A client of first son Hunter Biden’s now-defunct investment firm made several trips to visit then-Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama White House — and even gushed about an impromptu 2015 meet-up with the elder Biden in New York City, emails on the first son’s abandoned laptop show.
Nicolas Rohatyn, who invested in Hunter’s Rosemont Seneca Partners, attended meetings with former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and the vice president as well as events with the Bidens outside Washington, DC, according to the emails, which were first reported by Fox News.
The Rohatyn Group CEO met with Summers — then director of Barack Obama’s National Economic Council — and the vice president in September 2010, later gushing about the encounter to Hunter.
“Some constructive ideas along the same axis we discussed yesterday … jobs first, growth second,” Rohatyn wrote in an email dated September 17. “I enjoyed my brief visit with your father – very cool guy.”
The day before, Hunter’s office manager Joan Peugh sent an email confirming that VP Biden had agreed to meet Rohatyn before an afternoon appointment with Summers.
“Your dad can meet with Nick before his 145PM meeting with Sec. Summers,” the office manager wrote to Hunter.
Rohatyn made several other visits to the White House to meet with Summers between 2009 and 2010, according to visitor records.
An email from Jan. 31, 2017, also shows Hunter Biden telling Rohatyn it was “good to see you the other day at the White House,” putting the two in or around the executive mansion during the presidential transition.
“I wanted to see if you or someone on your team wanted to meet with Jonathan Li, the CEO of BHR Partners, a Chinese cross border private equity fund that Rosemont Seneca helped found and of which we are a shareholder,” Hunter told Rohatyn.
“Jonathan will be in New York next week meeting with a variety of different potential investors, targets and partners and I thought it would be worthwhile for him to be introduced to you and your team to see if there are any ways you could cooperate.”
Two years earlier, Hunter also arranged a meeting between his dad and Rohatyn in New York, helping to lobby then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on renaming a new LaGuardia Airport terminal after his associate’s father Felix Rohatyn, who served as ambassador to France under former President Bill Clinton.
“I’d gladly ask Dad if he will weigh in- they have a good relationship and Beau and the Governor were close,” Hunter told his business friend in a series of emails on July 27, 2015.
“If you will be in the area I’d love for you to get a chance to say hi to Dad- it’s easy to arrange- someone can meet you and take you to his holding room to say hi.”
Rohatyn later the same day thanked the then-second son for setting up the meeting.
“Thanks so much, Hunter. Your Dad spent a lot of time with me, and even gave me a lift in his car! A once in a lifetime experience for me,” Rohatyn said. “I did mention what I was trying to accomplish and he volunteered he’d be supportive of it at the right time, which was super nice.”
Emails between Hunter and Rosemont Seneca president Eric Schwerin indicate the business associates drew Rohatyn into the White House orbit starting in March 2010.
“Can we invite Nick Rohatyn to the Mexico Lunch? Evan said we may have some spots. Thoughts?” Schwerin asked Hunter in an email on March 23, 2010, referring to current Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s wife Evan Ryan, who coordinated invitations for a May 2010 Mexico State Dinner.
“Yes,” Hunter replied.
“Also, should see if Carlos Slim is on list. May not come, but would be good,” Schwerin added, mentioning the Mexican telecom billionaire with whom Hunter later pursued business deals.
Rohatyn over the next few months was kept in the loop on Rosemont Seneca’s business in China and also invited to a policy dinner in New York, other emails show.
“As you are aware, we just returned from China. Attached is a sample of the meetings we attended. Please contact me with any questions,” wrote ex-Rosemont partner Arlene Busch in an April 14, 2010, email to Rohatyn and Hunter.
An email on July 20, 2010, discloses Rohatyn attended a New York City dinner six days earlier with Hunter and another Rosemont partner, Chris Heinz, the stepson of then-Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).
“I just wanted to send a brief note to thank you for participating in our policy forum last week. I know how valuable your time is, and I hope you found the interactions useful and the conversations stimulating,” another Rosemont employee, Alexandra Stanton, wrote to Rohatyn.
In an email that included Hunter, Heinz and Busch, Stanton stressed that Rosemont wanted clients to “benefit professionally and intellectually” from “a series of these dinners” on “the confluence and interrelatedness of finance, politics, and labor.”
Earlier emails between Hunter and Schwerin show that former New York Gov. David Paterson, former Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord and the CFO of the New York State United Teachers union, among others, confirmed their attendance.
Another New York get-together saw Rohatyn meeting at his home with then-DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and current Walmart board chairman Greg Penner.
Hunter said in an October 20, 2010, email: “It’s probably against my interest putting you two together but I couldn’t help myself. I think he will be in NY Nov. 10 & 11. Let me know if you have time for coffee or lunch.”
“More than happy to see him so by all means just send him my details and tell him to get in touch directly. I have been giving it a bit more thought and would love to chat. No risk to the Bidens since your Dad would be a great leader for it!” replied Rohatyn, in a cryptic exchange.
“Just so I don’t make a mis step [sic], is there any logic in me filling him in on our biz? Is it the kind of thing the family office is interested in? I assume given their move into Africa recently it might be, but please let me know what you think.”
The news comes as federal prosecutors are reportedly near a decision on whether to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes related to his overseas business ventures. President Biden has repeatedly denied speaking with Hunter about his foreign interests.