President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. (DOD Photo by Navy Pe...
A Biden-appointed federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to compel Hunter Biden to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his work with Ukrainian energy giant Burisma and a Chinese Communist Party-linked energy fund.
U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb issued the ruling Tuesday in Washington, D.C., shutting down the case brought by the America First Legal Foundation, the conservative legal group founded by former Trump advisor Stephen Miller.
The lawsuit, filed in 2023, argued that Hunter Biden’s business dealings, including his board seat at Burisma Holdings and payments from the China Energy Fund Committee, required him to register as a foreign agent with the Department of Justice.
In a press release at the time of filing, America First Legal Vice President and General Counsel Gene Hamilton wrote:
“As a result of AFL’s dedicated investigation and litigation against the National Archives, it is now crystal clear that Hunter Biden should have registered as a foreign agent while his father served as Vice President. This is just another example of influence peddling and politicians and their families exploiting their positions of power for personal gain and wealth. It is crucial that the DOJ examine this new evidence and take appropriate action based on what appears to be a clear violation of FARA. We’ve only just scratched the surface of the Biden family’s influence peddling and corruption and will continue to conduct rigorous oversight to ensure no one is above the law – not even the President’s son.”
America First Legal claimed the DOJ’s failure to enforce FARA deprived the public of critical information about foreign influence on the Biden family.
Additionally, AFL obtained copies of emails confirming that “Hunter directly represented Burisma in its dealings with the Obama White House, and that he broke the law.”
“These emails also reveal that the Obama Administration and Biden’s National Security Council (NSC) staff was concerned that Hunter’s appointments to Burisma raised a conflict of interest with then-Vice President Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor being alerted about the conflict by the Obama NSC and Biden’s own lawyers,” AFL wrote.
Judge Cobb ruled that the foundation lacked legal standing to sue, stating the group “has not plausibly alleged an injury” and that “there is nothing for the government to disclose” since Hunter Biden is not currently registered as a foreign agent.
The decision comes despite years of public scrutiny over Hunter’s overseas business ventures.
America First Legal has not yet commented on whether it plans to appeal the dismissal.
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