Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Hunter Biden

A closer look at the most debated and controversial moments involving Hunter Biden.

Robert Hunter Biden is an American attorney and businessman, son of former 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 professional background includes work as a lobbyist, legal representative, hedge fund principal, and investor in venture capital and private equity funds. His business dealings have attracted considerable media and political attention.

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Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2001: Co-founds Oldaker, Biden & Belair and Rehired by MBNA

In 2001, Hunter Biden became a lobbyist, co-founding the firm of Oldaker, Biden & Belair. He was also rehired by MBNA as a consultant, receiving a yearly $100,000 retainer.

2005: End of MBNA Retainer

In 2005, Hunter Biden's yearly $100,000 retainer from MBNA as a consultant ended. This period was marked by controversy due to his father's involvement in legislation beneficial to the credit card industry.

2010: Ukrainian Investigation Period

The Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation agency stated in September 2019 that its current investigation of Burisma was restricted solely to investigating the period from 2010 to 2012, before Hunter Biden joined Burisma in 2014.

2012: Ukrainian Investigation Period

2013: $11 Million Paid to Biden and Firm

From 2013 to 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million, including payments from CEFC China Energy and Burisma Holdings.

2013: Member of the Board of BHR Partners

From 2013 to 2020, Hunter Biden served as a member of the board of the China-based private equity fund BHR Partners.

2013: Beginning of Period of High Income for Hunter Biden

From 2013, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million over five years, which fueled his addiction.

April 2014: Joins Board of Burisma Holdings

In April 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings owned by Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky, who was facing a money laundering investigation.

2014: Joins Burisma Holdings Board

In 2014, Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a major private natural gas producer in Ukraine.

2014: Start of Potential Offences

In December 2024, Hunter Biden's father pardoned him for all federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024.

2014: Ukrainian Investigation Period

2015: Popoviciu Allegations

In 2015, Hunter Biden allegedly accepted payments from Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu to influence U.S. government agencies regarding a criminal probe in Romania, during Joe Biden's vice presidency.

March 2016: Viktor Shokin Removed

In March 2016, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove Viktor Shokin, the country's top prosecutor, who was widely criticized for blocking corruption investigations, after encouragement from Western leaders, including Joe Biden.

2016: Lobbying on Behalf of Burisma

In 2016, Hunter Biden lobbied the U.S. State Department on behalf of Burisma to help secure a potentially lucrative energy project in Italy while his father was still Vice President, including writing a letter to the U.S. ambassador to Italy.

2017: Acquires Stake in BHR Partners

In 2017, Hunter Biden acquired a 10% stake in BHR Partners at a discount to actual value and with borrowed money.

2018: $11 Million Paid to Biden and Firm

From 2013 to 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million, including payments from CEFC China Energy and Burisma Holdings.

2018: False Claim of Rent Payment

In January 2023, a rental application leak from Hunter Biden's laptop led to a false claim that in 2018 Hunter Biden had paid rent while residing at his father's Delaware home.

2018: Federal Criminal Investigation Begins

In late 2018, Hunter Biden's tax affairs came under federal criminal investigation.

2018: End of Period of High Income for Hunter Biden

Until 2018, Hunter Biden and his firm were paid $11 million over five years, which fueled his addiction.

May 2019: Paternity Suit Filed Against Hunter Biden

In May 2019, Lunden Alexis Roberts filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden, who initially denied that the child was his.

May 2019: Shokin Claims

In May 2019, Viktor Shokin claimed that he was fired because he had been actively investigating Burisma, but U.S. and Ukrainian officials have stated that the investigation into Burisma was dormant at the time of Shokin's dismissal.

September 2019: Trump Accusations

In September 2019, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that Hunter Biden "walk[ed] out of China with $1.5 billion in a fund" and called upon China to investigate Hunter Biden's business activities.

September 2019: False Claims of Corrupt Activities

Since early 2019, Hunter Biden and his father Joe Biden have been the subjects of false and baseless claims of corrupt activities in a Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory pushed by then-U.S. president Donald Trump and his allies. The Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation agency stated in September 2019 that its current investigation of Burisma was restricted solely to investigating the period from 2010 to 2012.

October 2019: Resignation from BHR Partners

In October 2019, Hunter Biden announced his resignation from the board of directors of BHR Partners, effective the end of the month, citing "the barrage of false charges" by then-U.S. President Trump.

2019: Intervention for Hunter Biden

In early 2019, Hunter Biden had an intervention due to his addiction issues, which were fueled by an $11 million income.

2019: Targets of False Allegations

Since early 2019, Hunter Biden and his father Joe Biden have been targets of false allegations that Joe pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor to protect Hunter.

April 2020: Still a Board Member of BHR

As of April 2020, Chinese business records indicated that Hunter Biden remained a board member of BHR Partners.

October 14, 2020: New York Post Article on Alleged Laptop Content

On October 14, 2020, The New York Post published an article based on content provided by Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon, concerning a laptop computer allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden. The article claimed the device contained an email referencing a "meeting" between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi.

October 2020: New York Post Publishes Laptop Article

In October 2020, the New York Post published an article about a laptop computer that allegedly belonged to Hunter Biden, intensifying scrutiny.

December 2020: Skaneateles LLC Ownership in BHR

As of December 2020, Hunter Biden's solely-owned company Skaneateles LLC owned a 10% equity stake in BHR.

2020: Term as Member of the Board of BHR Partners Ends

From 2013 to 2020, Hunter Biden served as a member of the board of the China-based private equity fund BHR Partners.

April 6, 2021: Release of Hunter Biden's Memoir 'Beautiful Things'

On April 6, 2021, Hunter Biden released "Beautiful Things", a memoir about the accident that claimed his mother and sister, and his addiction struggles. The book was described as "equal parts family saga, grief narrative and addict's howl" by The New York Times. In the memoir, Biden claims to have no memory of Lunden Roberts, with whom he has a daughter.

Beautiful Things: A Memoir

Check it on Amazon

November 2021: No Direct Interest in BHR

In November 2021, Hunter Biden's attorney confirmed that his client no longer held any direct or indirect interest in BHR.

2021: Hunter Biden Details Drug and Alcohol Abuse

In 2021, Hunter Biden detailed his drug and alcohol abuse throughout his adult life in his memoir, linking it to family losses, including the 1972 accident that killed his mother and sister.

March 25, 2022: Vox Report on Laptop Leak

As of March 25, 2022, Vox reported that there was no evidence to corroborate the suspicions of intelligence officials that the Hunter Biden laptop leak was part of a "Russian plot."

September 2022: Hunter Biden Files Motion to Reduce Child Support

In September 2022, Hunter Biden filed a motion to reduce his child support payments, citing reduced income. Lunden Alexis Roberts opposed this request and also petitioned the court to change the child's surname to Biden.

January 2023: Rental Application Leak

In January 2023, an anonymous Twitter account posted a rental application found on Hunter Biden's laptop, leading to a false claim that in 2018 Hunter Biden had paid rent while residing at his father's Delaware home.

February 2023: Attorneys Request Criminal Investigation

In February 2023, Hunter Biden's attorneys requested the Justice Department National Security Division to investigate individuals for allegedly violating federal laws by accessing, copying, manipulating, and disseminating Hunter Biden's personal computer data from the laptop.

June 2023: Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts Settle Child Support Dispute

In June 2023, Hunter Biden and Lunden Alexis Roberts settled their child support dispute. Biden agreed to give several of his paintings to his daughter, pay an undisclosed monthly amount in child support, and assist with college tuition. Roberts dropped her petition to change their daughter's surname.

September 2023: Lawsuit Against IRS

In September 2023, Hunter Biden filed suit against the IRS, claiming unlawful disclosures of his tax return information by IRS employees to members of Congress.

December 7, 2023: Indictment on Tax Charges

On December 7, 2023, Hunter Biden was indicted in California on nine tax charges, including three felonies and six misdemeanors, for allegedly failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019.

2023: Lawsuit Against Marco Polo

In 2023, Hunter Biden sued Garrett Ziegler's Marco Polo organization, accusing them of invasion of privacy for publishing 128,000 of his emails recovered from his lost laptop computer.

January 2024: Federal Prosecutors Confirm Laptop Contents

In January 2024, federal prosecutors confirmed possession of a laptop computer left by Hunter Biden at a computer store and verified that the device contained files also found in cloud backups to Biden's Apple account.

February 28, 2024: House Deposition

On February 28, 2024, Hunter Biden was deposed by the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, during which emails found on the laptop were discussed. Biden stated he did not recall sending the laptop for repairs.

June 2024: Convicted 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.

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, seeking to influence U.S. government agencies while his father was vice president. Popoviciu was under criminal investigation in Romania and hired Biden to fight the charges through the US government.

September 2024: Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

In September 2024, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to all of the tax charges against him.

September 2024: Dismissal of IRS Lawsuit

In September 2024, the D.C. District Court dismissed Hunter Biden's claim against the IRS under the Privacy Act.

December 2024: Hunter Biden's Limited Contact with Daughter

As of December 2024, Hunter Biden has not met his daughter with Lunden Alexis Roberts in-person and has stopped virtual meetings, which Roberts believes was in response to her publishing a memoir about her relationship with him.

December 2024: Pardoned by Father

In December 2024, Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden for all federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024, including any potential offenses not yet discovered.

2024: Release of Lobbying Records

After dropping out of his 2024 presidential campaign, President Joe Biden released records confirming Hunter Biden's lobbying effort for Burisma and denied being aware of it while vice president.

2024: Hunter Biden's Law License Suspended

In 2024, Hunter Biden had his law license suspended in Washington D.C., with the impact on his livelihood being unclear.

2024: Hunter Biden Sues and Drops Lawsuits

In 2024, Hunter Biden sued Rudy Giuliani for releasing data from his laptop, alleging a "total annihilation" of his privacy, but dropped the lawsuit soon after. The same year, he also sued Fox News for airing images from the laptop, only to drop that lawsuit as well, and later resurrected it in state court three months later. Fox News described the second lawsuit as "devoid of any merit".

March 2025: Motion to Dismiss Marco Polo Lawsuit

In March 2025, Hunter Biden sought to have the case against Garrett Ziegler's Marco Polo organization dismissed due to his worsening personal financial situation and inability to pay for his own legal representation.

March 2025: Hunter Biden's Secret Service Detail Withdrawn

In March 2025, Hunter Biden's Secret Service detail was withdrawn on the direction of Donald Trump, reversing Joe Biden's order for extended post-presidency protection.

April 2025: Hunter Biden Consents to Disbarment

In April 2025, Hunter Biden consented to disbarment in Washington D.C. to avoid disbarment proceedings related to his criminal convictions.

June 2025: Hunter Biden Sued for Unpaid Legal Fees

In June 2025, Hunter Biden was sued by Winston & Strawn for over $50,000 in unpaid legal fees related to their representation of him in federal criminal cases.