Hunter Biden tax probe examining his Chinese business dealings

WASHINGTON » The Justice Department’s investigation scrutinizing Hunter Biden’s taxes has been examining some of his Chinese business dealings, among other financial transactions, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The investigation was launched in 2018, a year before his father, Joe Biden, announced his candidacy for president, but it isn’t clear which entities might be tied up in the probe, and the inquiry was not disclosed to Hunter Biden until Tuesday.

The younger Biden has a history of international affairs and business dealings in a number of countries, and the revelation of a federal investigation puts a renewed spotlight on the questions about his financial dealings that dogged his father’s successful White House campaign.

Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday, including one for Hunter Biden, according to another person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing probe. The tax investigation centers on his business dealings, the person said.

Investigators did not reach out in the weeks prior to the election because of a Justice Department policy surrounding elections that prohibits overt investigative acts, one of the people said.

In a statement released by the president- elect’s transition office, Hunter Biden said he learned about the investigation on Tuesday, but he did not disclose specifics about what was being scrutinized.