Another Biden business associate says Joe Biden was not involved in foreign business dealings

By Annie Grayer, CNN

Hunter Biden business associate John Robinson Walker said in a closed-door interview on Friday that President Joe Biden “was never involved” in any of his business dealings with the president’s son, according to Walker’s opening statement provided first to CNN.

Walker is among a growing list of Biden family business associates who have undercut Republican allegations related to their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden including another business associate of the Biden family who testified behind closed doors on Thursday.

The committees conducting the investigation subpoenaed Walker in November for his testimony, claiming that he may know whether the president had been involved in his family’s business dealings, an unproven allegation that rests at the heart of their probe.

“In business, the opportunities we pursued together were varied, valid, well-founded, and well within the bounds of legitimate business activities. To be clear, President Biden-while in office or as a private citizen-was never involved in any of the business activities we pursued,” Walker said according to his opening statement.

“Any statement to the contrary is simply false,” Walker added. “Hunter made sure there was always a clear boundary between any business and his father. Always. And as his partner, I always understood and respected that boundary.”

Walker also discussed an interaction he had with Joe Biden shortly after he left office in 2017, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan told reporters. Walker testified to the FBI in 2020 that Joe Biden, shortly after he left office, made in appearance at a lunch Hunter Biden was having with foreign business associates at the Four Seasons in Washington DC.

“He literally sat down. I don’t even think he drank water,” Walker told the FBI of Joe Biden’s appearance at the Four Seasons lunch meeting Hunter Biden was having with a Chinese energy company, CEFC, that Walker also attended.

Walker also said in his 2020 interview with the FBI that he believed Hunter Biden orchestrated for his father to show up to that meeting and that there were times he heard Hunter say he was setting up a meeting with his father who was then serving as the vice president.

But even in 2020, Walker testified, “I certainly never was thinking at any time that ah … the V. P. was a part of anything we were doing.’”

Jordan characterized the Four Seasons lunch interaction as “the biggest thing” he had learned so far.

Jordan said the timing of the Four Seasons meeting is “interesting” because shortly after, CEFC wired $3 million to Biden family business associates that members of the Biden family received indirectly. Republicans have zeroed in on the deals between Walker and the president’s son but there is no evidence of wrongdoing by the president.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin told reporters that Walker has repeatedly stated during the interview that Joe Biden was not involved in any of his business dealings with Hunter Biden. He said Walker testified Joe Biden’s appearance at the Four Seasons meeting lasted “less than 10 minutes,” and he “didn’t order any food, he wasn’t having drinks, it was a drop by to say hello.”

“The aimlessness of this investigation continues. It’s a like a fishing expedition with no fishing rods or poles or lines or bait or tackle or a map,” Raskin added.

Walker said in his opening statement he is “very concerned” that his closed-door testimony on Friday could be taken “out of context” given recent accusations that Republicans have misrepresented closed-door testimony, and asked that any public statements about the interview include the entire transcript.

Walker testified that he began working with Hunter Biden around 2008.

Upon walking into his closed-door interview, Walker told reporters he plans to tell the committee “the truth.”

After roughly seven hours of closed-door testimony, Walker left the building and said, “I answered questions to the best of my ability.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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