Biden corruption piles higher: Hunter emails reveal ex-FBI chief gave $100K to Biden grandkid trust as he sought 'future work'

Emma-Jo Morris and Bruce Golding
New York Post
Fri, 21 May 2021 18:44 UTC

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh

Former FBI Director Louis Freeh gave $100,000 to a trust for two of President Biden's grandchildren as he sought to pursue "some very good and profitable matters" with him, newly surfaced emails revealed Thursday.

Freeh apparently made the gift in April 2016 — when Biden was the outgoing vice president — and shortly before he told Biden's son Hunter, "I would be delighted to do future work with you," according to the emails.

An email from Louis Freeh to Hunter Biden reveals Freeh would be delighted "to do future work with you."

"I also spoke to Dad a few weeks ago and would like to explore with him some future work options," Freeh wrote on July 8, 2016.

"I believe that working together on these (and other legal) matters would be of value, fun and rewarding."

In another email to Hunter Biden the following year, Freeh described seeing Joe Biden at church earlier in the day "and he said hi walking back from communion-I didn't get the chance to return greetings."

"If you have his cell and personal email, I'd like to have his contacts (will protect)," Freeh wrote on March 12, 2017.

Another email reveals Freeh looking for Joe Biden's contact information.

"I would still like to persuade him to associate with me and FSS — as we have some very good and profitable matters which he could enhance with minimal time."

The initials FSS are an apparent reference to the law firm Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, where Freeh, a former federal judge, was a partner at the time.

The following month, Freeh wrote Hunter Biden regarding the gift he'd made to the trust for the children of Hunter's late brother, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, and Beau's wife, Hallie, with whom Hunter later had an affair.

"As you know, our family foundation made a $100K contribution to Hallie's children's trust last year," Freeh wrote on April 24, 2017.

But Freeh said his accountants "now advise that since the grant did not go to a 501(c) organization, it was not a proper foundation gift" and that he planned to fix the situation by making "a new $100k gift" and having the trust "reimburse the foundation by paying it $100k."

Another email details Freeh's $100K donation.

"I can handle this with the lawyers (see attached) but wanted to let you know first before doing anything-so it's clear what we're trying to do," he added.

"Sorry for the extra burden."

Hunter Biden replied the same day, "Thanks so much and of course no burden at all. Speak to you soon."

A document attached to the email chain was titled, "Biden Trust Contribution Letter 4.26.16.pdf."

The emails between Freeh and Hunter Biden don't indicate whether Freeh was ever able to do business with Joe Biden or what exactly he had in mind.

© Inquam Photos / Octav Ganea

Gabriel Popoviciu

But they show that Hunter Biden referred a client — crooked Romanian real estate tycoon Gabriel "Puiu" Popoviciu — to Freeh in mid-2016.

"I wanted to thank you again for referring Gabriel to us and we have finalized an attorney letter of engagement with him," Freeh wrote on July 8, 2016.

"I will meet him in Paris Sunday and then we'll deploy to Bucharest and get to work."

© Associated Press

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden with their grandchildren Natalie Biden and Hunter Biden

Freeh added: "FYI, I have had conversations with the head of the FBI's Criminal Division and there is a sincere Bureau interest in meeting and debriefing Gabriel on other matters he may be willing to discuss."

Freeh conducted an independent review of Popoviciu's corruption conviction before the Romanian Court of Appeals, but it was affirmed by Romania's High Court of Cassation and Justice, which in 2017 sentenced him to seven in years in prison, Freeh said in a press release at the time.

The emails between Freeh and Hunter Biden — first reported by the Daily Mail — were stored on a water-damaged laptop computer that Wilmington, Del., repair shop owner John Paul MacIsaac has said was dropped off in April 2019 and never retrieved.

MacIsaac provided a hard drive containing the contents of the MacBook Pro to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's lawyer, Robert Costello, and Giuliani gave The Post a copy of the hard drive in October — leading to blockbuster exclusives about Hunter's controversial business dealings in Ukraine and China.

Meanwhile, the laptop was seized by the FBI in December 2019, apparently as part of what Hunter Biden last year described as a probe of "my tax affairs."

Last month, Hunter said his lawyers were "being completely cooperative" but denied they were negotiating a plea deal for him.

In a June 21, 2016, email on which Hunter Biden was CC'd, Freeh appeared to reference Popoviciu while mentioning his representation of Israeli diamond trader Beny Steinmetz.

© AFP / JACK GUEZ

Beny Steinmetz

Freeh noted that the Romanian courts had denied an application from Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate, also known as DNA, "for warrants to arrest Mr. Steinmetz."

"Accordingly, I should be able to obtain information about his Romanian case (similar in overreaching to your own) and DNA-which may be very useful to us," Freeh added.

Earlier this year, Steinmetz was convicted in Switzerland of paying bribes for permits to mine iron ore in Africa and was sentenced to five years in jail and a fine that amounted to about $56 million.

Steinmetz is appealing that case.

Freeh reportedly stopped working as a lawyer in August when he sold his Freeh Group International Solutions risk-management firm to the AlixPartners consulting company, where he's now a managing director.

An email to Freeh was returned by an AlixPartners executive who said Freeh was traveling and didn't immediately offer any comment on his behalf.

Neither the White House nor Hunter Biden's lawyer immediately returned requests for comment.