President Joe Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain allegedly emailed Hunter Biden in 2012 to ask him for money for his father.
“Hey, I have to tackle a piece of unpleasant business,” he wrote in an September 2012 email to Hunter Biden now revealed by Fox News.
Klain explained to Hunter his father needed to raise $20,000 in a week to keep up the “VP Residence Foundation” as a public charity.
“I’m hitting up a few very close friends on a very confidential basis to write checks of $2,000 each,” he reportedly wrote.
Klain stressed it would be very embarrassing if the news went public and stressed the importance of secrecy.
“We need to keep this low low key, because raising money for the residence now is bad PR — but it has to be done,” he continued.
File/White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain attends a briefing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, June 30, 2021. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
Biden at the time was running for reelection as vice president with President Barack Obama.
Klain promised donors to the foundation that they would do an event for the foundation after the election.
“Is this ok?” he asked Hunter Biden. “Let me know.”
The incident demonstrates that Biden’s staff appeared comfortable reaching out to Hunter for cash when needed.
Klain ultimately raised the money, according to tax records, but it was unclear whether Hunter Biden ponied up cash for his father.
Hunter emailed his business partner Eric Schwerin about the request and they discussed whether or not they would accept a check from his law firm Owasco.