The elder Biden, then out of office, called Hunter on December 12, 2018, soon after The New York Times published a story on one of Hunter’s business partners, Ye Jianming, the chairman of the Chinese energy giant CEFC. Joe left a voicemail to his son saying he wanted to speak about the article, adding, “I think you’re clear,” according to a copy of the voicemail reported by the Daily Mail.
The voicemail contradicts the White House’s and the president’s claims that he never spoke with his son about Hunter’s multiple overseas business dealings.
The president said on the voicemail: “Hey pal, it’s dad. It’s 8:15 on Wednesday night. If you get a chance just give me a call. Nothing urgent. I just wanted to talk to you. I thought the article released online, it’s going to be printed tomorrow in the Times, was good. I think you’re clear. And anyway if you get a chance give me a call, I love you.”
The New York Times story included references to Hunter’s discussions with Jianming and one of Jianming’s top lieutenants, former CEFC vice-chairman Patrick Ho. Ho was arrested in the United States in 2017 and later sentenced to three years in prison for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Jianming was a prominent Chinese oil magnate before Chinese authorities arrested him in 2018. He has not been seen publicly since, and CEFC has fallen into bankruptcy.
