Romanian under criminal probe paid Hunter Biden in deal to sway U.S. policy: prosecutors
Prosecutors plan to introduce evidence at his tax-evasion trial that they said will show Hunter Biden took compensation from a Romanian businessman who sought to have federal agencies in the U.S. quash a criminal investigation against him in his country.
Special counsel David Weiss’ office wrote in a filing Wednesday obtained by NBC News that Biden entered into a verbal agreement with a business associate "purportedly to help a Romanian businessperson, G.P., contest bribery charges he was facing in Romania."
Prosecutors expect the associate will testify that the two lobbied and consulted together, that the Romanian businessman was under criminal investigation in that country and that the businessman sought to retain Biden and two business associates to try to "influence U.S. government agencies to investigate the Romanian criminal investigation of G.P, and thereby cause an end to the investigation of G.P. in Romania."
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The business associate is also expected to testify that Biden was concerned their lobbying work could have "political ramifications" for his father, President Joe Biden. The associate and the Romanian businessman signed an agreement whereby the associate's legal entity would help manage real estate properties in Romania, but prosecutors said "that was not actually what G.P. was paying for."
Instead, the money was meant to "influence U.S. government agencies to investigate the Romanian investigation of G.P., and Business Associate 1 would pass approximately 1/3 to the defendant as his compensation and approximately 1/3 to Business Associate 2 as his compensation."
Biden's trial is expected to begin in September.
Prosecutors also said Wednesday they do not plan to introduce evidence or argue that Hunter Biden tried to "funnel money to Joe Biden," CNN reported.