While President Joe Biden has repeatedly insisted he has nothing to do with his family's business dealings - going so far as to say he's never so much as discussed them with relatives, a new report from Politico completely destroys that lie.

Illustration by Bill Kuchman/POLITICO (source images via AP, Getty Images, iStock)

"I have never discussed, with my son or my brother or with anyone else, anything having to do with their businesses. Period," said Biden. "

"And what I will do is the same thing we did in our administration. There will be an absolute wall between personal and private [business interests] and the government. There wasn’t any hint of scandal at all when we were there. And I’m going to propose the same kind of strict, strict rules. That’s why I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else — even distant family — about their business interests. Period."

As Politico notes, Joe Biden’s political journey, stretching back to his first Senate bid, has always been a family affair. His first campaign was significantly supported by his family, setting a precedent for how his personal and professional lives would intertwine. Throughout his career, Biden’s relatives have not only been a staple in his campaigns but have also engaged in business ventures that at times involved his political patrons, converting some business partners into campaign supporters.

This longstanding blend of family, business, and politics has made it an absurd notion that Biden has distanced himself from the actions and ventures of his relatives, particularly his son Hunter Biden and his brother Jim Biden, whose foreign business dealings have been a continual source of controversy.

Meanwhile...

In 2009, Joe Biden became VP.

Between 2009 and 2017, Hunter Biden and his “business partners” opened 15 companies.

None of those companies produced one product or sold one service.

There are no invoices, no accounting records, and no expenses.

Side note: Where are the tax… pic.twitter.com/hiGD9B0K4y

— N B (@lovelynancie) June 9, 2024

What's more, for years, Joe Biden shared key professional services with his family members: a bookkeeper with his son and a personal lawyer with his brother. This overlap extends beyond service providers to the very core of his advisory circle. Many of Biden’s closest staffers and advisers have, at different times, doubled as business associates for his relatives. These overlaps suggest an all-in-family approach that has persisted despite Biden’s assertions that he has kept a professional distance from his family's business dealings.

Investigations and Ethical Questions

Particularly revealing is the hiring of the former head of Biden’s Secret Service detail by Jim Biden to investigate a Chinese executive, Patrick Ho, who Hunter Biden was doing business with in 2017. Despite claims of maintaining a professional distance, this move, ahead of a significant business meeting in Hong Kong, highlights how deeply enmeshed personal and professional lines can become. Jim Biden’s assertion during his February impeachment inquiry interview that he did not discuss business specifics with Hunter during the trip only adds layers to the opaque nature of the family’s business dealings.

"10 for the Big Guy"

One phrase found in a series of alleged emails linked to Hunter Biden — "10 for the big guy" — has become a focal point of controversy, drawing scrutiny to the business dealings of the president's son and the implications for Biden. These emails, reportedly related to Hunter Biden's interactions with the Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC, have raised questions about potential influence peddling and conflicts of interest.

This email came to light as part of a larger trove of data discovered on a laptop that Hunter Biden left at a Delaware repair shop and never retrieved - and was recently entered into evidence as authentic by federal prosecutors during Hunter Biden's ongoing trial for a federal firearms offense.