Jailed former Hunter Biden aide Jason Galanis told Republican impeachment investigators that the ‘Biden lift’ was why he did business with the first son, claiming it helped close deals they thought would make billions deliver.
Galanis told investigators that former Hunter associate Devon Archer, who was also Galanis’ business partner, had encouraged him to involve Hunter in their deals, arguing that Joe Biden’s son could provide them with the ‘Biden lift’ .
“Biden lift” we were talking about was access. Access meant to us at the time, as we were in the process of acquiring other companies, to convince third parties to do business with us,” Galanis explained in transcripts made public on Monday.
Biden’s impeachment investigators traveled to an Alabama prison to speak with Jason Galanis, who is currently serving a 14-year sentence for defrauding a Native American tribe
“Foreign investors would have the prospect of political access to the most powerful, most admired country in the world, and leadership in the most powerful, most admired country in the world,” he continued.
Domestically, Galanis said the “Biden lift” could help them close deals with companies in industries where Joe Biden had close relationships.
‘In the domestic context, these were, for example, matters such as trade union pension funds. This particular circumstance was a business plan that involved the acquisition of what ended up being two union pension fund managers and investment managers, and that was a different kind of influence. It was a stamp of credibility.”
Galanis and Archer were both convicted of fraud for convincing a Native American tribe to issue economic development bonds and then use the money for personal use. Hunter Biden was never charged under the scheme.
Galanis is part of a notorious crime family in New York. His father, John Galanis, was a target of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani during his crackdown on crime in the 1980s. Galanis, 76, is also currently in prison for his involvement in his son’s scheme.
Galanis said having Hunter on their team “lent credibility” to any potential venture or partner because it “strongly demonstrated access to the centers of power.”
He said they would often use Joe Biden’s contacts within a sector such as labor unions.
“Part of our business plan was to leverage the family’s contacts with the unions that had historically been developed through, I think, his father’s political connections.”
The embattled businessman told House Oversight and Judiciary Committee investigators that he worked with Hunter Biden and Devon Archer on business deals in the insurance and financial industries from 2012 to 2015.
Galanis told investigators that ‘Hunter Biden’s entire value added to our company was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe’
He testified that the trio “owned and acquired total controlled assets in excess of $17 billion.”
Galanis said he gave Hunter and Devon Archer shares in a new company called Burnham Group at no cost because of the “relationship capital” they would bring to the company.
Previous leaks of the testimony revealed that Joe Biden had reportedly considered joining the board of directors of a China-linked company after leaving the vice presidency.
Hunter Biden was vice chairman of Burnham Group, “bringing strategic relationships to the company, including from Kazakhstan, Russia and China.”
Galanis testified that he, Devon and Hunter agreed in 2014 to form a partnership with Harvest Fund Management, a $300 billion Chinese financial services company with close ties to the CCP.
Henry Zhao, Harvest’s director, was a contact of Hunter.
Zhao was interested in this partnership because of the groundbreaking value-add of the Biden family, including Joe Biden, who would join the Burnham-Harvest team after his vice presidency and provide political access in the United States and abroad. the world,” Galanis testified.
Galanis quoted a draft email that Hunter wrote that said, “Please also remind Henry (Zhao) of our conversation about a board seat for a certain associate of mine. Devon and I played golf on that relationship earlier last week and we discussed this idea again and as always he remains very interested in this opportunity.”
Hunter Biden’s friend and business partner Devon Archer, far left, is seen playing golf in the Hamptons with Hunter (far right) and Joe (next to Hunter)
“Since Devon Archer is named as a direct party to the conversation with the vice president on the golf course, his email shows that Devon believed this was an accurate representation of that conversation,” Galanis said in his opening statement.
“I am certain that the phrase ‘a certain relation of mine’ refers to Vice President Biden, and Devon told me about this conversation on the golf course shortly after it occurred,” Galanis testified. “And it was one of several conversations where I understood the vice president had expressed his willingness to join Harvest’s board after his vice presidency.”
An infamous photo shows Joe Biden playing golf with Hunter and Archer in August 2014, just before the email was allegedly written.
Galanis further testified that Zhao “regularly sought assurances on what he called the ‘intangibles’ that Vice President Biden, who served on Harvest’s board, would add to the business plan.”