Inside the Hunter Biden-linked proposal to sell off land around the US Embassy in Romania
Future first son Hunter Biden was tied up in an eyebrow-raising proposal to sell off land around the US embassy in Bucharest, Romania to a group that included a Chinese company — as part of an effort to help a local real estate tycoon beat corruption charges.
The scandal-scarred former first son — whose ties to Romania date back to when his father, Joe Biden, was vice-president — became involved in the proposal after he agreed in 2015 to help the developer, Gabriel Popoviciu, fight criminal charges, according to a forthcoming book by New York Times reporter Ken Vogel.
The would-be land deal, which came about shortly after Biden left office as vice president in January 2017, was floated in an apparent attempt to convince Romanian prosecutors to drop the real estate fraud case against Popoviciu.
The proposed deal centered on Popoviciu potentially handing over a portion of his land holdings around the US embassy to CEFC China Energy — a Beijing-linked firm that paid Hunter and his uncle James Biden millions in 2017 and 2018.
Under one apparent deal structure, CEFC would own as much as 47.5% of the joint venture, according to Vogel’s tome “Devil’s Advocates: The Hidden Story of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, and the Washington Insiders on the Payrolls of Corrupt Foreign Interests.”
In an effort to sway prosecutors, it was suggested that the Romanian government could go on to collect revenue from the arrangement.
Hunter, now 55, acknowledged being involved in the potential deal in multiple ways — including as Popoviciu’s attorney and as part of the “purchasing group.”
The deal ended up folding in 2017 as Hunter and his partners battled it out.
At one point, former President Joe Biden’s son had declared in a message to the others involved: “I’m the only one putting an entire family legacy on the line.”
Popoviciu, meanwhile, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2017 after being convicted of real estate fraud.
Hunter Biden’s dealings with both Popoviciu and CEFC China Energy were fodder for a Republican-led impeachment inquiry into his father.
Although Hunter pleaded guilty to tax fraud related to his foreign earnings, neither her nor his uncle James were ever charged with working as unregistered foreign agents, despite another businessman, Gal Luft, facing charges for his own work with CEFC.
Joe Biden issued blanket pardons to his family in his final weeks in office, preventing possible criminal charges for their conduct dating back to 2014. He did not pardon himself, drawing taunts from President Trump, who has noted his predecessor’s alleged connection to many of the dealings.
CEFC began paying Hunter Biden following his dad’s vice presidency after Joe met in DC with CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming, according to testimony from former Biden family business partner Rob Walker.
An initial $3 million from CEFC flowed to Hunter Biden and two partners and was followed by another $5.1 million to Hunter and his uncle within days of the younger Biden warning CEFC in a July 2017 text message to pay the money or face payback involving his dad’s political connections.
The Biden family did little apparent work for CEFC, Republicans alleged, though James Biden said in his own testimony that he scouted out natural gas opportunities in Louisiana.
The Romanian connection also featured hints of involvement by Joe Biden.
Bank records acquired by congressional Republicans in 2023 indicated that Popoviciu transferred $3 million to Hunter and his business partners between November 2015 and May 2017, with more than $1 million going to Hunter, as well as to Hallie Biden, the widow of Hunter’s late brother Beau, who received $10,000 in February 2017.
Hunter Biden referred Popoviciu to former FBI director Louis Freeh, who called Hunter in July 2015 just two hours before Hunter was scheduled to meet with his dad, according to records from Hunter’s abandoned laptop.
Hunter flew to Romania on Nov. 15, 2016, for a two-day trip to represent Popoviciu before the National Anticorruption Directorate and scheduled a “breakfast with dad” two days after his return.
Then-Vice President Biden had been campaigning against corruption in Romania — as he had in Ukraine, where Hunter secured a $1 million salary in 2014 from energy company Burisma Holdings, whose owner allegedly had given himself licenses while a government official.
Joe Biden visited Romania in May 2014 and said in a speech that “corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy.”
“Devil’s Advocates” hits stores Oct. 14.
Peru's congress impeaches President Dina Boluarte
Congress overwhelmingly voted to impeach Boluarte in a session that started at 11 p.m. local Thursday.
Congress leader Jose Jeri was then sworn in as Peru's interim president to a smattering of applause.
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With his right hand raised, he said he swears before God and country to faithfully exercise the office of the presidency.
"I will defend the national sovereignty, the physical and moral integrity of our country, the independence of our democratic institutions, and that I will uphold and enforce our political Constitution, the laws of our country and the freedoms of our republic," he said before congress.
Jeri is now the seventh president to lead Peru in the last decade, with three of the previous six impeached, two resigning amid either protests or impeachment pressure and one completing an interim caretaker term.
Boluarte was sworn in as Peru's first female president in December 2022. She had served as vice president under Pedro Castillo, who was impeached only a day earlier after trying to dissolve congress and impose an emergency government to rule by decree.
Upon her accession to the presidency, Boluarte had vowed to lead the country until the next presidential election, currently scheduled for April 12.
Her ousting, however, comes as public trust in Peru's institutions and Boluarte's leadership has steadily eroded. Polls show she had an approval rating of around 4% in mid-2025 -- one of the lowest in the world.
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