Republicans and Democrats have had starkly different responses to allegations that a foreign national has audio recordings of conversations between President Joe Biden and his son Hunter stemming from an alleged $5 million bribery scheme involving Ukraine.
On Monday, GOP Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa revealed that an FBI informant has claimed to possess more than a dozen audio recordings of the conversations in question, according to an FD-1023 file in the FBI’s possession. This revelation comes after the House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer (R-KY), used subpoena power to obtain information from the FBI about the claims.
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Senator Chuck Grassley Announces On The Senate Floor That The Foreign National Who Allegedly Bribed Joe And Hunter Biden Allegedly Has Audio Recordings Of His Conversations With Them
“17 such recordings.”
“According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses 15 audio… pic.twitter.com/JIoMbTyXHA
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) June 12, 2023
The document in the FBI’s custody is said to indicate that the foreign national allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden has audio recordings of his conversations with them, including 17 such recordings. It is also alleged that two recordings in the foreign national’s possession involve former Vice President Joe Biden.
The FD-1023 document has not yet been released to the public due to redactions, but Comer and Grassley have indicated they have seen fewer redactions than what has been made available to those on the Oversight Committee.
In response to these allegations, President Biden dismissed the claims as “a bunch of malarkey.” Democrats are accusing Republicans of holding this inquiry for political gain, while the GOP has countered that their investigation may inform legislative reforms to strengthen disclosure requirements.
Additionally, Senator Grassley has pressed for the FD-1023 document to be released in its entirety and without unreasonable redactions since it is an unclassified document. He has also questioned what U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware – who is investigating Hunter Biden’s financial affairs – is doing about the recordings mentioned in the FBI document in question.
At this time, no further details have been revealed about the foreign national, the contents of the audio recordings, or the bribes in relation to the Burisma Holdings company, of which Hunter Biden was a board member at one point. It is unclear what will happen with the inquiry moving forward, and it remains to be seen as to whether or not the FBI document and audio recordings will be made available to the public in the near future.
