Joe Biden Met with Hunter Biden’s Foreign Business Associates at the White House, Newly Released 2011 Emails Show
Fox News Digital in a “scoop” has obtained emails and White House visitor logs that suggest President Joe Biden and his deputy chief of staff met with three of Hunter Biden’s business associates, including one who was a foreign national, at the White House in the summer of 2011, while Biden was serving as Vice President. The purpose of the meeting was reportedly to discuss a potentially lucrative business opportunity involving bonds worth billions of dollars.
The newly released emails provide the most concrete evidence to date that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden lied repeatedly on the campaign trail when he disavowed knowing about his son Hunter’s corrupt business deals.
“How many times have you spoken to your son about his overseas business dealings?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Biden at a campaign event in Iowa in 2019.
“I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings,” Biden claimed.
That is now almost certainly false. At the time of the meeting, Hunter Biden and his business partner Devon Archer were in discussions with Sean Conlon, the founder of Conlon & Co., about the possibility of a deal that hinged on Hunter being able to arrange a meeting between his father and two of Conlon’s associates, Andre Lasserre and Xi Wang.
The meeting was said to have been arranged by Nagi Ghawi, chairman and president of Mercantile Investment Group, who had sent a contract to Conlon that energy executive David Gamperl said had “a real business model here” and could generate “substantial profit.”
The identities of the other associates who met with the Bidens remain unclear. However, the disclosure raises fresh questions about the potential conflicts of interest involving the Biden family’s business dealings, which have long been a subject of controversy.
“Here is the current contract,” Gamperl wrote to Conlon on June 22, 2011. “Proof of funds are in place and we may close this week. It has been a challenge in the management of procedures but I think we have it now. We will make substantial profit on this deal but market is between $230 to $380 million. I’m trying to close this bond immediately, as it opens up the flood gates on 29 other bonds that have less hair and much more value. I will also forward you copy of bond and verification from the perito (who is a government official who inspects the authenticity of the bond). Good stuff and I think we have a real business model here.”
Conlon forwarded Gamperl’s email to Hunter and Archer, commenting: “This is why I am putting up with this carnival! We need to put our heads together on this.”
Conlon replied when asked for comment, “I know Absolutely nothing about that” in a Monday email to Fox News Digital.
Conlon allegedly did not respond to any of Fox News Digital’s other questions, including the nature and date of a picture he posted on his Instagram in January 2021 of him and Biden.
Conlon had donated over $10,000 in support of Biden during the 2020 campaign, but did not appear to take part in any of the meetings, the report added.
Ghawi emailed Conlon later that morning an “RSP – Mercantile Oil & Gas Corporation Proposal” and appeared to suggest that a meeting with the vice president or his chief of staff would have to occur ‘ASAP’ in order to access additional bonds worth billions of dollars through their “Andre Lasserre connection.”
“I would like to confirm that I accept this letter of engagement based on 7% fees + 3% fees as a bonus if the first structured instrument (LTN) is executed within 60 days,” Ghawi wrote to Conlon. “This fee should cover all intermediaries’ fee and any additional fee should come out from this one. We have access through Andre Lasserre connection to at least 10 LTN’s but if we do not perform on the said meeting ASAP, we may not be in a position to have those LTN’s at our disposal.”
Conlon forwarded Ghawi’s email to Hunter on June 23, 2011 and wrote, “Ok see below. Need to discuss.”
“Ok- what do we need to do moving forward?” Hunter asked.
“I will discuss,” Conlon replied. “I got letter. I need email about event and a promise about meeting next week.”
After the email exchange, Sean Conlon informed Hunter Biden that they had received an engagement letter from Mercantile Investment, which reportedly stipulated that then-Vice President Biden would need to “formally meet” with “these guys,” presumably referring to Andre Lasserre and Xi Wang, in order to advance the bond deal further.
In a Tuesday email to Fox News Digital, Ghawi replied he had “asked Mr. Sean Conlon and Mr. David Gamperl as I knew them from Chicago, to organize a meeting with the VP Biden or President Obama,” claiming it was “in their role as representative of the United States of America and not in their personal capacity.”
“Mr. Sean Conlon and Mr. David Gamperl have good relation (sic) with Hunter Biden so it was easier for them to organize a meeting with the VP Biden,” he added.
“So we have engagement letter if they get other 10 bonds they have a face value of 10b,” Conlon wrote in the June 2011 email. “While it is far fetched Devon said he talked to his professor and these get traded. We get 10% in fees. We need to get these guys to an event or something where they get to just formally meet your Dad. For follow on they can talk to Chief of Staff. Let me know how soon we can do that. [Very] brief. If Nagi gets that done we get more bonds to move.”
A few hours later, David Gamperl sent an email to Sean Conlon, Nagi Ghawi, and Conlon’s business associate Benjie Burford, in which he disclosed that the face value of the bonds under discussion was over $21 billion, with each bond worth over $2.1 billion, although this figure could vary depending on the specific bond series.
“We can employ a couple of different strategies in generating profits, which would yield revenue of 22% to par of the face value,” Gamperl wrote. “A joint venture with a potential buyer is one likely methodology to which we would work together with a partner in achieving the highest value over a period of time. The other concept would be to sell a couple of bonds at a high discount and then deploy political capital and invest approximately $2 million per bond to provide full value to the bond.”
Sean Conlon forwarded David Gamperl’s email to Hunter Biden and Devon Archer. Initially, Hunter appeared to resist the idea of arranging a meeting between his father and the associates, but his attitude shifted when he proposed to meet with them himself.
“WTF is he talking about. Mtg with JRB chief of staff????” Hunter said, replying to Archer.
“I guess,” Archer responded. “I don’t think he understands how this works. I will advise him to stand down.”
“Tell him I’ll do the mtg,” Hunter said.
“Roger that,” Archer replied.
Archer replied to Conlon and Hunter, “I can’t say this isn’t interesting. Still find it difficult to imagine working out but I’m in!”
“No I agree,” Conlon wrote to Hunter and Archer. “I ignored them first few times they were introduced to me. Then my friend was holding the first Bond at his bank and he called me to verify it is real. Now that doesn’t mean we can get them sold but its (sic) a free look. I guess all we need to figure is a 5 min introduction not a meeting in the next week otherwise the guy who flew over from Paris for event in Chicago will not provide the rest of bonds as he is sulking!”
Later that morning, Nagi Ghawi sent an email to Sean Conlon, urgently informing him that Andre Lasserre and Xi Wang were presently in Washington, D.C. Ghawi stressed that it was “extremely crucial and extremely urgent” to arrange a meeting with either “the Chief of Staff, VP or both.”
“Andre and Wang are in Washington this afternoon and tomorrow meeting the world bank representative for Latin America,” Ghawi wrote. “It is extremely crucial and extremely urgent to have meeting setup (sic) either late today or tomorrow morning with the Chief of Staff or VP or Both. This is the only possible outcome possible for all of us. Let us have a conference call to manage this.”
Sean Conlon promptly forwarded Nagi Ghawi’s urgent email to Hunter Biden. Minutes later, Hunter responded by dismissing the idea of a meeting at such short notice, saying there wasn’t a “chance in hell” for it to happen. In his email, Hunter also referred to at least one of the men as a “foreign national.”
“Sorry buddy not a chance in hell either is happening,” Hunter wrote. “Give me more then (sic) hours notice then maybe- but they are in middle of debt ceiling negotiations (I.e. Fate of world economy), defending ‘Biden Afghanistan Policy’ and whatever else. Beyond thy (sic) anyone who enters WH for a meeting has to be vetted by Secret Service and WH legal team which typically takes about one week- longer for a foreign national. I can meet with them myself but the other is not happening.”
“Hey fair answer,” Conlon replied. “I am sitting in tuscany (sic) with Devon.! I will formally organize thru u. Enjoy your weekend.”
In the days following this exchange, Hunter Biden and David Gamperl continued to correspond via email, making arrangements for a meeting on June 26, 2011, at “Al Grocery 12 20 Long beach (sic).” It seems that they may have also had a phone call the day before the meeting. Then, on June 28, Gamperl requested an update, saying, “please let me know if you can talk this afternoon or when? I would like to provide an update to Andre and Nagi.”
Hunter replied that he was “working out the details.” Hunter then told Gamperl he was “cc’d with Alan Hoffman” for coordination.
“We are set. Thank you,” Gamperl responded.
According to White House visitor logs reviewed by Fox News Digital, Vice President Biden’s then-deputy chief of staff, Alan Hoffman, met with Hunter Biden’s business associates, Andre Lasserre and Xi Wang, along with David Gamperl, an energy executive, at the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) on July 27, 2011. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes and took place despite initial indications from Sean Conlon, another of Hunter’s associates, that a brief introduction would suffice.
While emails suggest that Hunter was attempting to secure a meeting between his father and the associates in order to move bonds worth billions, Nagi Ghawi, chairman and president of the since-dissolved Mercantile Investment Group in the West Indies, denied any such transaction took place. Ghawi said he was not informed or briefed about the meeting, and “no business and no transaction was done with Mr. Hunter Biden, nor the VP Biden.”
A year later, on July 30, 2012, Conor McKay, then-special assistant to Biden’s chief of staff, mentioned the meeting in an email to Hoffman and White House intern Sam Cohen, stating that he received a call from Ghawi seeking a follow-up.
“This guy just called back – his name is Nagi Ghawi, and he is the assistant for Mr. Andre Lasserre and a Mr. Wang,” McKay wrote. “You and the VP met with them at the White House last year? He said he has a message for you as a follow up (sic) to that meeting, and would like to talk to you about it.”
“He also said that if you have time while you are in Chicago that you could try to meet in person,” McKay added.
An intern who first answered Ghawi’s call said in the same email thread that Ghawi “said you’d met them at the White House last year and he wanted to send you a text with info you needed for the VP.”
Hoffman forwarded McKay’s email to Hunter, adding, “This is the guy with the magic paper that you had me meet with.” It is unclear whether he is referring to Ghawi or one of the other associates mentioned in the email who visited the White House in July 2011.
Ghawi told Fox News Digital that he contacted the White House a year after the meeting to follow up on the request of the KUNLUN Family President, Xi Wang, “in order to know if the representative of the United States of America in this case, VP Biden, reached a decision.” However, he did not clarify what that “decision” referred to.
“Never heard back of the decision all the people involved went radio silence,” he added.
“My Role in this matter was a coordinator for the President of the KUNLUN Family Mr. Xi Wang and Mr. Andre Lasserre,” Ghawi continued, providing a website that reportedly did not pertain to the matter. “The purpose of the meeting was a humanitarian meeting involving the KUNLUN Family with the representative of United States of America. I enclose the official website of the KUNLUN Family.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House, Hunter’s lawyer, Gamperl, McKay, and Hoffman for comments, but none of them responded. It is unclear whether Hunter Biden and now-President Biden benefited financially from the meeting.
Paul Kamenar, counsel to the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), opined that this news could lead to further alleged violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), for which Hunter is currently being investigated in relation to his business dealings in China, Ukraine, and other countries.
“If this person or persons met with Biden at the behest of his son, Hunter, and Hunter somehow was being paid directly or indirectly to arrange that meeting, then we would argue that, yes, he would have to register as a foreign agent of that foreign entity,” Kamenar said.
He added the emails provide “additional evidence to how the most serious charges of foreign agents registration problems are looming and need to be addressed.”
