The Biden White House has so far remained silent as it weighs whether to block the release of a trove of documents from the Obama administration that may contain information about Hunter Biden’s relationship with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) informed the White House on Nov. 30 that it will soon release nearly 300 email messages in response to Freedom of Information of Act (FOIA) requests for emails that contain the word “Burisma,” Insider reported. The Biden administration may stop the release of these records by invoking executive privilege, but the White House has yet to say whether it will do so.
The requested records consist of 69 images and 282 email messages that were reviewed by NARA and cleared for release. There were 22 related emails that contain information exempted from FOIA requests and are restricted, as well as 75 messages that will be partially redacted if the president permits them to be released.
Draft documents that are “part of the deliberative or policy-making process” are exempt from FOIA requests, as is information that could violate an individual’s privacy or expose trade secrets. NARA did not say which exemptions the 22 restricted emails fall under.
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President Biden waves alongside his son Hunter Biden after attending mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, South Carolina, on Aug. 13, 2022. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
The FOIA requests were filed by members of the press after Hunter Biden joined Burisma’s board in 2014, a lucrative position that paid as much as $83,333 a month despite Biden’s lack of experience in the energy sector.
Hunter Biden’s relationship with Burisma has been the focus of Biden family corruption allegations from Republicans, who have accused the family of leveraging Joe Biden’s position as vice president in foreign business dealings. President Biden has previously denied any involvement in his son’s business dealings. The emails, if released, could shed light on the nature of Hunter Biden’s relationship with Burisma and whether the president has told the truth.
Fox News reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
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President Biden speaks during a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16, 2022. (Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images)
Under the Presidential Records Act, Biden’s legal team has a period of 60 days to determine whether the president will exert executive privilege over the documents.
If they block the release, the emails could be sealed until January 2029, unless a court intervenes, according to Insider.
REPUBLICANS PLAN PROBE INTO HUNTER BIDEN’S CHINESE BUSINESS DEALS: ‘ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING’
Flanked by House Republicans, U.S. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 17, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Republicans are planning to launch a series of investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings once they take control of the House of Representatives in January.
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who is the incoming chair of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who is expected to soon chair the Judiciary Committee, alleged at a press conference on Nov. 17 that President Biden was actively involved in overseas business dealings alongside his son Hunter.
At the press conference, Comer, citing whistleblowers, asserted that the Biden family “flourished and became millionaires by simply offering access to the family.”
The Republicans released a report in November saying that they have uncovered evidence of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., wire fraud, violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, money laundering, tax evasion and other crimes.
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The White House responded by accusing congressional Republicans of promoting “long-debunked conspiracy theories.”
Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.