On Wednesday, Hunter Biden testified on Capitol Hill and attempted to downplay the threatening text message he sent to one of his Chinese business partners, in which he indicated he was “sitting here with my father” waiting to discuss their deal. He sent the message, dated July 30, 2017, via WhatsApp, to CEFC China Energy executive Henry Zhao.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter wrote in the text.
The text continued:
Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. All too often people mistake kindness for weakness—and all too often I am standing over top of them saying I warned you. From this moment until whenever he reaches me.
I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father. I sure hope whatever it is you are doing is very very important.
The text has been cited as proof that Joe Biden was directly involved in Hunter’s foreign business dealings. But Hunter testified under oath that the text was not as it seemed.
Hunter claimed that he was most likely high on drugs when he sent it. That’s not exactly hard to believe, but that wasn’t the only explanation he gave. He said he wasn’t actually with his father at the time he sent the message and also claimed that he sent the message to the wrong person.
While it’s hardly a stretch for Hunter Biden to have been high, as he was addicted to drugs at the time, the other excuses he piled on suggest he’s throwing as many darts as possible hoping something will hit the bullseye.
Unfortunately for him, his claims just don’t add up. As we previously reported, a photo from Hunter’s laptop shows that he was at his father’s house that day and also behind the wheel of his dad’s prized 1967 Corvette Stingray, which he kept in the garage of his Wilmington residence, with his daughter and her friend in the car. If he wants to claim he was high, he has a whole other legal problem on his hands. The message is coherent enough that he was most likely sober.
His other explanations don’t make sense either.
But those claims don’t add up, according to public records and one of the Republican lawmakers present at the deposition.
“The facts don’t back up what he’s saying,” Rep. Pat Fallon (R., Texas) told WMAL’s Vince Coglianese.
For one, Biden was photographed at his father’s Delaware home the day he sent the message. The Washington Free Beacon reported Biden was photographed on July 30, 2017, at his father’s Delaware home. Biden’s new claim that he was likely high that day could raise other concerns, since he was driving his dad’s Corvette with his young daughter and her friend.
It also seems unlikely that Biden sent his message to the wrong person. That’s because Zhao, the CEFC China Energy official, responded to the threatening text message with a promise to rectify their disagreement.
“Copy. I will call you on WhatsApp,” Zhao responded, according to records released by the House Oversight Committee.
And, of course, the threat also worked. Days later, CEFC China Energy wired $100,000 to Owasco LLC, one of the Biden family businesses, and another $5 million to Hudson West III, Biden’s joint venture firm.
We can add perjury to the list of Hunter Biden’s crimes, which is punishable by up to five years in prison.