(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) A scheduled Friday morning interview between Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner, Tony Bobulinski, and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was delayed after the FBI stepped in.
The agency has been under fire amid questions that it may have tried to suppress the massive trove of damning information contained on Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop from going public.
After Biden left the device at a Delaware computer repair shop, the store owner eventually seized control of it and discovered the data. He contacted the FBI, which initially did an analysis and later took possession of the laptop.
However, a copy of the hard drive files made it into the hands of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who delivered it to the New York Post.
Despite the inconvenience of having to reschedule, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., the HSAG committee chair, applauded the move.
“I appreciate that the FBI has a job to do, and I am glad they are finally taking an interest in these concerning financial matters that our Committees have been investigating for months,” Johnson said.
“I expect that Mr. Bobulinski will speak with our committee as soon as possible and fully share his insights into the Biden family’s business dealings,” he added.
Bobulinski provided a number of corroborating materials to the Wall Street Journal and other outlets after the bombshell story hit the New York Post last week.
Democrats, including the presidential campaign of Hunter’s father, Joe Biden, have continued to insist, despite the evidence, that it is a Russian disinformation smear.
While Bobulinski’s documents appear to corroborate aspects of it at least—involving a corrupt business deal with a Chinese energy company that ultimately fell through—some of the more shocking revelations from the data remain shrouded in secrecy.
Notably among those are the allegations from Giuliani that the laptop contained sexually explicit images of underage girls, including a 14-year-old relative of Hunter’s.
After Giuliani presented the evidence to Delaware authorities, the state’s Justice Department quickly punted it to the FBI, citing questions about its “veracity.”
Meanwhile, Johnson and the GOP-led HSGA committee, which released a report outlining many of the Biden family’s foreign entanglements prior to the laptop’s public disclosure, have indicated that they will continue their probe.
Already, Bobulinski has provided his materials. The committee made a similar request of Hunter Biden and his uncle Jim, who also was implicated in the Chinese scandal, as well as two other business partners in the venture whose names appear in emails discussing “remuneration packages” with a 10 percent cut for “the big guy.”
NEW: Senate Investigators seek Hunter Biden records, according to October 21 letter, addressed to team of lawyers. Deadline October 23. “According to recent reports that published emails allegedly from your client’s laptop, the Committees have identified your client as an pic.twitter.com/ChIhs14Ogq
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) October 22, 2020
Top Senate Democrats, however, sounded the alarm on Thursday, warning FBI Director Christopher Wray not to investigate the allegations, which—regardless of their veracity—might carry the stain of a partisan campaign operation.
“In carrying out this critical national security mission, law enforcement’s handling of this matter must be above politics and beyond reproach,” wrote Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY,.
“We therefore urge you to resist pressure from President Trump and other partisan actors to take any actions intended to benefit President Trump politically on the eve of the election,” they continued. “Succumbing to such pressure would deeply undermine our national security interests and the credibility of law enforcement, and could have devastating consequences for the resiliency of our democracy.”
Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.
