Fallout continues from Tucker Carlson's Tony Bobulinski interview
Fox News senior political correspondent Mike Emanuel joins 'Special Report' with the latest.
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told Hunter Biden’s former business associate Tony Bobulinski in a new message that he would defend him against claims that he is a “partisan hack” in the wake of his claims about the Biden family's business ventures, according to an email obtained by Fox News.
Bobulinski -- who says he was once involved in a joint-business venture with Hunter Biden and Jim Biden -- has come forward with documents, including emails and text messages, claiming that he met twice with former Vice President Joe Biden. Those claims conflict with the Democratic nominee's statements that he has had no involvement with, or discussions about, his family’s overseas business ventures.
Critics have slammed Bobulinski for going public with the accusations and documents -- with some accusing him of being a partisan of trying to take down Biden -- but the businessman has maintained that the “American people should be demanding that this is investigated.”
Donor records show that Bobulinski has contributed money to Democrats -- including multiple times to Khanna, a California lawmaker, since 2013.
TONY BOBULINSKI TELLS TUCKER: JOE BIDEN DENIALS OF INVOLVEMENT IN SON'S BUSINESS 'A BLATANT LIE'
Fox News obtained an email from Khanna on Friday Oct. 30, to Bobulinski, offering him well wishes and support -- while saying he isn't commenting specifically on his claims. A spokeswoman for Khanna confirmed the email to Bobulinski from the congressman is authentic.
“Tony, hope you are doing okay. I did give an on the record statement to The NY Times that I know you, you have always acted honorably with me, and you and other family members supported me,” Khanna wrote. “I have told any media outlets that have asked the same thing.”
Khanna wrote that he has “refused to comment on the details of your allegations because I don’t have personal knowledge about that, but have said I respect your service to our country and that you have never been a ‘partisan hack’ in our interactions and have talked about putting country over party.”
“I also have made it clear that I do not think you are a Russian agent,” Khanna wrote. “I will continue to make that statement to any media that asks.”
Bobulinski, during an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Tuesday night, said he wouldn't have gone public about it if comments by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff that his claims were part of a “Russian disinformation” campaign were retracted. He then decided to go public to the FBI, Department of Justice, Congress and the media to tell his story.
Khanna, in the email, added that he is “grateful” for Bobulinski’s past support.
“We had a strict policy on the campaign never to accept contributions that were not from us citizens or green card holders and that were not made by people in their own name,” Khanna wrote. ‘We required explicit verification of that for every contribution made on our website and have that clear documentation.”
HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN
He added: “We took that very seriously and I made it clear that there could be zero compromise on that policy. It is a crime for a donor to reimburse someone else to give, and I know for a fact that is not something we ever accepted by anyone.
“I remain appreciative for your past support and your requesting your family members to support,” Khanna wrote. “After the heat of the election, if you want to, I am happy to chat.”
He added: “On a personal level, I wish you and your family the best.”
The email was signed: “Best, Ro.”
Fox News reached out to the number referenced on the text message. The person at that number confirmed that Khanna sent the text message.
In the Tuesday interview on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Bobulinski detailed his alleged meetings with the former vice president—one of which took place on May 2, 2017, according to text messages first reported by Fox News last week.
Those messages indicated that the meeting did, in fact, take place. Bobulinski claimed Tuesday that it was Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, the brother of the former vice president, who had pushed the meeting.
“They were sort of wining and dining me and presenting the strength of the Biden family to get me engaged,” he said.
The Biden campaign declined to comment on the meeting Biden allegedly had with Bobulinski. Biden himself has not yet directly addressed the claims Bobulinski made on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
In 2019, Biden told reporters: "I have never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else anything having to do with their businesses. Period."
But Bobulinski -- in his interview Tuesday -- described at length how Joe Biden arrived for a Milken conference, partly held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and how he was introduced by Jim and Hunter Biden to the former vice president.
Speaking with Carlson, Bobulinski also claimed Biden’s denials of knowledge in his son's foreign dealings during the presidential debate was "a blatant lie."
"I didn't request to meet with Joe" Biden, he said. "They requested that I meet with Joe [Biden]. They were putting their entire family legacy on the line. They knew exactly what they were doing.”
He asked why the former vice president would want to meet him.
“Why on 10:38 on the night of May 2 would Joe Biden take time out of his schedule to take time with me, behind a column so people could not see us, to have a discussion with his family and my family and business at a very high level?" he said.
The meeting on May 2, 2017 would have taken place 11 days before a May 13, 2017 email obtained by Fox News, which included a discussion of “remuneration packages” for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Hunter Biden as “Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC,” in an apparent reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co.
The email includes a note that “Hunter [Biden] has some office expectations he will elaborate.” A proposed equity split references “20” for “H” and “10 held by H for the big guy?” with no further details. Bobulinski has repeatedly said “the big guy” was Joe Biden.
Biden has repeatedly denied being involved with his son’s business dealings.
Bobulinksi, meanwhile, said he was told by CEFC that it was a $10 million deal that would see a $5 million loan to the Biden family and $5 million was their contribution to capitalize SinoHawk Holdings.
The allegations have been denied by Joe Biden and his campaign.
"I have not taken a penny from any foreign source ever in my life," Joe Biden said at a presidential debate last week. "We learned this president ... has a secret bank account with China, does business in China, and in fact is talking about me taking money? I have not taken a single penny from any country whatsoever, ever, ever.”
Separately the Biden campaign has said that it released the former vice president’s tax documents and returns, which do not reflect any involvement with Chinese investments.
“Joe Biden has never even considered being involved in business with his family, nor in any overseas business whatsoever," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox News. "He has never held stock in any such business arrangements nor has any family member or any other person ever held stock for him.”
Meanwhile, during the interview, Bobulinski said that the Biden family, in 2017, had shrugged off concerns that Joe Biden’s alleged ties to Hunter Biden’s business deals could put his future presidential campaign at risk.
Bobulinski said he raised concerns in 2017 to Jim Biden about Joe Biden’s alleged ties to the possible joint venture—SinoHawk Holdings, which was a partnership between the CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming and Jim and Hunter Biden.
“I remember saying, ‘How are you guys getting away with this?’ ‘Aren't you concerned?’” he told Carlson.
He claims that Jim Biden chuckled.
"'Plausible Deniability,' he said it directly to me in a cabana at the Peninsula Hotel,” he said.
As for what those deals could mean in a potential Biden administration, Bobulinski said that he believes Joe Biden and his family are “compromised.”
“I just don’t see given the history here and the facts how Joe can’t be influenced in some manner based on the history they have here with CEFC,” he said.
Fox News' Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.
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