Joe Biden’s son Hunter under investigation over ‘tax affairs’, China business dealings
- Tax investigation was launched in 2018, the year before Joe Biden announced his candidacy for president
- Hunter Biden was the focus of attacks from Donald Trump and his allies during the 2020 election campaign
The US Justice Department is investigating the finances of President-elect Joe Biden’s son, including scrutinising some of his Chinese business dealings and other transactions, a person familiar with the matter said.
The revelations put a renewed spotlight on questions about Hunter Biden’s financial history, which dogged his father’s successful White House campaign and were a frequent target of President Donald Trump and his allies. They also come at a politically delicate time for the president-elect, who is weighing his choice to lead an agency that is actively investigating his son.
The tax investigation was launched in 2018, the year before the elder Biden announced his candidacy for president. Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of the investigation on Wednesday, saying he learned about it for the first time the previous day.
“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers,” he said in a statement.
It isn’t clear which entities or business dealings might be tied up in the probe, though the person with knowledge of the matter said at least some of focus was on his past work in China. Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday, including one for Hunter Biden, according to another person familiar with the investigation.