Joe Biden met with now-missing chairman of Chinese oil giant Ye Jianming but claimed he was just ‘checking in’ on drug-addicted son, according to Hunter’s business partner

Hunter Biden’s former business partner revealed new salient details about President Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in his sons’ deals, including that Joe personally met now-missing Chinese oil giant CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming in 2017.

Republicans are investigating how Joe Biden may have benefited financially from the relationships with “Chinese sources” and other foreign entities that his son Hunter and brother James Biden developed.

Hunter’s partner Rob Walker disclosed that the meeting took place Friday during a closed-door deposition as part of the Republican Party’s impeachment inquiry. Walker was called to testify under a subpoena along with several other associates of Hunter Biden.

According to a source familiar, Walker claimed that when Joe met with CEFC officials at the Four Seasons in Washington, DC in 2017, he was merely “checking in” with his son.

The brief meeting took place around the time $3 million was transferred from the Chinese company to Biden family associates and is evidence of “swampy influence peddling,” say Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry into Joe.

Additionally, during the closed-door interview, Walker addressed a series of text messages and emails invoking Joe’s name. But he brushed it off and said he sent the text messages at 2am and they were just text messages, nothing more formal than that.

Walker also told investigators that when Hunter used Joe’s name in the messages with the Chinese, it was because “he was on drugs.”

The source told DailyMail.com that Walker tried to “downplay” Joe’s involvement and that his answers were often “inconsistent and conflicting” with each other.

Republicans are investigating how Joe Biden may have profited from the relationships with ‘Chinese sources’ and other foreign entities that his son Hunter and brother James Biden developed

Top Republicans James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a statement to DailyMail.com that the meeting and additional details revealed by Walker are “evidence” of how the Bidens sold their “brand” to themselves enrich.

They went further, saying Walker revealed that Hunter’s work with the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) affiliate CEFC began a year before Joe left the vice presidency.

“But the Bidens and their allies waited for payment from the Chinese while Joe Biden was in power,” the Republicans say.

DailyMail.com previously reported that Joe Biden may also have met with Ye and his son in New York at his $59 million penthouse in 2017, according to bombshell texts.

Hunter Biden texted his business partners in Chinese oil giant CEFC that Joe Biden would join them for a meeting in August 2017.

“My uncle will be here with his BROTHER who would like to say hello to the chairman,” Hunter wrote, referring to CEFC chairman Ye Jianming, who bought a four-bedroom, 5,278 sq m top floor apartment in the coveted 15 Central Park. West in May of that year.

During the closed-door interview, Walker also disputed Republicans’ allegations that then-Vice President Joe was involved in funneling millions in foreign money to Biden family members.

“President Biden has never – while in office or as a private citizen – been involved in any of the business activities that we have engaged in,” Walker said in his opening statement obtained by DailyMail.com.

As Hunter’s partner, “I have always understood and respected that boundary,” he added, saying that “any statement to the contrary is simply false.”

The Republican Party is limited to tracking down the millions of dollars that flowed between Chinese businessman Mervyn Yan and family member John “Rob” Walker, who they say used shell companies to allegedly deposit the foreign money into Biden bank accounts.

Rob Walker was considered a “surrogate” for the Biden family members when it came to business dealings and helped facilitate lucrative opportunities with China and Romania.

Walker glowingly described Hunter as an “intelligent, caring and generous person” and said his “behavior” and “strong interpersonal skills” made him an excellent and “valued” partner.

He told investigators Friday that he first befriended Hunter in 1999, shortly after he joined the Clinton administration and their partnership abroad began in 2008.

They enjoyed many years together before Hunter “lost his way” in his battle with addiction.

Democrat Jamie Raskin, a top committee oversight committee, told reporters outside the statement that Walker “was clear” that Joe Biden was “never involved” in any business activities.

Yan similarly told investigators Thursday that he never had “professional” contact with Joe Biden but had no idea why the Biden family was involved in energy deals in the first place, with no experience in the industry.

According to Republican Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., Yan admitted “on the record” during questioning that the Biden family “had no experience in the energy and infrastructure sector and was unsure of what they were bringing to the table.”

But Democratic investigators insisted that Yan testified that he “never did business with” or had “any personal or professional communications” with Joe Biden.

He apparently told the committees that Hunter was contributing “legitimate value” through “sourcing deals” and “identifying projects” for their joint venture, a source said.

Hunter Biden confirmed he will also appear for his own testimony late next month — a sign Republicans are moving closer to wrapping up their investigation.

He had previously rejected a subpoena forcing him to conduct a closed-door interview, and the Republican Party initiated the process of holding him in contempt of Congress.

Walker worked with Hunter Biden on Sinohawk Holdings – a joint venture with Chinese energy company CEFC led by chairman Ye Jianming.

Rob Walker worked with Hunter Biden on Sinohawk Holdings – a joint venture with Chinese energy company CEFC led by chairman Ye Jianming

Ye gave Hunter a diamond in 2017 because they pursued a business relationship immediately after Joe Biden left the vice presidency.

But in November 2017, the company was accused of bribery by the Justice Department in Africa. He was arrested in China in March 2018, reportedly on Xi Jinping’s orders, and has not been seen or heard from since.

Mervyn Yan, a CEFEC director and former Ye employee, also worked with Hunter on his Hudson West III venture.

Yan’s attorney previously told Chairman James Comer that his client “had no professional contact or communication with President Biden at any time” and that he had no documents showing “wrongdoing” by Joe.

Of particular interest to lawmakers are the millions of dollars from China and Romania, which they say flowed from foreigners into shell companies and then into the hands of Joe’s relatives.

Walker formed “Robinson Walker, LLC,” a limited liability company that Republicans say was “used as a vehicle to receive foreign funds and send a percentage of the money to Biden family members.”

That includes millions of dollars from a company owned by Romanian Gabriel Popoviciu, who was under corruption investigation at the time.

“After receiving this money, Robinson Walker sent over a million dollars to Biden family accounts, including Hunter Biden’s,” the Republicans accuse.

In a memo released last year, the Republican Party laid out documents showing Hallie received $35,000 in two transfers from Walker.

The money came after Walker received a $3 million wire transfer from China’s State Energy HK Limited, a company affiliated with CEFC.

In November, Speaker James Comer, R-Ky., revealed a 2017 direct payment of $40,000 to Joe, labeled as a “loan repayment” that he claims is “laundered money” and traced to the the Chinese Communist Party affiliated CEFC.

In WhatsApp messages from August 2017, previously published by DailyMail.com, Hunter demanded $10 million from CEFC and claimed his father was sitting “right here” next to him during the exchange.