James Biden’s Business Partner Says He Worked With Qatari Officials, Sought Money From Sovereign Wealth Fund: Report

The president’s brother, James Biden, will likely receive renewed focus from the fledgling House impeachment inquiry following disclosures about his involvement with Qatari government officials and his attempts to gain access to the country’s sovereign wealth fund. James Biden — who has already appeared for a transcribed interview with the impeachment investigators — has been scrutinized for more than a year due to his decades-long career as a lobbyist. The first brother has made tens of millions of dollars over the years by working for the tobacco and healthcare industries, among other ventures.His foray into Qatar and its sovereign wealth fund, which began in 2017, could put him back in the hot seat. His involvement was first reported by Politico. Mr. Biden’s former business partner, Michael Lewitt, testified to a bankruptcy court that the first brother attempted to work with “members of the Qatari government.” His goal was to find funding for a failing chain of hospitals that were owned by the healthcare company Americore, which paid James Biden while also allegedly committing Medicare fraud. Shortly after his brother left the vice presidency, James Biden and his partners began contacting members of the Qatari government about funding for Americore. He went so far as to invoke his family name in a draft letter to the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority.“My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels that I believe would be worthy of the interest of His Excellency,” James Biden wrote in the draft letter with his business partner, Amer Rustom. “On behalf of the Biden family, I welcome your interest here.”Americore was failing at the time, and James Biden committed to raising $30 million to keep the rural hospital network open. He was not able to, and the company eventually shut down — but not before he was paid $600,000. Qatar has for years been implicated in a number of influence-peddling schemes in order to win favor in the western world. The most notable example was the corruption scandal at the European Parliament, where lawmakers were accused of “participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, and corruption,” according to prosecutors. According to the documents obtained by Politico, James Biden personally met with a minister in the Qatari government as he was seeking a financial solution for Americore. It is not clear which minister it was. James Biden later wrote to the chief executive of Americore that he would seek funds in Communist China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Mr. Lewitt emailed the first brother and another business partner about finding that money. Mr. Lewitt wrote that, “Amer would like me to join Jim for the presentation to the Finance Minister in Doha so as soon as we have the date I will plan my travel.”The finance minister of Qatar at the time of that email, Ali Sharif Al Emadi, was later arrested in his home country on charges of corruption. The disgraced minister was later convicted of stealing more than $5 billion from the government and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Biden family’s foreign business affairs have been investigated for more than a year now by the House impeachment inquiry and its staff. Multiple former associates of James Biden and the president’s son Hunter have said that the only value the two men brought to their respective lobbying shops was their last name. One former associate of the first son called it “the Biden lift,” while another called the lobbying business as nothing more than selling “the Biden brand.”“The Bidens don’t sell a product, service, or a set of skills,” the chairman of the Oversight Committee, Congressman James Comer, said of the Qatar connection. “It’s simple: the Biden family is selling access for millions of dollars to those around the world willing to pay for it. And Joe Biden continues to lie about the role he played in the influence peddling schemes.”

James Biden’s Business Partner Says He Worked With Qatari Officials, Sought Money From Sovereign Wealth Fund: Report

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