Americans Need Answers on Hunter Biden’s Cobalt Mine Sale to Chinese

Instead of fixing runaway inflation, rising energy prices, and supply chain issues for the American people, the “Bare-Shelves Biden” administration is attempting to persuade you that Hunter Biden’s business dealings are a thing of the past.

They want you to believe there’s nothing in the president’s son’s suspicious international business dealings the American people should be concerned about.

Don’t be fooled.

Hunter Biden has made a fortune capitalizing on his life as Joe Biden’s son to peddle influence and line his pockets. For months, Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee have been investigating and demanding answers into Hunter Biden’s intent to sell his amateur artwork, possibly to influencers in adversaries such as China and Russia, for exorbitant prices.

The White House’s decision to abide by purchasers’ anonymity deserves scrutiny and remains a national security concern.

Unfortunately, Hunter Biden’s pattern of questionable business dealings is far too common and didn’t start when his father became president.

The New York Times recently published an explosive story on Hunter Biden’s role in the sale of one of the world’s richest cobalt mines in 2016. According to the reporting, Biden helped facilitate the sale of a cobalt mine in Africa owned by the United States of America.

Why is this a problem. Cobalt is a key component of solar panels and electric car batteries. Even worse, Hunter Biden’s firm decided to sell the cobalt mine to a Chinese company.

China understands what’s at stake, and controlling cobalt mines is a severe blow to Americans’ ability to invest in renewable energy technology. It actually hinders our ability prioritize domestic innovation and adopt greener energy at a faster pace.

At the time of the sale, the Obama administration, with Joe Biden as vice president, was aware of cobalt’s importance to the global economy, but did nothing to intervene in Hunter Biden’s Beijing-backed transaction.

There was once a time when the business dealings of a  president’s son would have received wall-to-wall coverage on every major media network in America. That standard seems no longer to apply. 

America’s reliance on cobalt was cemented this year after Joe Biden signed one of his many executive orders. The administration set out its goal for electric and other zero emission vehicles to make up half of all new cars and trucks sold in America by 2030.

Joe Biden’s initiative makes Americans dependent on China for cobalt—in large part due to his son’s actions.

The legacy media might not care that Hunter Biden’s actions have been a boon to Beijing and a detriment to the availability of clean energy, but many Americans do. 

Today, the United States’ ability to lead the world in renewable energy is threatened directly by Hunter Biden’s actions, despite promises by his father to make the environment a priority. Under its current leadership, the House has failed to hold this administration responsible and continues to ignore serious issues.

The American people deserve answers on the extent of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, both domestic and abroad. They also deserve answers regarding why the Obama administration—whether at then-Vice President Joe Biden’s behest or not—watched in silence as an American company transferred control of this critical element to a Chinese conglomerate.

Hunter Biden will continue to profit from the country and place profit above all else if we fail to find the truth and hold them accountable. In this case, he appears to have profited in the short-term directly from America’s long-term loss.

That’s why I’m now requesting from the National Archives all documents and communications from the Executive Office of the President and Office of the Vice President from Jan. 1, 2015, to Jan. 20, 2017, regarding Hunter Biden and the sale of this particular cobalt mine.

While Hunter Biden and the White House continue to insist that there’s nothing to be concerned about and that the business dealings and relationships Hunter Biden conducts in secret are totally legitimate, Republicans aren’t convinced.

Hunter Biden’s pattern of self-dealing poses national security and ethical risks. His suspicious business ventures should be monitored by Congress.

The Daily Signal is open to all perspectives. Nothing here should be taken to mean that The Heritage Foundation views are represented.


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