Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Hunter Biden
A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden is an American attorney and businessman, and the son of President Joe Biden. He co-founded BHR Partners, a Chinese investment company, and served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas producer. His business activities have been the subject of scrutiny and controversy, particularly regarding potential conflicts of interest due to his father's political career.
1969: Nixon comparison
Starting in 1969, the scope of Hunter Biden's pardon was unusually broad, drawing comparisons to the pardon of Richard Nixon.
1974: Nixon comparison
Ending in 1974, the scope of Hunter Biden's pardon was unusually broad, drawing comparisons to the pardon of Richard Nixon.
2001: Co-founding Oldaker, Biden & Belair & MBNA Consultant
In 2001, Hunter Biden became a lobbyist, co-founding the firm of Oldaker, Biden & Belair. Also in 2001, he was rehired by MBNA as a consultant, where he was paid a yearly retainer.
2013: Start of Payments
From 2013 to 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million, including payments from CEFC China Energy and Burisma Holdings.
2013: Joined BHR Partners Board
From 2013 to 2020, Hunter Biden served as a member of the board of the China-based private equity fund BHR Partners.
2013: $11 million earned
From 2013, Hunter Biden and his firm earned $11 million from 2013 to 2018, which fueled his addiction.
January 1, 2014: Pardon timeframe
Beginning on January 1, 2014, Hunter Biden had a full and unconditional pardon from his father on December 1, 2024, for any federal offenses committed between that date and December 1, 2024.
February 2014: Administrative discharge from Navy Reserve
In February 2014, Hunter Biden was discharged administratively from the Navy Reserve after a urinalysis revealed cocaine in his system. He attributed the result to a cigarette he smoked that he claimed contained cocaine.
April 2014: Joined Burisma Holdings Board
In April 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian company owned by Mykola Zlochevsky.
April 2014: Email discusses Biden's father's visit to Kyiv
In April 2014, an email written by Hunter Biden noted that his father's upcoming visit to Kyiv should "be characterized as part of our advice and thinking—but what he will say and do is out of our hands".
2014: $3.5 million wire transfer to Rosemont Seneca Thornton
In 2014, Russian businessperson Yelena Baturina wire-transferred $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, of which Hunter Biden had previously been a partner.
2014: Pardon time-frame
In December 2024, Hunter Biden received a pardon from his father, the President, for all federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024.
2014: Joined Burisma
In September 2019, the Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation agency stated that its current investigation of Burisma was restricted solely to investigating the period from 2010 to 2012, before Hunter Biden joined Burisma in 2014.
April 2015: Discussion of inviting foreign business associates to dinner
In April 2015, emails showed Hunter Biden and his business partner discussing inviting foreign business associates to attend a dinner in Washington, where Joe Biden would stop by.
2015: Work for Gabriel Popoviciu
In 2015, allegations arose that Hunter Biden accepted payments from Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu to influence U.S. government agencies.
March 2016: Shokin Removal
In March 2016, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Viktor Shokin, the country's top prosecutor, after encouragement from Joe Biden and other Western leaders.
2016: Lobbying for Burisma
In 2016, Hunter Biden lobbied the U.S. State Department on behalf of Burisma to help secure an energy project in Italy.
2017: Acquired Stake in BHR Partners
In 2017, Hunter Biden acquired a 10% stake in BHR Partners at a discount.
August 2018: Birth of daughter with Lunden Roberts
In August 2018, Hunter Biden's daughter with Lunden Alexis Roberts was born in Arkansas.
October 2018: Gun purchase
In October 2018, Hunter Biden purchased a gun that would later become the center of a legal controversy.
2018: End of Payments
From 2013 to 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million, including payments from CEFC China Energy and Burisma Holdings.
2018: Federal prosecutors in Delaware begin investigation
In 2018, Hunter Biden and possibly others, became the subjects of an investigation by federal prosecutors in Delaware.
2018: Rental application posted
In 2018, Hunter Biden's rental application was posted, leading to a false claim that he had paid rent while residing at his father's Delaware home.
2018: Tax Affairs Investigation
In late 2018, Hunter Biden's tax affairs came under federal criminal investigation.
2018: Federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden's tax affairs begins
In late 2018, a federal criminal investigation began into Hunter Biden's tax affairs. The investigation related to potential violations of tax and money laundering laws and Biden's business dealings in foreign countries.
2018: $11 million earned
Until 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm earned $11 million from 2013 to 2018, which fueled his addiction.
May 2019: Paternity suit filed by Lunden Roberts
In May 2019, Lunden Alexis Roberts filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden, leading to a DNA test that confirmed he is the father of her daughter.
May 2019: Ukrainian prosecutor general says Hunter Biden had not violated Ukrainian Law
In May 2019, Ukrainian prosecutor general Yuriy Lutsenko said that Hunter Biden had not violated Ukrainian law.
May 2019: Shokin's Claims
In May 2019, Viktor Shokin claimed that he was fired because he had been actively investigating Burisma.
July 2019: Zelenskyy refers to Riaboshapka as "100 percent my person" during Trump call
During the July 2019 call in which Trump asked him to investigate Biden, Zelenskyy described Riaboshapka as "100 percent my person".
July 2019: Trump orders freezing of military aid to Ukraine and requests investigation into the Bidens
In July 2019, Donald Trump ordered the freezing of $391 million in military aid to Ukraine shortly before asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden.
September 2019: Trump's Accusations
In September 2019, Donald Trump falsely claimed that Hunter Biden "walk[ed] out of China with $1.5 billion in a fund".
September 24, 2019: House of Representatives initiates impeachment inquiry against Trump
On September 24, 2019, the United States House of Representatives initiated a formal impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, based on allegations that he sought to use U.S. foreign aid and the Ukrainian government to damage Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
October 2019: Resignation from BHR Partners Board
In October 2019, Hunter Biden announced his resignation from the board of directors of BHR Partners.
October 2019: Ukrainian prosecutor general finds no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden
In October 2019, Ruslan Riaboshapka, the Ukrainian prosecutor general, stated that he had seen no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.
October 2019: Audit ordered by Riaboshapka finds no wrongdoing by Hunter Biden
In October 2019, former Ukrainian prosecutor general Ruslan Riaboshapka ordered an audit of thousands of old case files which found no wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.
March 2020: Paternity lawsuit settled
In March 2020, Hunter Biden's paternity lawsuit with Lunden Alexis Roberts was settled, with Biden agreeing to pay $20,000 a month in child support.
March 2020: Subpoena for Ukrainian official blocked due to disinformation concerns
In March 2020, Republican senator Ron Johnson decided against issuing a subpoena for former Ukrainian official Andrii Telizhenko, due to concerns about spreading Russian disinformation.
April 2020: Chinese Records Show Biden as Board Member
As of April 2020, Chinese business records showed that Hunter Biden remained a board member of BHR, despite his resignation announcement in October 2019.
May 2020: Alleged recordings of Joe Biden speaking with Ukrainian president released
In May 2020, Andrii Derkach released alleged snippets of recordings of Joe Biden speaking with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, but the recordings were not verified and appeared heavily edited.
May 2020: Senate investigation ramps up at Trump's urging
In May 2020, Republican senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley ramped up their investigation into Hunter Biden's involvement with Burisma at Trump's urging. Trump also stated he would make allegations of corruption by the Bidens a central theme of his re-election campaign.
June 2020: Poroshenko denies Joe Biden approached him about Burisma
In June 2020, Petro Poroshenko denied that Joe Biden ever approached him about Burisma.
June 2020: Riaboshapka confirms audit found no wrongdoing by Hunter Biden
In June 2020, former Ukrainian prosecutor general Ruslan Riaboshapka stated that an audit of thousands of old case files he had ordered in October 2019 had found no wrongdoing by Hunter Biden.
September 2020: United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Derkach
In September 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned Andrii Derkach, stating he "has been an active Russian agent for over a decade".
October 14, 2020: New York Post publishes laptop story
On October 14, 2020, the New York Post published an article based on alleged content from Hunter Biden's laptop, provided by Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon, claiming it referenced a "meeting" between Joe Biden and a Burisma advisor.
October 2020: Laptop Article Published
In October 2020, the New York Post published an article about a laptop computer that had belonged to Hunter Biden, intensifying scrutiny.
October 2020: State Department revokes visa of Giuliani associate
In October 2020, the State Department revoked Andrii Telizhenko's visa, with reports suggesting the American government was considering sanctioning him as a Russian agent.
December 2020: Skaneateles LLC Equity Stake
As of December 2020, Hunter Biden's solely-owned company Skaneateles LLC owned a 10% equity stake in BHR.
December 2020: Public announcement of federal criminal investigation into tax affairs
In December 2020, Hunter Biden made a public announcement via his attorney that his tax affairs were under federal criminal investigation.
2020: End of Term BHR Partners Board
From 2013 to 2020, Hunter Biden served as a member of the board of the China-based private equity fund BHR Partners.
January 2021: Associates of Derkach sanctioned by the Treasury Department
In January 2021, close associates of Andrii Derkach were also sanctioned by the Treasury Department.
March 2021: U.S. intelligence finds Derkach promoted misleading narratives about Biden
In March 2021, a United States intelligence community analysis found that Andrii Derkach promoted misleading narratives about Joe Biden to U.S. media organizations, officials, and individuals.
October 2021: Kevin Morris lends Biden money to pay back taxes
Since October 2021, Kevin Morris has lent Biden more than $6.5 million to pay back taxes, support his family, and fund legal expenses.
November 2021: No Direct or Indirect Interest
In November 2021, Hunter Biden's attorney confirmed that his client no longer held any direct or indirect interest in BHR.
2021: Art showings and sales
In 2021, Hunter Biden's art dealer, Georges Bergès, hosted private showings and exhibitions for Hunter Biden's paintings, with prices reaching up to $500,000 per painting. Kevin Morris purchased $875,000 worth of his art.
March 2022: Report of federal investigation into Biden's foreign dealings
In March 2022, it was reported that since 2018, Hunter Biden and possibly others had been under investigation by federal prosecutors in Delaware.
March 25, 2022: Lack of corroborating evidence for Russian plot
As of March 25, 2022, Vox reported that there was no evidence to corroborate intelligence officials' suspicions that the laptop leak was part of a "Russian plot".
April 2022: Report clarifies details of 2014 wire transfer
In April 2022, The Washington Post reported that the partners of Rosemont Seneca Thornton had agreed to dissolve the organization before the 2014 wire transfer, and that Biden was uninvolved.
July 2022: Report on Hunter Biden's debts and tax bills
A July 2022 report from CNN authenticated emails which showed that Hunter Biden was struggling with large debt and overdue tax bills.
September 2022: Motion to reduce child support
In September 2022, Hunter Biden filed a motion to reduce his child support payments to Lunden Alexis Roberts, citing reduced income.
October 2022: Federal agents believe they have enough evidence for criminal charges
In October 2022, The Washington Post reported that federal agents had determined months prior that they had assembled enough evidence for a viable criminal case against Hunter Biden.
January 2023: False claim about rental payment
In January 2023, a rental application found on Hunter Biden's laptop led to a false claim that he paid rent while residing at his father's Delaware home in 2018, where classified documents were found. The document was for office space in Washington, D.C.
February 2023: Request for criminal investigation
In February 2023, Hunter Biden's attorneys requested the Justice Department National Security Division criminally investigate individuals believed to have illegally accessed, copied, or disseminated his personal computer data.
June 2023: Child support dispute settled
In June 2023, Hunter Biden and Lunden Alexis Roberts settled their child support dispute. Biden agreed to give his daughter several paintings and pay an undisclosed monthly amount in child support, as well as assist with college tuition.
June 20, 2023: Biden agrees to plea deal on tax and gun charges
On June 20, 2023, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enter a pretrial diversion program related to a felony gun charge.
July 2023: Plea deal collapse
During a hearing in July 2023, Hunter Biden's plea deal collapsed.
July 26, 2023: Plea deal rejected by judge
On July 26, 2023, the plea deal was rejected by the presiding judge, who cited concerns over immunity Biden might receive from future charges, and Biden changed his plea from "guilty" to "not guilty".
December 7, 2023: Biden indicted in California on nine tax charges
On December 7, 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted in California on nine tax charges, including three felony and six misdemeanor offenses.
January 11, 2024: Biden pleads not guilty to tax charges
On January 11, 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the tax charges.
January 2024: Prosecutors confirm laptop contents
In January 2024, federal prosecutors confirmed they possessed Hunter Biden's laptop and that it contained files also found in cloud backups.
January 2024: Prosecutors reveal cocaine residue found in Biden's gun pouch
In January 2024, prosecutors urged a judge to not dismiss Biden's gun charge, revealing that cocaine residue was found in his gun pouch.
February 28, 2024: House committee deposition
On February 28, 2024, Hunter Biden was deposed by the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, discussing emails from his laptop. He stated he did not recall sending the laptop for repairs.
May 24, 2024: Final pre-trial hearing for gun charges
On May 24, 2024, the final pre-trial hearing for Hunter Biden's gun charges took place. Judge Maryellen Noreika ruled on admissible evidence, excluding the California tax trial, child support proceedings, Navy discharge, and July 2023 plea deal statements, but allowing drug use, memoir excerpts, and laptop data.
June 3, 2024: Trial begins on gun charges
On June 3, 2024, Hunter Biden's trial began on charges related to unlawfully possessing a gun as a drug user, lying on a federal form, and making a false statement when purchasing the gun in October 2018. Former partners testified about his drug use and the gun purchase.
June 11, 2024: Conviction on federal gun charges
On June 11, 2024, Hunter Biden was found guilty on three felony charges for federal gun violations, making him the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted in a criminal trial. His law license was suspended.
June 2024: Conviction on Federal Firearms Charges
In June 2024, Hunter Biden was convicted of three federal firearms-related felony charges after admitting to illegally owning a gun while a drug user.
June 2024: Laptop used as evidence in trial
In June 2024, Hunter Biden's laptop and its contents were used as evidence during his federal court trial for firearms charges. FBI investigators verified the laptop's authenticity.
June 20, 2024: Trial for tax charges scheduled
On January 11, 2024, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi scheduled the trial for June 20, 2024.
August 2024: Allegations of lobbying for Romanian businessman
In August 2024, prosecutors alleged that Hunter Biden agreed to lobby on behalf of Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian businessman under criminal investigation, seeking to influence U.S. government agencies while his father was vice president.
August 21, 2024: Pre-trial hearing scheduled
On August 21, 2024, a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Hunter Biden's tax indictment, involving his lawyers, related to allegations of tax evasion.
September 5, 2024: Tax Trial delayed
The tax trial was delayed until September 5, 2024, due to the defendant needing to prepare for his Delaware trial.
September 2024: Guilty Plea to Tax Charges
In September 2024, Hunter Biden pled guilty to all of the tax charges in his tax affairs case which have been under federal criminal investigation since late 2018.
December 1, 2024: Presidential pardon
On December 1, 2024, President Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, covering all federal offenses committed between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.
December 12, 2024: Scheduled sentencing
Hunter Biden's sentencing was originally scheduled for December 12, 2024, but it did not occur due to a pardon from his father on December 1, 2024.
December 2024: Presidential Pardon
In December 2024, Hunter Biden received a pardon from his father, the President, for all federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024.
December 16, 2024: Scheduled sentencing
Hunter Biden was scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2024, facing a potential prison sentence of up to 17 years. Officials stated that President Biden would not pardon Hunter or commute his sentence.
2024: Pleaded Guilty to Tax Evasion
Hunter Biden pleaded guilty on 5 September 2024 to tax evasion and related charges.
2024: Release of Records
Joe Biden, as President, released records confirming Hunter Biden's lobbying effort after dropping out of his 2024 presidential campaign and denied being aware of it while vice president.
