Las Vegas Review-Journal

Colleague of Biden son interests FBI

Interview with partner in China venture put off

- By Gary Martin Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@ reviewjour­nal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartin­dc on Twitter.

WASHINGTON — FBI agents asked Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of Hunter Biden, to sit for an interview Friday into allegation­s that Joe Biden, the former vice president and Democratic presidenti­al nominee, was aware of his son’s financial dealings with China.

Bobulinski turned over documents that he said support his allegation­s to the Senate Homeland Security and Government­al Affairs Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, which are looking into the conflict-of-interest accusation­s.

Lawyers for Bobulinski told the committees Friday that the FBI has asked for three cellular telephones storing informatio­n and wants to interview Bobulinski about the case.

An interview with the FBI on Friday, however, was postponed until an undetermin­ed date.

“I appreciate that the FBI has a job to do, and I am glad they are finally taking an interest in these concerning financial matters that our committees have been investigat­ing for months,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-wis., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Johnson added: “I expect that

Mr. Bobulinski will speak with our committee as soon as possible and fully share his insights into the Biden family’s business dealings.”

The Trump campaign made Bobulinski, a former Navy lieutenant, available to the traveling press corps at the presidenti­al debate Thursday.

Bobulinski told reporters that he was familiar with business dealings between Chinese officials, Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, the former vice president’s brother.

“I’ve heard Joe Biden say that he’s never discussed this with Hunter,” Bobulinski said. “That is false.”

Bobulinski told reporters he would turn over the three phones, which hold informatio­n from 2015 to 2018, to the FBI when he meets with agents.

“The evidence sits on these three phones,” Bobulinski told reporters. “I don’t want to go into anything further. This will be discussed with Senator Johnson and his committee, and the American people can decide what’s fact.”

One piece of informatio­n is an email Bobulinski has that refers to a business deal that apparently includes an equity split from a Chinese deal for Hunter Biden and “the big guy.”

Bobulinski was a guest of Donald Trump at the debate Thursday in Nashville, where the president referred to Biden as “the big guy.”

The Biden campaign has called the accusation­s a “smear campaign” orchestrat­ed by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who provided informatio­n to the New York Post, which first published stories about a possible conflict of interest.

Other major media outlets have reported that they could not corroborat­e the allegation­s against Biden.

Biden has released his tax returns, which show no evidence that he received money from any of the businesses deals that Bobulinski has reportedly said included the former vice president.

During the presidenti­al debate Thursday, Biden flatly denied receiving money from any foreign business deal.

Also during the debate, Biden referred to a Chinese bank account maintained by a Trump Organizati­on company and called on the president to release his income tax returns.

 ?? Julio Cortez The Associated Press ?? Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of Hunter Biden, waits for the start of the presidenti­al debate Thursday in Nashville, Tenn.
Julio Cortez The Associated Press Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of Hunter Biden, waits for the start of the presidenti­al debate Thursday in Nashville, Tenn.

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