Hunter Biden proposed his firm's office space with 'separate entrance' for new hire of Beijing-backed firm

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FIRST ON FOX: Hunter Biden proposed hiring a full-time employee in 2015 who could work in the Washington, D.C., office space "directly connected to the Rosemont Seneca offices" with a "separate entrance" and serve as the communications liaison with the Beijing team on behalf of the U.S partners of BHR Partners, according to a review of emails from Hunter’s infamous abandoned laptop that have been verified by Fox News Digital.

BHR Partners, a Beijing-backed private equity firm controlled by Bank of China Limited, was formed less than two years earlier in late 2013 when Jimmy Bulger’s Boston-based Thornton Group LLC joined forces with Hunter Biden’s now-defunct Rosemont Seneca to launch its joint-venture with Chinese investment firm Bohai Capital.

In February 2015, Hunter sent an email to multiple leaders at BHR Partners, including CEO Jonathan Li and Managing Partner Jason Zhu, where he laid out his proposal for a new BHR employee and their responsibilities, which would include "monitoring all deals and advising where the U.S. Team could add value, and keeping the Beijing Team informed as to our fund raising and other efforts."

"This person would also be responsible for handling all expense reports, travel arrangements and any other necessary ‘reporting’ requirements or duties we deem important," Hunter Biden wrote. "The office space is directly connected to the Rosemont Seneca offices, with a separate entrance, but it will be re-branded as a BHR US office. There is space for additional personnel if the need arises as we grow."

Hunter Biden developed a proposal for BHR Partners in 2015, where he would hire an employee who would serve as a communications liaison between BHR's U.S. team and Beijing team and would work out of office space "directly connected to the Rosemont Seneca offices, with a separate entrance." (Fox News Digital)

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He went on to lay out the timeline of when he expected this new employee to start working, prompting Zhu, who is based in Beijing, to say they "totally agree" with his proposal and that it would be "very helpful for our deal sourcing and fund raising in US."

BHR Partners' Managing Partner Jason Zhu, who is based in Beijing, told Hunter Biden the China team "totally agree[s]" with his proposal. (Fox News Digital)

"The budget is ok for us, but the person we want[sic] to hire should be proficiency in both English and Chinese, so it will be efficient for our communication," Zhu continued. "Please send us the candidates' resume first and we can have an interview with the candidates. Mr. Xinzhong Li is currently in US, and he can do the interview if some candidates is ready."

Bulger, the nephew of notorious Boston mobster Whitey Bulger and a longtime business associate of Hunter Biden, reacted to Hunter’s proposal separately from his initial group email and told him not to "make any more inquiries until we find out if the SINOPEC capital call is met and subscribed in full by BHR."

"We were made aware during our trip that BHR is almost  $120million USD short of its contracted amount. Therefore the BHR fee, which is minimal to begin with, will be further compromised," Bulger said. "If this fee from SINOPEC deal is not captured in its totality then Rosemont Seneca Thornton will have to inject the next round of Registered Capital as BHR management will be short of cash by year end."

"So just slow down on this inquiry please until we can generate fees on the Fund at least," he added.

Hunter Biden attends a reception for the Kennedy Center Honorees in the East Room of the White House on Dec. 4, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Less than five months later, BHR’s Managing Partner Xi Wang emailed Hunter Biden, Bulger, and other BHR executives about a Hong Kong-based candidate for the role named Jamie Fu and attached her resume. It is unclear what her resume said, but according to her Linkedin and Facebook, she attended Beijing-based Tsinghua University and Duke University for grad school.

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Her Linkedin profile listed her last job as being a consultant for IBM in Hong Kong and her Facebook profile hasn’t been updated since she posted she started a new job at BHR Partners as "Vice President."

"She is currently based in HK and instead of the expenses of having her travel to BJ to meet with you in person, how about we set up a video conference with her and you guys at your convenience and if you like her, we can fly her to BJ during the board meeting to meet all of us in person. Let me know," Wang emailed in early July 2015. "BJ" appears to refer to Beijing.

Jimmy Bulger and others from BHR Partners scheduled an interview with Jamie Fu, who would be hired the following month, at JW Marriott hotel in Beijing. (Fox News Digital)

Bulger told her he felt it would "be best" if they met Fu in person and suggested they meet while they were in Beijing later that month for a BHR Partners board meeting. Bulger suggested they meet at the JW Marriott hotel.

On Aug. 31, Wang emailed the BHR Partners executives and said they were "prepared to issue Jamie Fu’s offer letter as a BHR Associate."

"We are prepared to issue Jamie Fu’s offer letter as a BHR Associate at a per annum pre-tax salary of US$84,000, no other payments or subsidies (housing, travel or otherwise) will be payable. She will be subject to applicable U.S. federal / state taxes. She will be based in NYC and will travel to D.C. on an as-needed basis," Wang said. "One thing I need your help with is getting her health coverage in the U.S., can we put her on the same health plan as your associates? Her start date hasn’t been fixed yet but depending on her acceptance, should be around late October to mid-November."

BHR Partners' Xin Wang told other executives at BHR Partners that they were "prepared to issue Jamie Fu's offer letter as a BHR Associate at a per annum pre-tax salary of US$84,000." (Fox News Digital)

It is unclear what date she officially started, but the arrangement for her to work out of New York City with Devon Archer, who was a longtime friend and business partner of Hunter Biden, was disrupted when he was forced to resign from his BHR director, vice-chairman positions after reports came out in May 2016 that he was under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department and the SEC.

Archer was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison last year by Manhattan Judge Ronnie Abrams, despite her previously throwing out the conviction in late 2018  because she was "left with an unwavering concern that Archer is innocent of the crimes charged," according to Reuters.

"We are working with Devon’s team to finalize[sic] the necessary paperwork to appoint his successor to the BHR board," BHR Managing Partner Jason Zhu said in an email to nearly two dozen people affiliated with BHR, including Jamie Fu. "It is required under the BHR constitutional documents that Rosemont appoint a vice-chairman as well as a member of the remuneration committee, which positions can be assumed by the incoming new director or the remaining Rosemont director, Hunter Biden, we are in discussions with the Rosemont team on the appropriate candidate for such positions."

BHR Partners' Jason Zhu sent an email to BHR employees about Devon Archer in 2015 announcing that he would be resigning from his positions in light of U.S. Justice Department and SEC investigating him for his role in a scheme to defraud a Native American tribe. (Fox News Digital)

About two months later, Wang sent an email to Hunter Biden’s longtime business partner Eric Schwerin about potentially setting up a U.S.-based subsidiary for BHR in Washington, D.C., pointing to Hunter’s initial proposal.

"I have an administrative issue requiring your assistance – we are still proposing to send Jamie (as well as Xinzhong) to the U.S. to better coordinate communication between our U.S. shareholders and the team here in BJ (the idea was originally proposed by Hunter last year)," Wang said in the email to Schwerin. "Burnham and Devon were originally tapped to house Jamie and to assist with the relevant logistics (including visa, office etc), but under current circumstances, we are looking at other options."

Hunter Biden said he was "fine" with the proposal of Rosemont Seneca Partners entering into lease with a potential U.S. subsidiary of BHR for office space. (Fox News Digital)

"Upon discussion with lawyers, it was proposed that we set up a subsidiary in the U.S. (this would be the quickest way to obtain visas for Jamie and Xinzhong) and toward this end, we need to provide the lawyers with a proposed corporate address and a lease for office space in the U.S," Wang continued, appearing to refer to BHR Partners' Managing Partner Xinzhong Li. "Do you think it might be possible to enter into a lease with RSP for a room in your D.C. office?"

Schwerin then forwarded the email to Hunter saying he was "meaning to discuss" this proposal with him.

Hunter Biden's laptop was at the center of a Big Tech censorship campaign in 2020. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

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"I think it's fine," Hunter replied.

Despite the proposed arrangement, it is unclear whether Fu ever used the Rosemont Seneca office space or whether there were other BHR associates who used it.

Fox News Digital reached out to BHR Partners, Wang, Jamie Fu, Schwerin, and Hunter Biden’s attorney, but they did not respond to requests for comment.

Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing and Houston Keene contributed to this report.