Hunter Biden’s aide Eric Schwerin says he was ‘unaware’ of Joe’s role in family business deals, but says he provided ‘unpaid’ financial services to then-Vice President and had contact with him ‘multiple’ times

Former Biden aide Eric Schwerin told lawmakers he was “unaware” of then-Vice President Joe Biden’s role in his son’s foreign dealings, despite meeting with him “several” times and receiving financial advice had given when he worked with Hunter Biden.

Schwerin, a close business associate of Hunter at his investment firm Rosemont Seneca, was taken to court on Tuesday with a subpoena by the Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.

He was specifically asked about the then-Vice President’s use of pseudonyms to discuss personal and business activities. Schwerin was included in at least 54 direct emails with Joe between 2009 and 2017, Republicans say.

According to Schwerin’s opening statement, he claimed he was “not aware of any financial transactions or compensation” Joe Biden received through his family’s businesses. He also called the Republican accusations “ridiculous.”

But Republicans say Schwerin’s testimony pokes holes in Biden’s claim that there has always been an “absolute wall” between himself and the family business.

A source told DailyMail.com that Schwerin confirmed he had been in contact with then-Vice President Biden on “multiple” occasions and was not paid to provide various professional services – including accounting and tax preparation.

Schwerin was also appointed by Biden to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, which included other top donors and friends.

The source told DailyMail.com that Schwerin’s opening statement was “barely tailored” and did not cover the extent of his knowledge of the Biden family’s plans.

In the statement, Schwerin said he was “not aware of any role Vice President Biden had, as an official or private citizen, in Hunter’s business dealings.” No.’

He added that then-Vice President Biden “never” asked him to “take any official actions on behalf of Hunter’s clients or any other client.”

“In my conversations with the Vice President about his personal finances, he was always crystal clear that he wanted to take the most transparent and ethical approach, consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law,” he continued.

The committee planned to question Schwerin about Joe’s use of several private email addresses from which he sometimes sent, received and forwarded government correspondence, according to emails found on Hunter Biden’s now infamous laptop.

‘Robin Ware’, ‘Robert L. Peters’ and ‘JRB ware’ were three pseudonyms used in emails regarding both official and family matters.

Republicans say most of Schwerin’s communications with Joe Biden’s pseudonymous accounts took place between 2010 and 2019 — with the highest volume during the years when Joe was vice president.

In August, the House Oversight Committee demanded information from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regarding the pseudonymous emails used by then-Vice President Joe.

They say the agency has stonewalled their requests for information and only produced documents that are “harmless or flattering” toward Biden.

In December, the House Committee on Ways and Means released an 11-page spreadsheet compiled by an IRS investigator showing “dozens of email exchanges” using the pseudonyms of Hunter, Schwerin and Biden.

The committee said specifically 54 of those emails were between Joe Biden and Schwerin alone.

Republican investigators say NARA has released documents showing Schwerin “had direct contact with White House officials regarding Burisma, a Ukrainian entity that paid Hunter Biden millions of dollars and is relevant to the Commission’s ongoing investigation.”

They planned to question Schwerin about those communications, including the reports already released.

DailyMail.com previously reported on Schwerin’s emails with then-Vice President Kate Bedingfield in December 2015 about Hunter’s ties to Ukraine.

In a December 4, 2015, conversation titled “Quotes,” Schwerin requested the VP’s signature on statements he suggested the White House use to respond to media questions about Hunter’s role in the Ukrainian oil company Burisma while Joe continues his anti-corruption work performed. in the country.

At the time, Hunter served on the company’s board of directors and earned approximately $83,000 per month, despite having no previous experience in the energy industry.

According to the records, Schwerin wrote to Bedingfield’s official “@ovp.eop.gov” account, suggesting language “from a Hunter spokesperson” that distanced Joe from Hunter’s lucrative Burisma role.

She responded, “VP signed this a few hours later,” and then sent the statement to the New York Times and other investigative media.

On the exact day of the email exchange, Hunter was actually in Dubai with Burisma executives for dinner at the Four Seasons.

Hunter reportedly said at that dinner that he could get “help from DC” to alleviate some “governmental pressure” on the company as it faced corruption investigations.

His other associate Devon Archer testified before Congress last year that Burisma “asked Hunter, you know, to help them with some of that pressure,” and “DC” meant his influence based on his connection to his then-vice president -father.

“Well, I mean, he was a lobbyist and an expert and he obviously had a very powerful name. So I think that’s what they were asking for,” Archer said of Hunter.

He then confirmed that immediately after Hunter was asked to help at the Four Seasons meeting, Hunter “called his dad.”

Although Archer was not ‘aware’ of the call, he was told that ‘we had called DC’

The emails between Schwerin and Bedingfield were first published in March by America First Legal as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit with the National Archives.

Many of the related emails have been “completely withheld” due to White House privilege.

The White House has insisted that Joe Biden never “did business” with his son or knew about his foreign transactions.

This is the second time Schwerin has been interviewed by the House Oversight Committee.

In March 2023, he told committee staff he was “unaware” of any transactions “into or out of” then-Vice President Joe Biden’s bank account related to Biden’s family business, according to a Democratic aide.

Schwerin also served as a financial advisor to then-Vice President Biden from 2009 to 2017, according to the aide.

Oversight Chairman James Comer has also demanded “all drafts” of then-Vice President Biden’s speech he delivered to the Ukrainian Rada on December 9, 2015.

During the speech, Biden touted his efforts in combating corruption in the country and urged an overhaul and reform of the state attorney general’s office.

At the time, top Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin was investigating oil company Burisma Holdings for corruption – the same company of which Hunter was a sitting board member.

In March 2016, Joe Biden reportedly threatened to withhold $1 billion in aid to Ukraine if Shokin was not fired for corruption, which he ultimately did.