Didn't his bagman Hunter get a substantial payment from a Russian woman?
There have been allegations that Hunter Biden received payment from a Russian woman, specifically Elena Baturina, the widow of the former mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov. According to a September 2020 report from Republican-led Senate committees (the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Finance Committee), a firm called Rosemont Seneca Thornton, which the report claims was co-founded by Hunter Biden, received a $3.5 million wire transfer from Baturina on February 14, 2014, for a "consultancy agreement." This has been widely cited in discussions about Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
However, the claim is disputed. Hunter Biden’s lawyer, George Mesires, has stated that Hunter Biden was not a co-founder of Rosemont Seneca Thornton and had no financial interest in the entity, asserting that the claim he personally received $3.5 million is false. Democratic staff from the same Senate committees reviewed the documentation and found no evidence directly linking Hunter Biden to the transaction. Additionally, investigations, such as one by
The Washington Post in 2022, found no clear evidence that Hunter Biden personally received this money or was directly involved in the specific transactions with Baturina, suggesting the funds may have been tied to other business associates, like Devon Archer, rather than Hunter Biden himself.
The Senate report does not allege illegality in the transaction, nor does it demonstrate that the payment influenced U.S. policy or involved Joe Biden. The exact nature of the payment remains unclear, as the report relies on confidential Treasury Department records (like Suspicious Activity Reports) that have not been publicly released, leaving room for speculation but lacking definitive public proof that Hunter Biden personally received the funds.
In short, while there is an allegation that a firm associated with Hunter Biden received $3.5 million from a Russian woman, Elena Baturina, evidence confirming that Hunter Biden himself was directly paid by her is inconclusive based on available public information. The matter remains contested, with conflicting narratives from different sources.
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