President Biden’s younger brother Jim allegedly worked with Qatari government officials as part of an effort to raise money for his healthcare ventures in the U.S., according to bombshell testimony provided by a former business partner and records obtained by Politico. At one point, the younger Biden invoked his older brother’s political ties.
Michael Lewitt, a former business partner of Jim Biden’s, testified that two companies that facilitated the efforts were partly owned by “members of the Qatari government.”
One company named in the testimony was directly partnered with Jim Biden as part of fundraising efforts that spanned several years. The second company provided financial backing for a series of loans that a now bankrupt hospital chain paid Jim Biden to arrange, according to documents and testimony provided by Lewitt as part of federal bankruptcy proceedings.
The alleged arrangements began in the months after Joe Biden left the vice presidency. At the time, Qatar was facing a financial blockade from a number of its neighbors in the Persian Gulf and was spending exuberant amounts of money in order to sure up alliances and gain influence abroad.
Public records obtained Politico “offer a window on fundraising efforts in which Jim Biden invoked his ties to older brother and sought workarounds to restrictions on international money movements.” Transactions related to Biden’s efforts have also at the center of a recently settled fraud case brought by the SEC, while they are also under the microscope as part of a federal criminal investigation in South Florida.
While testifying before congressional investigators in February, Jim Biden suggested that his fundraising efforts stalled out due to a lack of viable projects. The testimony from Lewitt indicates that Biden may have forged closer ties with the Qatari government than previously understood, however.
The president’s younger brother has emerged as a key figure in the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Congressional investigators have zeroed in on a $40,000 payment from Jim to Joe Biden that was classified as a “loan repayment.”
James Biden, 74, told House investigators that he did not believe the company, CEFC China Energy, was controlled by the Chinese government. Instead, he claimed that he “misspoke” when he told an IRS agent in 2022 that Hunter Biden, who was partnering with his uncle, had described CEFC executive Ye Jianming as a “protégé” of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The interview also confirmed that James Biden received a total of $840,000 over four wire transfers made between November 2022 and July 2023. The payments came from Argentinian businessman Jose Luis Manzano, who allegedly decided to sell half his stake in Manzano’s holding of Argentinian natural gas company Metrogas, the First Brother claimed.
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Lewitt is expected to sit for an interview with congressional investigators as part of the House impeachment inquiry into President Biden, though a date has not been set at this time.
The alleged ties are expected to heighten suspicion surrounding President Biden’s refusal to label Qatar as a state sponsor of terror, even though they have provided financial support to jihadist groups in the Middle East.