has Testified That He Directly Raised Concerns About Hunter Biden's Position With Burisma To Then-Vice President Biden. "Hochstein spoke to Vice President Biden about concerns relating to Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board because, according to Hochstein, Russians were using it to advance disinformation. According to testimony and public reports, Hochstein, then-U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, raised concerns about Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board directly to Vice President Biden.("Hunter Biden, Burisma, And Corruption: The Impact On U.S. Government Policy And Related Concerns," Senate Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs, 9/20)

In September 2020, Hochstein Testified That Joe Biden Later Told Hunter Biden About Hochstein's Concerns; Hunter Biden Then Contacted Hochstein. DOWNEY: "How did Hunter Biden know you had a conversation with Vice President Biden?" HOCHSTEIN: "He told me that the Vice President told him that he had a discussion." DOWNEY: "So, in late October 2015, you have the conversation with Vice President Biden about Hunter's position on Burisma's board. He tells Hunter Biden, and then sometimes in the beginning of November 2015, you discuss Burisma with Hunter Biden?" KELLY KRAMER: "Again, we can't confirm or deny anything about a conversation that may or may not have happened with the Vice President. Otherwise, he can confirm that's an accurate statement, if it is." HOCHSTEIN: "It is true that I had--I raised the matter with Vice President Biden. It is true that Hunter Biden called me--or called--his office contacted my office, and I did meet with him sometime after that." (Amos Hochstein, Interview Before The Committee On Homeland Security And Governmental Affairs And Committee On Finance, 9/17/20, p. 117)

Hunter Biden Said He Told His Father About His Business Dealings

Hunter Biden Told The New Yorker That He Had Discussed Burisma With His Father, With Joe Biden Telling Him: "I Hope You Know What You Are Doing." "In December, 2015, as Joe Biden prepared to return to Ukraine, his aides braced for renewed scrutiny of Hunter's relationship with Burisma. Amos Hochstein, the Obama Administration's special envoy for energy policy, raised the matter with Biden, but did not go so far as to recommend that Hunter leave the board. As Hunter recalled, his father discussed Burisma with him just once: 'Dad said, 'I hope you know what you are doing,' and I said, 'I do.''" (Adam Entous, "Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father's Campaign?," The New Yorker, 7/1/19)

Joe Biden Was Pictured Golfing With Hunter And His Burisma Business Partner Devon Archer

In August 2014, Joe And Hunter Biden Were Pictured Together With Devon Archer Playing Golf In The Hamptons. "A photo obtained by Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight" shows former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter golfing in the Hamptons with Devon Archer, who served on the board of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings with Hunter ... A source close to Archer told Fox News the photo was taken in August 2014. Contemporaneous news reports indicate the vice president was in the Hamptons at the time." (Gregg Re, "Joe, Hunter Biden Seen Golfing With Ukraine Gas Company Exec Back In 2014, Photo Shows," Fox News, 9/30/19)


THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN HAS NOT DENIED JOE BIDEN MET WITH A BURISMA ADVISER

On October 14, A Biden Campaign Spokesman Did Not Deny That Hunter Arranged A Meeting Between Then-Vice President Biden And Burisma's Vadym Pozharskyi, Only Saying That Joe Biden's "Official Schedules" Did Not Show One. "Investigations by the press, during impeachment, and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as 'not legitimate' and political by a GOP colleague have all reached the same conclusion: that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing. Trump Administration officials have attested to these facts under oath. The New York Post never asked the Biden campaign about the critical elements of this story. They certainly never raised that Rudy Giuliani - whose discredited conspiracy theories and alliance with figures connected to Russian intelligence have been widely reported - claimed to have such materials. Moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden's official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place." (Andrew Bates, Statement To Politico, 10/14/20)

The Biden Campaign Was Slow To Respond To The New York Post's Revelation

The New York Post Reported That The Biden Campaign "Could Not Be Reached" For Comment, And That Hunter's Lawyer "Refused To Comment On The Specifics" When Contacted About The Uncovered Emails. "Hunter Biden's lawyer refused to comment on the specifics but instead attacked Giuliani. 'He has been pushing widely discredited conspiracy theories about the Biden family, openly relying on actors tied to Russian intelligence,' the lawyer, George R. Mesires, said of Giuliani. Pozharskyi and the Joe Biden campaign did not return requests for comment. Hochstein could not be reached." (Emma Jo-Morris And Gabrielle Fonrouge, "Smoking-Gun Email Reveals How Hunter Biden Introduced Ukrainian Businessman To VP Dad," New York Post, 10/14/20)

BIDEN PREVIOUSLY MET WITH HIS FAMILY'S BUSINESS PARTNERS

Reporting From The New Yorker And Politico Confirm Biden Has Taken Meetings With Hunter's Business Partners Before

Hunter Biden Has Admitted That He Arranged For Joe Biden To Shake Hands With His Chinese Business Partner, Jonathan Li, During A Trip To Beijing In 2013. "In December, 2013, Vice-President Biden flew to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping. Biden often asked one of his grandchildren to accompany him on his international trips, and he invited Finnegan to come on this one. Hunter told his father that he wanted to join them. According to a Beijing-based BHR representative, Hunter, shortly after arriving in Beijing, on December 4th, helped arrange for Li to shake hands with his father in the lobby of the American delegation's hotel. Afterward, Hunter and Li had what both parties described as a social meeting. Hunter told me that he didn't understand why anyone would have been concerned about this. 'How do I go to Beijing, halfway around the world, and not see them for a cup of coffee?' he said." (Adam Entous, "Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father's Campaign?," The New Yorker, 7/1/19)

  • Biden Advisors Admitted That The Interaction "Invited Questions" About Whether Hunter Was "Leveraging Access For His Benefit." "Hunter's meeting with Li and his relationship with BHR attracted little attention at the time, but some of Biden's advisers were worried that Hunter, by meeting with a business associate during his father's visit, would expose the Vice-President to criticism. The former senior White House aide told me that Hunter's behavior invited questions about whether he 'was leveraging access for his benefit, which just wasn't done in that White House. Optics really mattered, and that seemed to be cutting it pretty close, even if nothing nefarious was going on.'" (Adam Entous, "Will Hunter Biden Jeopardize His Father's Campaign?," The New Yorker, 7/1/19)

In June 2011, Biden Arranged A Meeting For His Son In Law Howard Krein's Business Partners In The Oval Office With Both Biden And Barack Obama. "In June 2011, Krein's brother announced the launch of StartUp Health at the Health Data Initiative Forum, a conference in Bethesda, Md., put on by the Department of Health and Human Services. ... The day before the launch, Krein's brother scored a meeting with Obama and Biden in the Oval Office. Krein told the Philadelphia Business Journal that Biden was 'a big fan' of StartUp Health and had arranged the Oval Office meeting when Krein mentioned to his father-in-law that his business partners were in Washington. Krein's brother told the Business Journal that he used the meeting to let Obama know the administration's health reforms offered a potential 'treasure trove' to health startups. 'The President loved it and it became a talking point for him,' Krein's brother told the publication. At the HHS conference the next day, StartUp Health received a stamp of approval from the Obama administration's chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra, who introduced Krein's brother." (Ben Schreckinger, "Biden's Son-In-Law Advises Campaign On Pandemic While Investing In Covid-19 Startups," Politico, 10/13/20)


(StartUp Health, Facebook, 2/14/18, Accessed 7/22/20)

BIDEN WON'T ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT BURISMA – HE SIMPLY YELLS

Biden Has Repeatedly Snapped At Reporters And Voters When Asked About Hunter's Work

In October 2019, Biden Snapped At A Reporter When Asked A Question About Hunter's Work In Ukraine: "I'm Not Going To Respond To That." REPORTER:"How was your role as Vice President, in charge of policy in Ukraine, in your son's job in Ukraine, how is that not a conflict of interest?" JOE BIDEN: "It's not a conflict of interest. There has been no indication of any conflict of interest from Ukraine or anywhere else. Period. I'm not gonna respond to that. Let's focus on the problem. Focus on this man. What he's doing. That no President has ever done. No President." (Joe Biden, Remarks To Reporters, 10/4/19)


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In December 2019, Biden Called A Marine Veteran Voter "Old," "Fat," And A "Damned Liar," And Challenged Him To A Pushup Contest After The Voter Questioned Him About Hunter's Business Dealings In Ukraine. VOTER: "...But you on the other hand sent your son over there, to get a job and work for a gas company, that he had no experience with gas, or nothing. In order to get access for the President. So, you're selling access to the President just like he is." JOE BIDEN: "You're a damned liar, man. That's not true. And no one has ever said that... Look, the reason I'm running is because I've been around a long time and I know more than most people know. And I can get things done. That's why I'm running. And if you want to check my shape on, let's do pushups together, man. Let's run, let's do whatever you want to do. Let's take on two sets. That's number one. Number two. Number two, no one has said my son has done anything wrong, and I did not on any occasion, and no one has ever said it." VOTER: "I didn't say you were doing anything wrong." JOE BIDEN: "You said I set up my son to work in an oil company. Isn't that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack." VOTER: "That's what I hear on MSNBC." JOE BIDEN: "You do not hear that on MSNBC. You did not hear that. What you heard. Look, ok, I'm not going to get into an argument with you, man." VOTER: "I don't want to either." JOE BIDEN: "Yeah you do. But... but look, fat, look, here's the deal. Here's the deal. VOTER: "It looks like you don't have any more backbone than Trump does... alright, I'm not voting for you. JOE BIDEN: "Well I knew you weren't, man... you're too old to vote for me." (Joe Biden, Remarks At A Campaign Event In Iowa, 12/6/19)


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Donald J. Trump, Trump Campaign Press Release - Biden's Denials Were Lies? Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/345711

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