NARA - Hunter Biden in Russia

March 31, 2022

The Honorable David Ferriero

Archivist of the United States
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20408
Dear Mr. Ferriero:

On March 15, 2022, the Russian government announced sanctions on President Biden,
members of the Biden Administration, Hillary Clinton, and the President’s son, Hunter Biden. 1
While “it’s unlikely many top Democratic officials will be affected by those measures[,]” 2 it is
the inclusion of Hunter Biden—decidedly not a “Democratic official”—that raises serious
questions. The nation’s adversaries apparently see the President’s son as a pressure point to
exploit. Additionally, his inclusion on the list is the latest evidence that Hunter Biden has indeed
engaged in business schemes with our adversaries. Therefore, we request information the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) possesses regarding Hunter Biden’s
dealings in Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian government’s sanctioning of Hunter Biden and, notably, none of the other
Biden children, raises questions about his connections to Russia. The payment of $3.5 million to
Hunter Biden or a company associated with him by Elena Baturina, a Russian businesswoman
and former wife of former Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, has raised the attention of the
United States Senate and demonstrates Hunter Biden’s previous dealings with the Russian
political class. 3 Hunter Biden’s connections throughout the Russian sphere of influence have
now become especially relevant in the fast-moving and developing Russian war in Ukraine. If
the Russian government is attempting to influence American policy in Ukraine by exploiting
Hunter Biden’s connection with his father—the President of the United States—the American
people deserve to know it.
1
Jeff Stein, Russia’s sanctions on Biden, Hillary Clinton and others mocked by White House, WASH. POST (Mar. 16,
2022).
2
Id.
3
Hunter Biden, Burisma, and Corruption: The Impact on U.S. Government Policy and Related Concerns, Maj. Staff
Report, S. Comm on Homeland Sec. & Gov. Affairs and S. Comm. on Finance (2020), p. 69, available at
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HSGAC_Finance_Report_FINAL.pdf.
The Biden family has for decades profited from Joe Biden’s positions of public trust. 4
Hunter Biden has particularly benefitted from his father’s success in politics, from managing a
Ukrainian energy conglomerate, 5 to selling cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (DRC), 6 to connecting his father to Kazakhstani oil oligarchs, 7 and preventing a
Romanian real estate tycoon’s conviction for bribery charges. 8
It is concerning that Hunter Biden has no demonstrable qualifications to manage a

Ukrainian energy company, facilitate the Chinese-backed sale of a DRC strategic metal mine,
broker a deal for an oil pipeline in Kazakhstan, or provide counsel on the intricacies of
Romanian criminal law. Indeed, Hunter Biden at age 52 has recently found a career in the arts as
an amateur painter selling his work for up to half a million dollars per composition 9—an industry
Congress has deemed rife with grift, often by Russian oligarchs. 10 In fact, just last week the New
York Times Daily podcast intimated that Russian oligarchs continue to buy art in New York City
regardless of the sanctions. 11 If not for the career of Hunter Biden’s father, the President of the
United States, it is unlikely that he would have had the opportunity to engage in any of these
highly compensated activities. Republicans on the Oversight Committee have one fundamental
question: Why is Hunter Biden on Russia’s sanction list? Is it his art dealings or any number of
other international business schemes?
Hunter Biden’s dealings have not gone unnoticed, and a Department of Justice (DOJ)
probe begun under the Obama Administration has expanded to include a wide variety of
potential violations and crimes. According to the New York Times, Hunter Biden is currently
under investigation by DOJ for possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act and
possible criminal tax evasion and money laundering. 12 While then-Democrat presidential
nominee Joe Biden stated that “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business
4
See, e.g., Letter from H. Comm. on Oversight & Reform Republicans to Dana Remus, Counsel to the President,
White House Counsel’s Office (Jul. 14, 2021), available at https://republicans-oversight.house.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2021/07/Letter-on-Biden-Inc.-WHCO-7142151.pdf.
5
Hunter Biden: What was he doing in China and Ukraine?, BBC NEWS (Apr. 6, 2021).
6
Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton and Dionne Searcey, How Hunter Biden’s Firm Helped Secure Cobalt for the
Chinese, NY Times (Nov. 20, 2021); see also Letter from Hon. James Comer, Ranking Member, H. Comm. on
Oversight & Reform, to Hon. David Ferriero, Archivist, Nat’l Archives & Records Admin. (Jan. 19, 2022),
available at https://republicans-oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2022-01-19-Letter-to-NARA-
Hunter-Biden-Cobalt-Mine.pdf.
7
Ebony Bowden, Photo shows Joe Biden meeting Hunter’s alleged business partner from Kazakhstan, N.Y. POST
(Oct. 20, 2020).
8
Samuel Chamberlain, Romanian tycoon hired Hunter Biden, ex-FBI chief to help him avoid jail: emails, N.Y. POST
(Jun. 7, 2021).
9
Matt Viser, Deal of the art: White House grapples with ethics of Hunter Biden’s pricey paintings, WASH. POST
(Jul. 8, 2021).
10
The Art Industry and U.S. Policies that Undermine Sanctions, Staff Report, S. Permanent Subcomm. on
Investigations (2020), available at https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2020-07-
29%20PSI%20Staff%20Report%20-
%20The%20Art%20Industry%20and%20U.S.%20Policies%20that%20Undermine%20Sanctions.pdf.
11
Will Sanctioning Oligarchs Change the War, The Daily, N.Y. TIMES (Mar. 22, 2022),
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/22/podcasts/the-daily/russian-oligarchs-sanctions-ukraine-
war.html?showTranscript=1
12
Katie Benner, Kenneth P. Vogel and Michael S. Schmidt, Hunter Biden Paid Tax Bill, but Broad Federal
Investigation Continues, N.Y. TIMES (Mar. 16, 2022).
dealings,” 13 this appears not to be true. The evidence is now clear that not only did Joe Biden
talk to his son about his overseas business dealings, but he also met with his son’s associates. 14
The misleading statements by President Biden are even more troubling now that Russia has
singled out Hunter Biden on its sanctions list instead of any of the other Biden children.
Given Hunter Biden’s foreign business relationships in Ukraine and Russia and the
current international landscape, we are concerned about whether Hunter Biden continues to
profit off his status as President Biden’s son as well as whether foreign adversaries may be
attempting to exploit questionable business dealings. NARA may possess documents relevant to
this investigation from then-Vice President Biden’s tenure. As such, please provide the
following documents to Committee Republicans no later than April 14, 2022:
1. All documents and communications between the Executive Office of the President or
Office of the Vice President and members or associates of the Biden family referring
or relating to Russia or Ukraine from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017;
2. All documents and communications from or within the Executive Office of the
President or Office of the Vice President referring to Elena Baturina or Yuri Luzhkov
from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017;
3. All documents and communications in the custody of NARA referring or relating to

Hunter Biden and Ukraine or Hunter Biden and Russia; and
4. All documents and communications between then-Vice President Biden’s office and
any State Department employee referring or relating to Hunter Biden and his business
dealings in Russia and/or Ukraine.
To ask any follow-up questions, please contact Committee on Oversight and Reform
Republican staff at (202) 225-5074. The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the principal
oversight committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate
“any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
_________________________ _________________________
James Comer Jody Hice
Ranking Member Ranking Member
Committee on Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government
Operations
13
Aamer Madhani, Biden: I never talked to son Hunter about overseas business dealings, USA TODAY (Sept. 21,
2019).
14
Supra, n. 7; see also, Andrew Duehren and James T. Areddy, Hunter Biden’s Ex-Business Partner Alleges Father
Knew About Venture, WALL ST. J. (Oct. 23, 2020).
_________________________ _________________________
Glenn S. Grothman Michael Cloud
Ranking Member Ranking Member
Subcommittee on National Security Subcommittee on Economic and
Consumer Policy
_________________________ _________________________
Ralph Norman Virginia A. Foxx
Ranking Member Member of Congress
Subcommittee on Environment
_________________________ _________________________
Bob Gibbs Clay Higgins
Member of Congress Member of Congress
__________________________ __________________________
Pete Sessions Andy Biggs
__________________________ __________________________
Andrew S. Clyde Scott Franklin
__________________________ __________________________
Yvette Herrell Byron Donalds
cc: The Honorable Carolyn Maloney, Chairwoman
Committee on Oversight and Reform
The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman

Subcommittee on Government Operations
The Honorable Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman

Subcommittee on National Security
The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman

Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy
The Honorable Ro Khanna, Chairman

Subcommittee on Environment

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March 31, 2022

The Honorable David Ferriero

Dear Mr. Ferriero:

It is concerning that Hunter Biden has no demonstrable qualifications to manage a

3. All documents and communications in the custody of NARA referring or relating to

The Honorable Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman

The Honorable Stephen F. Lynch, Chairman

The Honorable Raja Krishnamoorthi, Chairman

The Honorable Ro Khanna, Chairman

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