The threatening WhatsApp messages Hunter Biden sent to a Chinese business associate that referenced his father resulted in an agreement quickly being signed that led to millions being deposited in Biden family bank accounts.
The messages — which were disclosed by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley — were exchanged between the president’s son and key players within the now-defunct Chinese energy company CEFC. The chairman of CEFC, Ye Jianming, is reportedly connected to the Chinese military.
On July 30, 2017, Hunter Biden messaged his Chinese business contact Henry Zhao, threatening him and flexing his father’s influence unless Ye agreed to a lucrative deal.
Within days of Hunter Biden’s threat and mention of his father’s name in those messages, an estimated $5 million in payments from CEFC began rolling into the younger Biden’s business accounts, according to a 2020 Senate report.
“I am sitting with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment has not been fulfilled,” Hunter Biden told Zhao in one of the July 30 messages. “I am very concerned that [Ye] has either changed his mind and broken our deal without telling me or that he is unaware of the promises and assurances that have been made have not been kept.”
When asked by reporters on Wednesday, President Joe Biden denied being in the room when the message was sent.
Breitbart News reported that Zhao is the chairman of China’s Harvest Fund and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary of the fund. The Harvest Fund reportedly also has a stake in BHR Partners, the Chinese investment firm that Hunter Biden was a 10% shareholder in for years.
CEFC Executive Director Zhang Jianjun, who has ties to the CCP and reportedly met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017 in an effort to buy into Russia’s state-owned oil company Rosneft, was also mentioned in Hunter Biden’s WhatsApp messages.
“Tell [Zhang] that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand,” the president’s son told Zhao in the July 30 messages. “And now means tonight. And Z if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the Chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.”
Photos of Hunter Biden on his later-abandoned laptop show him at Joe Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, home on the day he included his father's name in the threatening WhatsApp messages.
In four photos on the hard drive, the first son was shown sitting behind the wheel of the president's 1967 Corvette Stingray alongside family members at 6:49 p.m. on July 30, 2017, according to The Washington Free Beacon. The snaps were taken close to Joe Biden's Wilmington, Delaware, residence, according to GPS metadata embedded in the photos analyzed by the Free Beacon.
“Z - Please have the director call me - not James or Tony or Jim - have him call me tonight,” Hunter Biden told Zhao in the July 30 messages. “All too often people mistake kindness for weakness — and all too often I am standing over top of them saying I warned you. From this moment until whenever he reaches me. It is 9:45 AM here and I assume 9:45 PM there so his night is running out.”
Zhao responded to all of the younger Biden’s messages by saying he would call on WhatsApp.
“OK my friend - I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father,” Hunter Biden replied. “I sure hope whatever it is you are doing is very very very important.”
After several days of back and forth messaging, CEFC deputy Gongwen “Kevin” Dong, messaged Hunter Biden on WhatsApp on Aug. 3, 2017, to tell him that Zhang was agreeing to his demands.
“Please let’s put this to bed tonight sign officially tomorrow (or anytime as late tonight as you want) and get to work,” Hunter Biden replied. “I am tired of this Kevin. I can make $5M in salary at any law firm in America. If you think this is about money it’s not. The Bidens are the best I know at doing exactly what the Chairman wants from this partnership. Please let’s not quibble over peanuts.”
The deal between the president’s son and CEFC was finalized around Aug. 2, 2017, according to records from the Hunter Biden laptop.