Try as she might to ignore them and find favor with liberal reporters who won’t join in, Hunter Biden questions aren’t stopping anytime soon for White House press secretary Jen Psaki with Friday’s Psaki Show being the latest example in the form of a tense back and forth with the New York Post’s Steven Nelson.
Friday’s exchanged Two questions were asked the previous day. (thanks to Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann and the Daily Mail’s Rob Crilly) about a New York TimesRead the entire story that all but acknowledged Nelson’s Post It was right when it came to emails detailing Hunter’s life of corruption on a laptop left at a Delaware repair shop.
Nelson was brief in answering the Times-specific question: “The New York Times It was revealed this week that First Son continues to be under criminal investigation. Does the President still intend to stay out of that case?”
Psaki was largely faithful to her original line since Thursday. “Yes. It’s Department of Justice and I would point you to them.”
Nelson then cleverly approached the Biden family corruption issue from another angle. He started with an Senate Republican ReportCNN, the so-called fact-checkers, denounced without any evidence that a company was connected to it. “to the First Son received $3.5 million from the richest woman in Russia.”
Nelson added this. citing a e-mail on Hunter’s laptop, “President Biden, when he was vice president, had a dinner in Georgetown with the same woman in 2015.”
He claimed that Elena Baturina, a Russian billionaire, was his wife. “has not been sanctioned yet by the U.S. government,”This prompted me to ask this question:
What is the president’s strategy for avoiding conflicts of interests when sanctioning individuals who do business with him? Can you also explain why $3.5 million was needed to pay this amount?
Like the liberal media did in 2020, Psaki insisted she hasn’t seen “any confirmation of the accuracy of that report, so I have no more further details on that.”
Nelson kept pressing even though Psaki tried to move to another reporter (click “expand”):
NELSON – You did not mention the conflict of interests, but how he manages those in deciding sanctions.
PSAKI: How would his conflicts of interests be?
NELSON: Well, his son’s company allegedly got $3.5 million from —
PSAKI: I don’t have any confirmation and he continues to sanction oligarchs more than ever before. This isn’t a conflict.
NELSON: But she hasn’t been sanctioned, though.
PSAKI [TO OTHER REPORTER]: Go ahead.
NELSON: She hasn’t been sanctioned, though.
PSAKI [TO NELSON]: We are grateful. [TO OTHER REPORTER] Go ahead.
NELSON: I have a question about Russia. [TO OTHER REPORTER] I’m sorry —
PSAKI: I think we’re moving on —
NELSON: [TO OTHER REPORTER] — I’m sorry. There’s one more.
PSAKI: — because we’ve got to get to more people. [TO OTHER REPORTER] Go ahead.
Nelson hung tough and asked one last question how Hunter Biden’s lawyer has yet to present evidence his client “divested from a Chinese investment fund controlled by Chinese state-owned entities”Such as “who bought his stake, when this happened, and how much money changed hands.”
He said that he was curious to find out if Hunter had been killed. “actually divest[ed] and, if so, can you agree to basic transparency,” Psaki closed by reiterating her talking points that didn’t fly for her friends in the press during the Trump years: “He’s a citizen. He is not employed by the government. I’d point you to his representatives.”
Nelson AskPsaki on the subject of this December 6, 2021. Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy reported on the Shanghai-based company, Bohai Harvest RST Equity Investment Fund Management Company (click “expand”):
Hunter Biden held an ownership interest of 10% in Bohai Harvest RST, Shanghaii Equity Investment Fund Management Company. This was through his only LLC named Skaneateles.
(….)
A review of BHR’s financial documents shows the firm had access to tens or hundreds of millions of dollars for Chinese and global investments and set up a complicated web of China-based and Cayman Island shell companies and subsidiaries.
Joe Biden said in December 2020 his family would not be involved in “any business, any enterprise that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict with an appropriate distance from the presidency and government.”
Despite the brief November statement from Hunter Biden’s lawyer, the president’s son still appears to hold a 10% equity stake in BHR, according to Chinese business records. These records could simply not be up-to-date.
Three Chinese business websites, run by Baidu, Qixin, and QCC, all show updates with Hunter Biden’s name removed from the BHR board of directors in April 2020, but the sites currently show Skaneateles as still being a “sponsor/shareholder” with 3 million yuan, or $464,000, invested.
A report for Skaneateles, obtained by the Washington Examiner from D.C.’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, still lists Hunter Biden as the “governor” for the company as of Oct. 20, when a $400 filing fee was paid. The address for the president’s son is listed in Culver City, California.
To see the relevant briefing transcript from March 18, click “expand.”
White House Press Briefing [via CBSN]
March 18, 2022
Eastern, 4:07 PMSTEVEN NELSON: I’ve got a quick clarification and two questions about presidential conflicts of interest in foreign affairs. The New York Times has reported that the First Son still faces criminal investigations. Is the President still planning to remain out of this case?
JEN PSAKI (Yes) That’s the Department of Justice. I will point them out.
NELSON: Okay. My two questions concern conflicts of interest in foreign relations. First I want to ask you about Russia. Then, I’d like to talk about China. On Russia, you told me last year that you were unfamiliar with the senate report that alleged that the First Son — or a company linked to the First Son received $3.5 million from the richest woman in Russia. The subsequent reporting shows that the President Biden had dinner at Georgetown in 2015 with the exact same woman when he was Vice President. This — Elena Baturina— she has not been sanctioned yet by the U.S. government. What is the president’s strategy for avoiding conflicts of interests when sanctioning business associates? Can you also explain what $3.5 million was used for?
PSAKI: I don’t have any confirmation of the accuracy of that report, so I have no more further details on that.
NELSON – You did not mention the conflict of interests, but how he manages those in deciding sanctions.
PSAKI: Which conflicts would he have with his interests?
NELSON: Well, his son’s company allegedly got $3.5 million from —
PSAKI: I don’t have any confirmation and he continues to sanction oligarchs more than ever before. This isn’t a conflict.
NELSON: But she hasn’t been sanctioned, though.
PSAKI [TO OTHER REPORTER]: Go ahead.
NELSON: She hasn’t been sanctioned, though.
PSAKI [TO NELSON]: We are grateful. [TO OTHER REPORTER] Go ahead.
NELSON: I have a question about Russia. [TO OTHER REPORTER] I’m sorry —
PSAKI: I think we’re moving on —
NELSON: [TO OTHER REPORTER] — I’m sorry. There’s one more.
PSAKI: — because we’ve got to get to more people. [TO OTHER REPORTER] Go ahead.
NELSON: My — my — my —
PSAKI [TO OTHER REPORTER]: Go ahead.
NELSON: — question about the conflict of interest when it comes to China is, last year, the First Son’s attorney said that he divested from a Chinese investment fund controlled by Chinese state-owned entities. There has been no basic information about the purchase of his stake or when it occurred, nor how much. Do you think he divested? If so, could you provide basic transparency about this transaction?
PSAKI: He is a citizen. He is not employed by the government. I’d point you to his representatives.
NELSON: It’s a conflict of interest because of his father’s role as President because of China.
PSAKI: We’re almost done. We are very grateful.
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