The latest string of released transcripts by the House Oversight Committee in the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden for his family business dealings overseas, reveal Joe is the one who “closed the deal.” Jason Galanis—a former business partner of Hunter Biden—testified to Joe Biden’s special role in their deals, which he described as the “Biden Lift.”
“I would say his role…was the person who closed the deal, Hunter and Jim would initiate the deal. They would make their pitch, their business model was to be able to what I call influence peddle, but what they were doing is selling access to Joe Biden. And then Joe Biden would get on the phone or have lunch with them or do something and make it known in a plausible deniability kind of way that, that he was involved,” Oversight Chairman James Comer said on the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show on Friday.
Just The News reports:
Galanis, along with another impeachment witness, Tony Bobulinski, claims the Biden name and the perception of influence were key for Hunter Biden to secure deals. Galanis’ testimony provides the latest example in a string of accounts that show major payments to or agreements with Hunter Biden came in close proximity to a contact with his father, whether in person or over the phone.
Galanis described vividly one instance to congressional investigators: a phone call from Joe Biden to an assembled meeting of business partners and Russia oligarchs. He reported the call took place at a May 4, 2014, restaurant meeting in Brooklyn, New York.
“I was present when Hunter called his father on a cell phone and put the call on speaker. Present for the call were Yelena Baturina, an investor in Rosemont projects; her husband Yuri, the former mayor of Moscow; and Devon Archer,” Galanis said.
“During the May 4th party, we were told to go to an area of the restaurant to gather because Hunter was going to call his father,” he added. “Hunter called his father, said, ‘Hello,’ and ‘Hold on, Pops,’ then put the call on speaker phone and said, ‘I’m here with our friends I told you were coming to town, and we wanted to say hello.’”
Galanis said the then-vice president delivered pleasantries to the assembled group, but when he was ready to end the call, he delivered a message directly to his son’s partners.
“Okay, you be good to my boy,” Joe Biden reportedly said.
“Everything is good, and we’re moving ahead,” Hunter responded, according to Galanis’ recollection.
“I recall being stunned by this call, to actually hear the Vice President’s voice on the phone. It was clear to me that this was a prearranged call with his father meant to impress the Russian investors that Hunter had access to his father and all the power and prestige of that position,” Galanis recounted of his experience.
Only a few days after this spring 2014 gathering, business partner Devon Archer confirmed that Yelena Baturina was committed to a “hard order of 10 to $20 million in a Burnham investment banking client,” Galanis told investigators.
