Coons says Bobulinski evidence 'flimsy,' 'smacks of desperation'
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., reacts to statement by former Hunter Biden business partner on 'The Story'
FIRST ON FOX: Hunter Biden served as an outside adviser to President Biden’s newly announced campaign co-chair, Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, and was instrumental in helping Coons fundraise for his successful 2010 Senate bid using his network of in-state and out-of-state business associates to contribute to Coons' campaign.
Sen. Coons, who sits in Biden's old Senate seat and is a member of the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees, has been one of Biden's most influential global emissaries for many years and "has no problem telling reporters or anyone who will listen that he has the president’s ear," according to a recent report from Politico.
Prior to Coons winning in 2010, Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, the then-president of his since-dissolved investment fund Rosemont Seneca Partners, were in close contact with Coons and his campaign finance director Tracey Buckman, helping with his fundraising efforts.
According to emails from Hunter’s abandoned laptop, which have been verified by Fox News Digital, Coons met with Hunter and Schwerin in June 2010, just weeks before Hunter started hosting fundraising events for the future senator. On June 26, 2010, Coons emailed Hunter thanking him for their meeting earlier in the week.
On June 26, 2010, Chris Coons emailed Hunter Biden thanking him for their meeting earlier in the week. (Fox News Digital)
"Thank you for your encouragement and strong offers of support in our meeting Thursday," Coons wrote. "I'm grateful for your help!"
Two days later, Coons emailed Schwerin saying it was "great meeting with you."
"Thank you for making the time to meet with me last week, and for your concrete offers of help," Coons wrote. "I look forward to working together!"
On June 28, 2010, then-candidate Chris Coons thanked Hunter Biden's business partner, Eric Schwerin, for his "concrete offers of help" and said he looks forward to "working together." (Fox News Digital)
It is not clear whether Coons met with Hunter and Schwerin together or separately.
On July 6, 2010, less than two weeks after Coons’ meeting with Hunter and Schwerin, Buckman reached out to Hunter and Schwerin to thank them for meeting with her and Coons.
"Thank you, again, for taking the time to meet with Chris Coons and me in DC!" Buckman wrote. "We appreciate all of the support, and interest in ways that you can help Chris win this Senate race."
On July 6, 2010, less than two weeks after Chris Coons’ meeting with Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, Coons’ campaign national finance director reached out to Hunter and Schwerin to thank them for meeting with them. (Fox News Digital)
Buckman mentioned an upcoming breakfast for Coons in Chicago that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., was hosting. She noted that Hunter mentioned that he could probably reach out to his Chicago network about donating and she mentioned Mark Doyle as one of the names Hunter mentioned.
"We are getting as many pledges as possible for those who can write and raise at the $10,000 and $4,800 level," Buckman wrote. "But, of course, support is welcome at any level listed on the invitation. Hunter, you mentioned that you might be able to get this out to your list of Chicago folks. That would be terrific. And, if there are any key names that you want to call, that is welcome. I think you mentioned that you would want to contact Michael Sachs, Mark Doyle and Donnie Sterano (so sorry if I am misspelling those names). Please feel free to call them."
Sen. Chris Coons defended President Biden's recent attacks on "MAGA Republicans" as a threat to democracy Tuesday in response to a question from Fox News Digital. (Tyler Olson/Fox News)
Doyle, who formerly served as a senior adviser to then-Sen. Joe Biden and the national finance director of Biden’s unsuccessful presidential run in 2008, donated $500 to Coons on July 29.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Doyle, who was a registered Serbian foreign agent months earlier, was coordinating the scheduling of an investment meeting with Serbia’s president and Serbian "high net worth individuals" in email exchanges with Hunter Biden and the Serbian Ambassador to the United States.
Buckman followed up later that day in an email thanking Hunter for lending his name to be on the host committee for a Coons campaign event in Washington, D.C.
"Hunter, thanks for your offer to lend your name and serve on a Host Committee that we can build for a Washington, DC event for Chris Coons," Buckman wrote. "We have a good group of folks that I can ask to help, and I am sure that you guys will have key ideas for folks that we can add."
On July 6, 2010, Tracey Buckman thanked Hunter Biden for lending his name to be on the host committee for a Chris Coons campaign event in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital)
Two days later, on July 8, 2010, Buckman sent an email with the subject line "Vancouver list" to Hunter and Schwerin, saying the list is "top secret" and telling them to "just use it for our Chris Coons project of introduction and brainstorming."
"This can be a really good resource for straight money calls and event host ideas, once we get through this weekend," she added.
On July 8, 2010, Tracey Buckman sent an email with the subject line "Vancouver list" to Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, saying the list is "top secret" and telling them to "just use it for our Chris Coons project of introduction and brainstorming." (Fox News Digital)
The next day, on July 9, 2010, Schwerin informed Buckman that Hunter approved his name being included on the invitation to the Coons event in Chicago that Durbin was hosting.
"Hunter is fine with you using his name for the Chicago event of course," Schwerin wrote. "Do you want to send us a version with his name on it for us to use?"
One day later, Buckman sent the updated invitation for the Coons event in Chicago with Hunter’s name attached.
HUNTER BIDEN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS, ASSISTANTS VISITED WHITE HOUSE OVER 80 TIMES WHEN BIDEN WAS VP
On July 10, 2010, Tracey Buckman sent Eric Schwerin and Hunter Biden updated invitation for Chicago event and one-week reminder the Chris Coons event. (Fox News Digital)
On July 15, 2010, Buckman asked whether Hunter had "connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend" and asked about any updates on campaign pledges from Hunter’s network.
"I wanted to know if Hunter connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend. I would like to let Chris know if a message was left, or if you were able to have a chat with him," she wrote. "Second, I am getting onto an update call with our Chicago folks who are organizing the Durbin breakfast in Chicago on July 26. So wanted to be able to give them any pledges or ask them to follow-up on any folks that you may want them to contact."
"Hunter has been traveling most of the day today so I haven't been able to get the latest update from him but I know he was focused on it," Schwerin responded to Buckman. "One of us will get back to you tomorrow with an update on Sam. Also, I know Hunter sent out the invite to his Chicago list and we'll follow up with them in the next day or two and see what kind of response we are getting."
On July 15, 2010, Tracey Buckman asked whether Hunter Biden had "connected with Sam Latham yet, regarding the AFL endorsement votes this weekend" and asks about any updates on campaign pledges from Hunter’s network. (Fox News Digital)
BIDEN KICKED OFF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH UNION BOSS WHO USED HUNTER BIDEN TO GET WH ACCESS
The next day, on July 16, 2010, Schwerin emailed Hunter asking what he should tell Buckman about Latham.
"Need to get back to Coons/Tracey Buckman on Sam Latham. What do I say?" he asked.
Five days later Schwerin informed Hunter that Latham endorsed Coons over the weekend and credited Hunter for coordinating with his brother, Beau, to talk with Latham.
On July 19, 2010, Buckman sent Schwerin and Hunter an updated invitation for Chicago event and one-week reminder for event.
"Here is the most current invitation for the Chris Coons and Dick Durbin breakfast," she wrote. "We are one week out, so that is terrific if you can email this out to your IL list again today, if possible. I think that folks have been on vacations, so it may help to put this back out there. In addition, please give me any updates on pledges that you are getting from folks to raise and to write. We can ADD any other names, if you think there is someone we should add to the invitation."
The Chicago event apparently took place on July 26, 2010.
Several weeks later, on Aug. 20, 2010, Buckman sent an email to Hunter and Schwerin saying it was "good to see" them both at an Aug. 3 event for Coons and also briefed them on a new event that September.
"Thanks again, for all of the help!" she wrote. "We are working hard to make this new event on Wed, Sept 28, a big success. Please review and share it with others."
On Aug. 20, 2010, Tracey Buckman emailed Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin saying it was "good to see" them both at an Aug. 3 event for Chris Coons and also briefing them on a new event that September. (Fox News Digital)
As one of President Biden’s top campaign surrogates, Coons will likely be pressed on multiple Hunter Biden scandals, including foreign business dealings, putting him in a potentially tough position given the critical role of Hunter Biden and his business network in helping Coons with fundraising for his 2010 Senate victory and later serving on the advisory committee for him.
During the 2020 campaign, Coons was very defensive of Hunter, calling then-President Trump’s attacks on Hunter "baseless" and "smears." During a Fox News interview in late October 2020, he also defended Hunter, saying the interview with former Hunter Biden business partner Tony Bobulinski "smacks of desperation" and provided "flimsy" evidence. He added, "Joe Biden is a man of compassion and character who I've known for 30 years and who is capable of leading our country forward with a positive vision for how to bring us together and get us out of this pandemic and recession."
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., speaks as the Senate Judiciary Committee hears from legal experts on the final day of the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Coons expressed confidence in Attorney General Merrick Garland’s conduct overseeing the federal investigation into Hunter Biden on Sunday, saying, "I am confident that Merrick Garland has conducted himself appropriately here," in response to reports on an IRS agent and prospective whistleblower claiming Hunter was getting "preferential treatment." The agent’s attorney Mark Lytle recently revealed his client wanted to provide evidence that would "contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee," who was later identified as Garland.
In addition to a few other emails in the weeks before the 2010 election, Buckman sent Hunter Biden an email in November 2011, a little over a year after Coons won his election and said she would like to "catch up" with him and suggested, "Maybe we should get a lunch with you and Eric, Todd Webster and me? Just a thought, to compare notes on our various Chris Coons projects."
"Thank you for your support of Senator Chris Coons! It is hard to believe that a year has passed since Chris Coons was elected and sworn into the United States Senate. Thanks again, for being a part of that successful effort," Buckman continued. "In case lunch with Todd does not work on your schedule, I want to highlight three events on our calendar, as the 2011 calendar year concludes. If you have any additional support budgeted for 2011, please consider supporting one of these events (actual invitations attached)."
On November 15, 2011, Sen. Coons' finance director emailed Hunter Biden and said she would like to "catch up" and maybe grab lunch with Coons' chief of staff and Eric Schwerin to discuss "our various Chris Coons projects." (Fox News Digital)
Hunter said he called her and left a message, adding that he would be traveling the next day. It is unclear whether the luncheon ended up happening.
Months earlier on July 19, 2011, Todd Webster, Coons’ chief of staff, tried to schedule a lunch meeting with Hunter, writing, "I was wondering if you had time for lunch in the next couple of weeks. Look forward to meeting you." It’s unclear if the meeting took place.
On July 19, 2011, Todd Webster, Coons’ chief of staff, tried to schedule a lunch meeting with Hunter, writing, "I was wondering if you had time for lunch in the next couple of weeks. Look forward to meeting you." (Fox News Digital)
On Dec. 13, 2012, Webster sent one of what would be several emails over the course of a few years to a small group of business-related leaders, which included Hunter Biden, that was called Coons’ "Delaware Advisory Group."
"FYI. Chris has become the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee's vice chair for Business Outreach. It is a great opportunity for him to increase his reach and profile," Webster said. "We will try to get a breakfast meeting scheduled in early January to get our advisory group back together again."
On December 13, 2012, Sen. Coons' chief of staff Todd Webster emailed Coons' advisory group, which included Hunter Biden, and announced that Coons had "become the Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee's vice chair for Business Outreach." (Fox News Digital)
Less than 40 minutes after announcing that Sen. Coons would be vice chair for business outreach, Webster tried to arrange a meeting between Hunter and Coons at the senator’s request, writing, "Chris wanted me to ask if you could make time for lunch in the coming weeks to catch up with him. Preferably on the Hill. Thanks for considering and hope you have a Merry Christmas."
"Thanks, Todd," Hunter replied. "I am out of the office on travel but am copying my assistant Katie. Of course, I am always happy to make time for the Senator. It may be after the New Year given my schedule if that is OK?"
On Dec 13, 2012, Todd Webster tried to arrange a meeting between Hunter Biden and Chris Coons at the senator’s request, writing, "Chris wanted me to ask if you could make time for lunch in the coming weeks to catch up with him. Preferably on the Hill. Thanks for considering and hope you have a Merry Christmas." (Fox News Digital)
"Thanks, Todd," Hunter Biden replied to Webster on Dec. 13, 2012. "I am out of the office on travel but am copying my assistant Katie. ?Of course, I am always happy to make time for the Senator. ?It may be after the New Year given my schedule if that is OK?" (Fox News Digital)
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It is not clear if that meeting took place.
Fox News Digital’s inquiries to the Biden campaign, Coons’ office, Hunter’s lawyer, Buckman, and Webster were not returned.
Coons was recently announced this week as a co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, along with Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Hollywood mogul and China apologist Jeffrey Katzenberg, among others.
Fox News' Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
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