House Oversight Republicans are probing the Treasury Department on why a Russian billionaire linked to Hunter Biden has yet to be publicly named among those sanctioned in the wake of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday, the lawmakers led by the committee’s top Republican James Comer of Kentucky said it remains unclear whether Russia’s wealthiest woman, Elena Baturina, who lawmakers say paid Hunter Biden’s company over $3 million in 2014, is among the 50 Russian oligarchs targeted by U.S. sanctions since the start of the war.
The names of 28 Russian elites sanctioned by the Treasury Department have been made public, but the identities of 22 others remain secret.
“If Hunter Biden’s associates, including Elena Baturina, are being treated differently from other wealthy, politically-connected Russians because of their connections with the President of the United States’ son, the Administration should disclose this information to the American public,” the lawmakers wrote.
The White House and Treasury Department did not immediately respond when we asked for comment.
The $3.5 million wire transfer from Ms. Baturina to Hunter Biden was revealed in 2020 following a congressional probe of Mr. Biden’s business dealings spearheaded by the Senate Homeland Security and Finance Committees.
The Trump administration classified Ms. Baturina as a Russian “political figure and oligarch” in 2018.
Russia targeted Hunter Biden in March as part of a series of sanctions. This included President Biden, and his staff.
In a letter to White House Counsel Dana Remus that same month, the lawmakers said Russia’s inclusion of Hunter Biden — who is “decidedly not a ‘Democratic Official” — raised serious questions.
“The nation’s adversaries apparently see the President’s son as a pressure point to exploit,” the lawmakers wrote in March. “Additionally, his inclusion on the list is the latest evidence that Hunter Biden has indeed engaged in business schemes with our adversaries.”
