"What the revelations appear to show is that there was a close relationship between Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, and that there was likely high mutual awareness of one another’s business interests and, possibly, mutual support for some of these," said Joseph Oliver Boyd-Barrett, a professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University. "I don’t think the scandal has the power in itself of firing widespread outrage against Biden: there are just too many other things to be outraged about just now."
A review of Hunter Biden's personal calendar on the so-called "laptop from hell", which was abandoned by Hunter at a repair shop in Wilmington, Delaware, in April 2019, shows that the younger Biden and his business associate Eric Schwerin frequently met with then-US VP Joe Biden between 2008 and 2016. Hunter held at least 30 business meetings with his father either in the White House or the latter's vice-presidential residence, the Naval Observatory. Schwerin was reportedly invited to 21 out of the 30 confabs.
The New York Post found that all of the meets occurred days or even hours after Hunter's negotiations with high-profile foreign clients, prompting the media outlet to suggest that the younger Biden apparently discussed his business dealing with his father. The Post even goes so far as to not rule out that Hunter passed messages and requests from his clients to the then-vice president.
The latest revelation apparently has earmarks of an influence-peddling scheme, according to Charles Ortel, a Wall Street analyst and investigative journalist. What's more, Hunter's dealings with foreign tycoons and politicians have already been in the crosshairs of the US Department of Justice (DoJ) for quite a while.
"In theory, at least one US attorney has been investigating Hunter Biden and likely others for years, possibly in conjunction with a grand jury," said Ortel. "If this investigation is serious and objective, it must examine how Joe Biden and his family amassed so much wealth during decades of 'public service'."
However, "the practice of trading influence for off-market financial benefits is not confined to the Bidens or to Democrats alone," the analyst pointed out, asking rhetorically: "How did the Obamas, Bushes and Clintons become so wealthy?"
At the same time, an in-depth investigation into the Bidens' shady conduct could also shed light on the unfolding Ukraine crisis, given Joe's role as Barack Obama's Ukraine appointee shortly after the 2014 coup d’état in Kiev, and Hunter's service at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma at the time, according to Boyd-Barrett.
"It would be important, in a more rational polity – which of course this isn’t – to look very critically indeed at Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s peculiar history with the 2014 coup and, subsequently, with Ukrainian energy interests, even marveling at the possibility that a private history with Ukrainian elites may have contributed to a fatally rash misreading of the events of February 24 and the lead-up to it," the professor said.
29 October 2021, 13:00 GMT
Laptop From Hell Exposure Comes Ahead of Midterms
The timing of the latest revelation comes as partisan strife for the control over the US Congress intensifies. The specter of the GOP jumping at the opportunity to use Joe's apparent involvement in his son's business activities to crush the Dems during the midterms and impeach the US president with a congressional majority has been raised.
While Republicans "may well, in effect, take control by next year," it is unclear whether they will double down on investigating the Bidens, especially given the mainstream press' reluctance to cover the issue, according to Boyd-Barrett.
The professor suggested that the GOP "could weigh the advantages earned them by the Durham investigation" instead. Special Counsel John Durham's indictments of former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann and ex-MI6 agent Chris Steele's source Igor Danchenko are very important for the Republicans as they help debunk the Russiagate hoax and mainstream media lies about Donald Trump's "collusion" with Russia, according to the academic.
Could Joe Biden be Impeached?
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik previously signaled that she would subpoena Hunter Biden if Republicans win back control of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections. She noted that the Post's latest exposure appears to be yet more evidence of corruption.
While potential House investigations into the Bidens may indeed take place and even turn into impeachment hearings if the lower chamber is controlled by the GOP, the fate of this effort seems unclear, according to Ortel.
"Conservative, non-RINO [Republicans in Name Only] candidates now appear poised to win a wave election in 2022," he projected. "Things may change, but no current projections show Republicans reaching 67 out of 100 seats in the US Senate which is the number of votes required to convict an impeached person."
What's more possible, according to the analyst, is that the Democrats, already damaged by Joe Biden's incompetent domestic and foreign policies, will turn on him and force him out.
"Influence-shapers are far to the left of Joe Biden and mounting evidence shows they are done protecting Biden and rightly so," Ortel said.
If Joe Biden steps down, it's unlikely that the Dems will agree to see Kamala Harris replacing him, the analyst continued.
"Behind the scenes, major Democrat donors are trying to decide whether they can convince Michelle Obama to jump in and also to convince the Clintons to remain home with all their political and personal baggage packed up for good," he said, projecting that a new centrist Democrat presidential candidate could potentially emerge in order to fill Joe's shoes.