Grassley names Hunter Biden in probe of transfer of sensitive technology to China during Obama administration

Hunter Biden, son of former VP Joe Biden, now a leading 2020 Democratic presidential contender, has been named as a source of a potential conflict of interest in a probe initiated by Sen. Chuck Grassley involving the purchase of an American company that made anti-vibration technologies by a state-owned Chinese aviation company and an investment firm with ties to the Communist Party.

In a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dated Aug. 14, Grassley said he wants a copy of the National Security Threat Assessment linked to the sale and transaction. In addition, the Iowa Republican is seeking details about the approval timeline while inquiring about whether the White House was briefed on the relevant deliberations.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which has its origins in the Obama administration, approved the transaction when Joe Biden was still serving as vice president.

Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, son of former U.S. senator and Obama Secretary of State John Kerry, each had financial stakes in Bohai Harvest RST, the China-linked firm that acquired Henniges, the maker of the anti-vibration technology.

“The appearance of potential conflicts in this case is particularly troubling given Mr. Biden’s and Mr. Heinz’s history of investing in and collaborating with Chinese companies, including at least one posing significant national security concerns,”...

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