Just eleven days before the election, top Democrats in Congress called on the Justice Department to investigate Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, for possible violations of the law. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), citing the standards they waived during the Biden impeachment inquiry.

The letter sent to the Justice Department on Friday came from House Oversight Committee member Jamie Raskin and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden.

“The scale of these undisclosed foreign payments to Mr. Kushner, coupled with the national security implications of his apparent ongoing efforts to sell his political influence to the highest foreign bidder, are unprecedented and demand action by the DOJ “, Raskin and Wyden wrote.

“Unprecedented”?

If the allegations sound familiar, that’s because they are almost exactly what House Republicans have accused Hunter Biden of doing.

A House impeachment inquiry revealed millions in undisclosed foreign payments to Hunter Biden and his presidential brother James Biden while Joe Biden was vice president. Email evidence showed and witnesses said Hunter Biden used his last name and promise of political influence with his father in an apparent attempt to cut deals and get his foreign partners to pay up.

For his part, Raskin repeatedly said that “If Republicans had a smoking gun, or even a leaking water gun, they would introduce it today, but they have nothing on Joe Biden.” House Oversight Chairman James Comer, who led the investigation, said Just the news that “Raskin is a hypocrite” who cares more about the upcoming election than enforcing FARA.

“This is a classic election year stunt that has no credibility. Ranking Member Raskin deliberately ignored evidence of the Bidens’ FARA violations and is now engaging in this political fishing trip to try to distract from the rapidly sinking Harris campaign,” Comer said. Just the news.

Raskin has emerged as a major opponent of the Republican-led House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden’s committee, which has focused heavily on the foreign business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.

This investigation ultimately concluded that President Biden committed indictable offenses by helping enrich his family through an influence scheme, but Democrats, led by Raskin, strongly condemned the investigation and its results.

Rep. Raskin’s office did not respond to a request for comment on what distinguishes the Hunter Biden case from that of Jared Kushner.

FARA for you, but not for me

“FARA is an important tool for identifying foreign influence in the United States and responding to threats to our national security,” Raskin and Wyden wrote. “The primary purpose of FARA is to ensure that the U.S. public and lawmakers are informed of foreign efforts to influence U.S. public opinion, political activities, and lobbying through the use of agents in the United States. »

According to the law, a person is required to register when, acting as an agent of a foreign principal, he engages in political activities, acts as an advertising agent or public relations advisor, deals money into the United States on behalf of the principal, or represents the principal before government officials or agencies.

Raskin and Wyden argue that Jared Kushner’s work with Saudi and other Middle Eastern governments through his affinity partners should be eligible for registration under the law. They specifically cite his millions in earnings from his company partnerships and alleged political activities, including advising his father-in-law, meeting with members of Congress and raising money for the Trump campaign.

But the congressional record, testimony and Just the news investigations show that Hunter Biden engaged in strikingly similar activities. Even IRS whistleblowers, who alleged that the Biden Justice Department interfered in their tax investigation of the first son, testified that they were. prevented from continuing potential FARA fees.

Significant income from foreign sources

An investigation by Senate Democrats found that Kushner’s company Affinity collected at least $87 million in management fees from the Saudi government. The letter notes that 99% of the $3 billion in managed funds comes from foreign sources. It is unclear how much income Kushner made from the company.

Democrats believe Affinity is a way for the Saudis to secretly exert influence with the Trump family, citing Kushner’s inexperience in managing investments.

“There is good reason to believe that the Saudi government’s decision to use Affinity for investment advice is simply a fig leaf to funnel money directly to Mr. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka. Trump,” Raskin and Wyden wrote. “Prior to starting Affinity, Mr. Kushner had no experience in private equity or managing quantifiable investments.” Trump was divorce from his wife Ivanka in 1990.

Much like Democrats’ allegations against Kushner, House Republicans found millions flowing directly into Hunter Biden’s coffers and collected testimony suggesting Hunter Biden’s experience was minimal or unclear for the roles that he had obtained.

The impeachment inquiry identified at least $27 million in funds that Hunter Biden and other family members received from foreign sources. These funds were often hidden in “shell companies” to hide their true origin, the commission said in its final report. Some of the funds sent from China, for example, ended up directly in Joe Biden’s bank account.

Hunter Biden received significant compensation from several foreign companies and posts despite the fact that congressional investigators had difficulty determining what product or service the younger Biden was offering.

One of the best-known examples is Biden’s role on the board of the embattled Ukrainian energy company Burisma, whose owner Mykola Zlochevksy was facing corruption allegations in Ukraine. Biden received a salary of one million dollars per year for his role on the board, even though he has no prior experience in foreign energy markets.

In another example, an independent contractor from a Chinese company entered into a direct partnership with Hunter Biden and promised him approximately $5 millioncould not define what Biden’s role was within the company when he testified before the Oversight Committee earlier this year.

“And then what do you think Hunter Biden brought to the table? » asked an investigator. “I don’t know,” the witness replied.

Political activities and influence

For foreign income to require FARA registration, the recipient must engage in political activities of some nature according to the definitions set forth in the law.

Democrats say that “as he raises millions each year from Saudi Arabia and other foreign governments, Mr. Kushner, by his own admission, remains a close political adviser to former President Trump and a deeply influential figure.” involved in Trump’s presidential campaign. »

Potentially problematic activities cited by Democrats include reports that Kushner advised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin-Salman, advised his father-in-law’s campaign, held meetings with foreign officials on U.S. soil and met with members of the Congress on American Politics.

At the same time, there may be even more evidence that Hunter Biden engaged in “political activities” on behalf of several of his foreign clients or partners. For example, when the Ukrainian energy company Burisma was subjected to surveillance by his own government, Hunter Biden met with at least one State Department official who was a key adviser to his father.

In November 2015, as pressure against Burma intensified, Hunter Biden contacted Amos Hochstein, then special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs at the State Department, to arrange a meeting over coffee on November 4 2015. show. Hochstein also met with senior Burisma official Vadim Pozharskyi.

Barely a month later, Hochstein was a key manager involved in that of then-Vice President Biden decision to change American policy and call for the dismissal of a Burisma prosecutor considered hostile to its interests.

In a court filing in Hunter Biden’s tax case by a special counsel for Biden’s Justice Department, prosecutors made clear allegations that Hunter Biden was working on behalf of Romanian oligarch Gabriel Popoviciu to influence US politics. Biden’s lawyer tried to have this evidence excluded on the grounds that it would prejudice the jury.

Hunter Biden’s company gets $3 million share

At the time, Popoviciu was under investigation for corruption by Romanian authorities. House investigators found that a company linked to Hunter Biden received about a third of a $3 million payment of Bladon Enterprises Limited, of Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu. The rest of the money was shared among his other partners, according to the bank statement memo and government court documents.

Prosecutors said in the filing: “(T)he government will present the evidence described above, including that Defendant and his Associate 1 received compensation from a foreign leader who attempted to influence politics and American public opinion and to get the United States to investigate. the Romanian survey on the general practitioner in Romania.

The description matches almost exactly the FARA registration requirements provided by the government.

In addition to these activities, email records and testimony show that Joe Biden met or spoke on the phone with almost all of his son Hunter’s foreign business partners. A former business partner, Devon Archer, testified that he put his father on the phone with partners at least 20 times over a decade of activity.

“Enforcing FARA is essential to protecting our national security and ensuring that our political system remains free from malign foreign influence,” Raskin and Wyden wrote in the conclusion of their letter.

“The public must have confidence that the DOJ carries out its responsibilities fairly, impartially, and without regard for political opportunism or partisan interests, and the appointment of a special counsel would strongly serve the public interest,” they said. -they added.

But, as IRS whistleblowers testified, their investigative team was not authorized to investigate allegations of FARA violations by Hunter Biden. The evidence appears to show that the investigation did not meet Raskin and Wyden’s standards for FARA enforcement.