New text message allegedly reveals Hunter Biden proposed meeting for dad, uncle and Chinese exec in NYC
FIRST ON FOX: Newly released messages from the House Ways and Means Committee appear to show Hunter Biden proposing a meeting in New York City between the boss of a Chinese energy company and Joe Biden, the former vice president at the time, along with Joe's brother, Jim Biden.
"Can you meet this evening early," Hunter Biden asked Yadong Liu, CEO of CEFC Global Strategic Holdings in a poorly punctuated text message the evening of Dec. 12, 2017.
"My father will be in New York also and he wants me to attend the Sandy Hook memorial service with him and I would like him to meet you along with my uncle and then you and I can talk let me know if that works."
"I'm sorry for the late notice I got off the red eye in Baltimore from LA and take a little nap before I got his message," Hunter added.
Yadong told Hunter "No problem" and asked to let him "know when and where to meet."
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Less than two weeks after the proposed meeting among the four individuals, Hunter Biden messaged Yadong, asking Yadong to call him, saying he was "anxiously waiting" for his report from a meeting in China.
"I am still in China. Apologies for not getting back to you sooner but I knew [sic] you have been talking to Kevin...," Yadong said, appearing to reference a CEFC China Energy executive named Gongwen Dong.
"I didn’t get to see the chairman on this trip but president chen asked me to convey to you that while we attach great importance to working with you, under the current circumstances it is almost impossible to move forward on any of the projects with you. There are a few key dates in the next weeks and we are focused on those legal challenges and cannot afford to do anything that have any potential of being misunderstood or misconstrued."
"He sincerely hopes that you can understand our situation and looks forward to removing those legal uncertainties and working with you again," Yadong continued. "I am coming back next week and can meet to explain face to face if necessary. Thank you."
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Jim Biden and Hunter Biden's attorney to confirm whether the meeting in New York City took place but did not receive a response.
A former Hunter Biden business associate slammed the Biden family in a statement to Fox News Digital about the exchange between Hunter and Yadong, saying, "This is a great exhibit of their nonsense and lies."
"Yet another example of them just blatantly lying to the American public," the former associate added.
Hunter's uncle emailed Hunter with "Yadong" in the subject line of an email the day after the proposed meeting, but it is unclear what the context was. A Town & Country Magazine profile piece and photos from a gala match up with the time frame of the elder Biden being in New York City on the evening of Dec. 12, 2017.
In addition to the messages between Hunter and Yadong, a photo of Yadong's business card was included in a document released by the House Ways and Means Committee.
Yadong was tapped to be the CEO of CEFC in March 2014 and was also listed as the general manager, according to a 2016 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
"Mr. Liu started his career in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, where he was a diplomat and a top interpreter for Chinese leaders," the SEC filing said. "Mr. Liu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language & Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Beijing Foreign Affairs College, and a Ph.D. in Political Science with a concentration in International Political Economy from Columbia University."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry's main function is running "diplomatic affairs on behalf of the state and the government" and handling "diplomatic activities between leaders of the [Communist Party of China] and the state and foreign leaders," according to the Ministry's website.
Hunter Biden's alleged proposal for a meeting between his father and Yadong wouldn't have been the first time the elder Biden met with a top executive at CEFC. Hunter Biden's former business partner, Rob Walker, said in a transcribed interview earlier this year that Joe Biden showed up "at the Four Seasons [Hotel] in a restaurant in a private room" in Washington, D.C., and addressed nearly a dozen CEFC-linked executives during his visit, including Chairman Ye Jianming, who Hunter Biden sent his "best wishes" to on behalf of the "entire Biden family" in an infamous 2017 email.
"I hope my letter finds you well. I regret missing you on your last visit to the United States," Hunter Biden wrote in the June 2017 email. "Please accept the best wishes from the entire Biden family as well as my partners.
"We are all hoping to see you here again soon, or in Shanghai," he added. That same year, Jianming allegedly gave Hunter Biden a 3.16-carat diamond worth about $80,000.
Walker went on to detail the elder Biden's presence at the meeting, saying he wasn't there the entire meeting.
"I don’t think we had structured a deal on how to work together at this point," Walker said, noting the meeting lasted "probably an hour and a half." But he said Biden "was not" there for the entirety of the meeting.
"The former vice president was not there the entire time. He was there maybe 10 minutes," Walker said. "He spoke nice. You know, normal pleasantries. I think he probably did most of the talking and then left."
Walker also testified that the visit, and Biden’s appearance, "likely" took place before his Robinson Walker LLC received $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, a CEFC-linked entity, but he maintained Joe Biden was not involved in any of his business ventures with Hunter.
President Biden has repeatedly insisted he had no knowledge of his son's foreign business dealings, but records show he met with more than a dozen of Hunter Biden’s business associates, foreign and domestic. And some of those associates and top staffers at Hunter Biden’s now-defunct company visited the Obama White House more than 90 times when Joe Biden was vice president.
"I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings," Biden told Fox News reporter Peter Doocy as he jabbed his finger in Doocy's face on the campaign trail in Iowa in 2019. "You should be looking at Trump. Trump’s doing this because he knows I’ll beat him like a drum. … Everybody’s looked at it and said there’s nothing there. Ask the right question."
"I don’t discuss business with my son," Biden said again a month later in October 2019.
In the fall of 2023, Hunter's attorney claimed Hunter "did not share" his business or his profits with his father, marking another notable shift in the narrative responding to allegations that link President Biden to his son’s business dealings. Fox News Digital has published several reports contradicting the White House's claims.
The House Oversight Committee released a report earlier this year claiming the elder Biden met with nearly every foreign business associate who paid the Biden family.
"Joe Biden interacted with nearly all of his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business associates. President Biden spoke by phone, attended dinners and meetings, and had coffee with his son’s foreign business associates," the press release said. "These individuals include Russian and Kazakhstani oligarchs, a Burisma executive, and Chinese nationals who collectively funneled millions to his son."
Fox News' Brooke Singman, Jessica Chasmar and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.