James Comer wants Hunter Biden ally Vuk Jeremic to talk China energy deal

WASHINGTON — House Republicans want former Hunter Biden associate Vuk Jeremic to testify about the origins of the first family’s lucrative venture with CEFC China Energy —calling him a “key witness” who could describe President Biden’s own role in the enterprise.

Jeremic, a former foreign minister of Serbia and president of the United Nations General Assembly, appears to have helped Biden family members connect with CEFC leaders in late 2015, when Joe Biden was still vice president.

In a Nov. 30, 2015 email recovered from Hunter Biden’s laptop, Jeremic told another Biden associate, Eric Schwerin, that he would dine in Washington with CEFC chairman Ye Jianming.

“He’s very young and dynamic (39), with the top-level connections in his country. They have recently started making big investments abroad (billions of dollars), and plan on doing much more,” Jeremic wrote.

“I would like to invite Hunter to join me at this private dinner (small dinner – this is not an event of any kind). I am confident that many interesting projects may come out of that in the future,” he added.

Schwerin responded, in part: “We actually were approached by an acquaintance of Hunter’s about setting up a meeting for Hunter with the same gentleman [Ye] for next week as well. We weren’t sure if it was worthwhile but the fact that he is friend’s [sic] with you makes us feel better about this.”

“I know Hunter will be traveling back from overseas on Sunday and might not be able to make the dinner, but let us get back to you,” Schwerin added.

The now-defunct CEFC was reputed to be part of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” foreign influence campaign and paid first son Hunter Biden and first brother James Biden at least $4.8 million in 2017 and 2018, according to the Washington Post.

Joe Biden allegedly discussed the CEFC endeavor with Hunter Biden business associate Tony Bobulinski in May 2017 shortly after he left office as VP — and an email the same month described the “big guy” getting a 10% cut.

Bobulinski and that message’s author, James Gilliar, identified Joe Biden as the “big guy” and an October 2017 email identifies Joe Biden as a participant in a call about CEFC’s attempt to purchase US natural gas.

Follow The Post’s coverage of the House hearing with Twitter execs over the Hunter Biden laptop story

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) asked Jeremic in a letter to provide “all documents and communications” relating to Hunter and James Biden, as well as Schwerin, Gilliar, fellow business partner Devon Archer and CEFC vice chairman Patrick Ho.

Ye famously gave Hunter Biden a 3.16-carat diamond worth about $80,000 and Hunter referred to Ho as the “f–king spy chief of China” in an email recovered from his laptop. Ho was convicted in 2018 on US charges for attempting to bribe African officials.

Comer asked Jeremic to comply with his requests by March 14 and also to “make yourself available for a transcribed interview with Committee staff.” If Jermeic refuses, the request could turn into a legally binding subpoena.

The House oversight chairman has fired off a raft of similar requests, including asking Hunter Biden’s SoHo art dealer Georges Berges to hand over a list of the supposedly anonymous buyers of his novice works, for which Hunter has asked up to $500,000.

Jeremic could not immediately be reached for comment by The Post and a White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Vuk Jeremic is a key witness in our investigation of Joe Biden’s involvement in his family’s international and domestic business schemes,” Comer said.

“Mr. Jeremic’s previous testimony regarding business relationships with officials who participated in international bribery schemes raises red flags that there may be evidence showing the Biden family and associates peddled influence and attempted to sell access, including to individuals connected to the Chinese Communist Party.

“If President Biden is compromised by deals with foreign adversaries, this is a clear threat to national security,” Comer added.

Biden on Feb. 16 laughed dismissively and told The Post, “Give me a break, man,” when asked if his ability to deal with China was “compromised” by his family’s business relations.

Comer wrote to Jeremic that his records and testimony were needed to clarify important details.

“During the Patrick Ho trial, you testified that CEFC paid you hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to act as ‘consultant,’ and in turn, you would ‘open doors’ by introducing CEFC employees to business and political leaders in various countries,” Comer wrote.

“Indeed, in December 2015, you attempted to introduce Chairman Ye and CEFC to Hunter Biden and his associates. Although it does not appear the meeting took place on that date, Hunter Biden would later develop a lucrative business relationship with Chairman Ye and CEFC. By 2017, Hunter Biden forged a partnership with Chairman Ye and planned to share office space with him and then former-Vice President Biden at the House of Sweden in Washington, D.C.”

Republicans accuse Joe Biden of having, at a minimum, conflicts of interest in foreign relations relating to countries where his family did business, often with his alleged involvement.

Biden claims that he has “never spoken” with his son about “his overseas business dealings” and that “I have never discussed, with my son or my brother or with anyone else, anything having to do with their businesses.”

Republicans say Biden can’t properly confront China on issues ranging from fentanyl exports and the origins of COVID-19 to the surveillance balloon that traversed US airspace this month because of his family’s financial links to Chinese state entities.

In a second Biden family business relationship in China, business record suggest Hunter Biden still owns a 10% stake in Chinese state-backed BHR Partners, which says it manages $2.1 billion in assets, despite his father’s insistence there would be no family business deals abroad during his presidency.

Hunter co-founded BHR Partners in 2013 within weeks of joining then-Vice President Biden aboard Air Force Two on an official trip to Beijing, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hunter introduced his dad to BHR CEO Jonathan Li and Joe Biden later wrote college recommendation letters for Li’s children.