[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 631 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 631
Directing the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform, and the Committee on Financial Services to begin
investigations regarding certain business dealings of Robert Hunter
Biden during the period in which Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as Vice
President of the United States; whether those business dealings
resulted in improper conflicts of interests; and whether Robert Hunter
Biden's work affected United States foreign policy or a foreign
government or foreign entity's response thereto.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 15, 2019
Mr. Byrne (for himself, Mr. Budd, Mr. Gibbs, Mr. Kelly of Pennsylvania,
Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Rouzer, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Harris, and Mr.
Gaetz) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Rules
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Directing the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform, and the Committee on Financial Services to begin
investigations regarding certain business dealings of Robert Hunter
Biden during the period in which Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as Vice
President of the United States; whether those business dealings
resulted in improper conflicts of interests; and whether Robert Hunter
Biden's work affected United States foreign policy or a foreign
government or foreign entity's response thereto.
Whereas, from 2009 to 2017, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as Vice President of the
United States of America;
Whereas since at least 2001, Robert Hunter Biden, the son of Vice President
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., had engaged in work as a registered Federal
lobbyist;
Whereas immediately following the election of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to the office
of Vice President, press reports indicate that Robert Hunter Biden
joined with Christopher Heinz, the stepson of then Senate Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman John Kerry, and Devon Archer, a close Kerry
family confidant, to form a network of investment and consulting firms
with variations of the name ``Rosemont Seneca'';
Whereas press reports indicate that Rosemont Seneca pursued multiple, foreign
business investments ``where connections implied political influence and
protection'';
Whereas during the period in which Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as Vice
President, the People's Republic of China was a significant concern of
United States foreign policy, including that country seeking to define
its relationship with the United States in light of the so-called Obama
Administration ``Pivot to Asia'';
Whereas press reports indicate during this period, entities associated with
Robert Hunter Biden and Rosemont Seneca engaged in multiple business
transactions requiring high-level connections in the People's Republic
of China;
Whereas, in December of 2013, Robert Hunter Biden accompanied Vice President
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on Air Force II on an official visit to the
People's Republic of China;
Whereas press reports indicate that at the same time Robert Hunter Biden
accompanied Joseph R. Biden, Jr. to the People's Republic of China,
``Rosemont Seneca Partners'' was finalizing the formation of a private
investment fund, BHR Partners, which was financially supported by the
Bank of China, China Development Bank Capital, and other major Chinese
financial institutions controlled by, owned by, or associated with the
government of the People's Republic of China;
Whereas Robert Hunter Biden's whereabouts during large portions of this official
visit are largely unknown but, by his admission, did include at least
one meeting with a Chinese banker who was a partner in BHR Partners;
Whereas press reports indicate that within 10 days of Robert Hunter Biden's
official trip to China, Rosemont Seneca Partners received necessary
Chinese licenses and closed the deal creating BHR Partners;
Whereas during the period in which Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as Vice
President, Ukraine was a significant concern of United States foreign
policy, receiving substantial attention from the Obama Administration;
Whereas, in 2014, the Obama Administration was actively engaged in the support
of the Yatsenyuk government of Ukraine following the aftermath of the
Ukrainian revolution and Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was
described as ``at the forefront'' of those efforts;
Whereas, in April of 2014, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. specifically
traveled to Ukraine as an official envoy of the Obama Administration and
urged the Ukraine government to reduce its dependence on Russia for
supplies of natural gas and, according to press, reports offered United
States help in providing expertise on expanding Ukraine's domestic
natural gas production;
Whereas Burisma Holdings is the largest natural gas production company in
Ukraine and was positioned to greatly benefit from United States policy
pursued by Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.;
Whereas Burisma Holdings and its owner, oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, have long
faced allegations of corruption and illegal activities;
Whereas, in April of 2014, the same month that Vice President Joseph R. Biden,
Jr. traveled to Ukraine, Robert Hunter Biden, joined the board of
Burisma Holdings;
Whereas press reports indicate that Burisma Holdings paid more than $3,400,000
to ``Rosemont Seneca Bohai LLC'' and that Robert Hunter Biden personally
received compensation of up to $50,000 per month in his role relating to
Burisma Holdings, despite having little to no experience that would be
relevant in the natural gas industry;
Whereas press reports indicate that Robert Hunter Biden's work with Burisma
Holdings allowed ``Burisma to create the perception that it was backed
by powerful Americans at a time when Ukraine was especially dependent on
aid and strategic backing from the United States and its allies'';
Whereas press reports indicate that Robert Hunter Biden's work for Burisma
Holdings during the period when Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was
actively working on Ukrainian natural gas policy prompted concerns from
State Department and other Obama Administration officials and that such
concerns were communicated to Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.;
Whereas the Prosecutor General of Ukraine's duty under the Ukrainian political
system is among other things to prosecute on behalf of the state;
Whereas it appears that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's office had been
investigating Burisma Holdings and Mr. Zlochevsky in 2014;
Whereas, in 2014, facing criminal allegations of misconduct by the Ukrainian
Prosecutor General, press reports indicate that Mr. Zlochevsky fled
Ukraine;
Whereas by his own account, in 2016 Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
threatened Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that the United States
would withhold $1,000,000,000 in United States loan guarantees if he did
not immediately fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin;
Whereas given the fragile state of the Ukrainian economy, withholding of United
States assistance likely would have sent Ukraine into insolvency;
Whereas by Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s own account, based upon
pressure applied by him, Shokin was fired;
Whereas the firing of Prosecutor General Shokin could have affected
investigations into Burisma Holdings;
Whereas Mr. Shokin has allegedly sworn under affidavit that ``I was forced out
because I was leading a wide-ranging corruption probe into Burisma
Holdings, a natural gas firm active in Ukraine and [Vice President]
Jo[seph] Biden's son, [Robert] Hunter Biden, was a member of the Board
of Directors'';
Whereas press reports indicate that Robert Hunter Biden's business partners
brought in Blue Star Strategies, a consulting firm run by Clinton
administration officials, to help fend off Ukrainian investigations of
Burisma Holdings;
Whereas press reports indicate a team from Blue Star Strategies and a former
Obama Justice Department lawyer held undisclosed meetings with Mr.
Shokin's successor, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, in May of 2016,
shortly after he took office to replace Mr. Shokin;
Whereas within 10 months of Mr. Lutsenko's taking office, Burisma Holdings
reported that all legal proceedings and pending criminal allegations
against Burisma Holdings and Mr. Zlochevsky had been closed;
Whereas significant business dealings of Robert Hunter Biden and Rosemont Seneca
during the period in which Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. served as
Vice President likely remain unknown; and
Whereas known allegations relating to Robert Hunter Biden's work with Rosemont
Seneca entities during a time when Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
was actively engaged in foreign policy decisions of the United States
raises serious concerns regarding conflicts of interest and potential
influence on United States foreign policy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, that the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Financial
Services are directed to begin immediate investigations, within the
bounds of their respective jurisdictions, into--
(1) whether Robert Hunter Biden's business dealings
relating to Rosemont Seneca were ethical and proper given Vice
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.'s role in the foreign policy of
the United States of America;
(2) whether Robert Hunter Biden's business dealings
relating to Rosemont Seneca resulted in improper conflicts of
interests for Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr; and
(3) whether Robert Hunter Biden's business dealings
relating to Rosemont Seneca affected United States foreign
policy or a foreign government or foreign entity's response
thereto.
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