Investigative journalist Peter Schweizer told Fox News host Sean Hannity Friday that many family members of former Vice President Joe Biden benefited from government contracts they weren’t qualified to perform.
In his newly released book “Profiles in Corruption: Abuse of Power by America’s Progressive Elite,” Schweizer says the largesse to the “Biden Five” goes back many years but peaked while Biden served in the administration of President Barack Obama.
“There’s a pattern here, Sean, and it really blossoms during the Joe Biden’s tenure as vice president of the United States. Take his brother James for example,” Schweizer said, noting that the family member was appointed executive vice president of a construction company that would shortly receive a government contract “to build 100,000 homes in Iraq, financed by U.S. taxpayers.” (RELATED: Sen. Graham Says Investigating Hunter Biden ‘Doesn’t Make Me A Russian Agent’)
Schweizer pointed out, “Here’s the problem, James Biden has no background in construction. This didn’t happen before and this didn’t happen after he was vice president. It happened during his tenure. It’s the same pattern we have seen. These deals involve sometimes taxpayer backed loans, they involve foreign governments. What they end in, is the Biden family making money off of these deals, deals they are not qualified to have, skills that they don’t possess.”
Biden has been scrutinized for his seat on the board of directors of a corrupt Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. He has said he has “no regrets” for fulfilling that role even though he had no experience in the energy sector and had the job while his father was Obama’s point man in Ukraine. (RELATED: Ukrainian Business Says Gas Firm Hired Biden For Protection)
Schweizer says Biden was also firmly connected to Chinese interests.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden depart after a pre-inauguration church service in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2009. Picture taken January 18, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
“Look, to be blunt about it they have lied about this repeatedly. First, they denied that Hunter Biden sat on the board of directors of the Chinese funded investment firm. Then when we showed the website that said he was on the board of directors they changed their tune. Then they said he wasn’t making any money off of the deal. Now they admit, ok, he has assets but he hasn’t cashed out the money yet. That’s the problem, they haven’t been honest about this from the beginning.”
Biden reportedly received $700,000 for his work with the investment firm.