In a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner, Tony Bobulinski, accused Democrats of lying to the media in the GOP-led impeachment probe against President Joe Biden. Bobulinski criticized Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Dan Goldman for their alleged falsehoods, and claimed that Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, attempted to smear him while defending his own successful business career after his time in the Navy. Raskin questioned Bobulinski’s behavior in the hearing, prompting a heated exchange during the proceedings.
Bobulinski, who briefly worked with Hunter Biden in 2017 on a company called Sinohawk, has made claims that the president profited from his son’s business deals in China, citing a widely-cited email that references “10% held by H for the big guy” which he believes refers to the president. However, these claims have not been verified, and multiple witnesses have contradicted Bobulinski’s accusations by stating that the president was not involved in his son’s business ventures. Despite the lack of evidence supporting his claims, Bobulinski continues to push his narrative in front of the committee.
Amid the hearing, Rep. Jared Moskowitz reportedly wore a Vladimir Putin mask to mock Republicans for spreading allegations about the Bidens that are believed to stem from Russian disinformation. Rep. Raskin criticized Bobulinski for making hazy allegations against the Bidens for the first time at a press conference orchestrated by the Trump for President campaign, and argued that the GOP’s star witnesses, including Alexander Smirnov, who was recently indicted by the FBI, have been dishonest in their testimony. Criminal referrals to the Justice Department are being contemplated based on the committee’s findings.
Bobulinski testified before the committee alongside former Hunter Biden business partner Jason Galanis and former Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas. While the committee had also requested Hunter Biden’s appearance, he declined to participate, with Lowell calling the hearing an attempt to throw a “Hail Mary pass.” Many Republicans have started to accept that the impeachment probe is unlikely to result in any formal charges against the president. Parnas, who was involved in efforts to unearth damaging information about the Bidens in Ukraine, has reiterated that any such claims are baseless and fabricated by Russian disinformation.
In his testimony, Parnas accused Fox News anchors and Trump allies, including former Rep. Devin Nunes and Sen. Ron Johnson, of spreading a false narrative about the Bidens. Parnas, who was convicted of fraud and campaign finance violations for his involvement in the 2018 midterms, highlighted the lack of credibility in the allegations against the Bidens, and emphasized that the claims were part of a political smear campaign. As the hearing concluded, it became increasingly clear that the impeachment probe was running out of steam, with very little concrete evidence linking the president to any wrongdoing in his son’s business dealings.
