Hunter Biden was reportedly praised as the “True sheikh of Washington” by former British SAS officer James Gilliar, who had a close connection to one of the largest energy companies in the world that allied closely with the Chinese Communist Party, emails from Hunter’s “laptop from hell” revealed.
Gilliar’s high praise highlights Hunter’s notoriety as a power-broker between top figures in Washington and foreign clients seeking access to U.S. decision-making, while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president.
According to Miranda Devine’s new book, Laptop from Hell, Hunter was praised by Gilliar to a person named Rob Walker, a Biden and Clinton family connection.
“Hunter was great,” Gilliar noted to Walker. “True sheikh of Washington.”
Walker had reportedly organized a meeting between Gilliar and Hunter. The meeting took place because Gilliar was looking for a partner with whom to conduct business deals around the globe.
The business deal Gilliar had in mind for Hunter involved Ye Jianming, the chairman of a Chinese energy company CEFC, one of the largest in the world. Ye was a desired contact for Hunter because Ye managed a $1.5 billion fund to expand China’s economic influence throughout the world at the behest of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
After Gilliar emailed Walker to confirm his favorable business meeting with Hunter, Gilliar followed up with Hunter a few weeks later to communicate that Ye was interested in working with Hunter.
“It has been made clear to me that CEFC wish to engage in further business relations with our group,” Gilliar wrote to Hunter, emails show.
Reports indicate that Ye and Hunter met in Washington, DC, in December of 2015 to discuss how Yi and Hunter might work together. Vice President Joe Biden is alleged by Devine to have attended one of a few meetings between the two.
As talks matured, Hunter and Joe Biden’s brother, Jim Biden, wanted to structure the business deal with Ye in a favorable way. To that end, Gilliar recommended bringing Tony Bobulinski into the scheme to advance the opportunity.
In 2017, Gilliar revealed to Bobulinski the $100 million business deal would be between the Biden family and Chinese investors.
It is noteworthy that Bobulinski was accused in 2020 by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) of being part of a “Russian disinformation” effort, that was later debunked as his claims were confirmed. After being unfairly maligned, Bobulinski divulged before the 2020 presidential election that “he was the recipient of one of Hunter Biden’s emails linked to investment with a Chinese energy company,” Breitbart News reported.
Tony Bobulinski, who says he is a former associate of Hunter Biden, holds one of three phones he displayed, as he talks with reporters before the presidential debate, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, in Nashville. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Hunter, Gilliar, and Walker in February of 2017 met Ye in Miami to continue negotiating the deal. The meeting yielded a successful outcome for Hunter.
Hunter reportedly scored a lucrative deal with Ye in which he would receive $10 million for at least three years. In return, Hunter would simply make introductions for Ye.
“Ye sealed the new alliance with a rich gift — a 3.16-carat diamond worth $80,000. Photographs of the stunning stone appear on Hunter’s laptop along with a grading report that lists it as a ’round brilliant’ of Grade F with prime ‘VS2’ clarity and ‘excellent’ cut,” Devine’s book says.
Nine days after the meeting between Hunter and Ye, Hunter was reportedly wired two separate payments of $3 million. Both wire transfers were flagged by the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement network as suspicious.
The transactions were followed by negotiations between Hunter, Gilliar, and Bobulinski. The two reportedly needed Bobulinski because he had a working knowledge of American investment vehicles that Hunter and Gilliar sought to facilitate their scheme. Hunter and Gilliar likely did not have the financial expertise to conduct the scheme alone.
But Bobulinski grew suspicious of Jim Biden’s role in the enterprise. Gilliar explained away Jim’s presence in the deal to Bobulinski by playing up the family aspect of Jim’s involvement, though it is more likely Jim was actually in the deal to carve a greater portion of the deal’s earnings for the entire Biden family.
James Biden (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Emails obtained by the New York Post from Hunter’s alleged laptop indicate the deal never came to fruition. But the Post’s reported emails also revealed that Joe Biden, dubbed the “Big Guy” in emails, would have been taking a cut of the deal.
Shortly before the 2020 election, Bobulinski issued a press release, corroborating the Post’s reporting. Bobulinski revealed evidence Gilliar had detailed the equity stakes of the proposed deal to him via email, including Joe Biden as the “Big Guy.”
“The reference to ‘the Big Guy’ in the much-publicized May 13, 2017 email is in fact a reference to Joe Biden,” Bobulinski wrote.
While Bobulinski has reportedly given all relevant materials to the FBI, Hunter reportedly remains under investigation for money laundering.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø