Biden nominates former Hunter Biden work colleague to lead office that protects whistleblowers

President Biden has nominated a former law firm colleague of son Hunter Biden to run the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which overseas the protection of federal whistleblowers, who have played a prominent role in raising concerns about political influence having impacted the FBI and Justice Department's investigation into the first son. 

The nominee is Hampton Dellinger, a lawyer who was a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner from May 2013 to November 2022.

 While at the firm, he worked with the Crisis Management and Government Response team while Hunter Biden served as counsel at the firm.

In this same period, Biden became a board member of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma and he was instrumental in retaining BSF on behalf of the company.

As the head of the Office of Special Counsel, Dellinger will be in charge of an agency whose mission is to "to safeguard the merit system by protecting federal employees and applicants from prohibited personnel practices, especially reprisal for whistleblowing.”

This comes at a time when Hunter Biden’s legal team is seeking punishment for the IRS whistleblowers who came forward with allegations that the Justice Department improperly conducted the investigations into their client's alleged tax and gun ownership violations.

Dellinger previously served as President Biden’s assistant attorney general and led the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy.

While Dellinger was at BSF in 2014, Hunter Biden worked with partners to ensure that Burisma would retain the firm for its legal representation.

On April 15, 2014, while his father was vice president, Hunter Biden emailed BSF partners to get the ball rolling.

“I have worked with [Burisma] on several issues and suggested that they should retain BSF,” he wrote in an email to partners William Isaacson and Christopher Boies. “I have positioned the firm as being capable of all legal matters foreign and domestic, but also to help them think strategically about the current crisis and expansion of their existing domestic operations."

The emails were obtained from an archive of Hunter Biden’s laptop published by Marco Polo, a non-profit that describes itself as a research group exposing corruption and blackmail.

Hunter Biden's involvement with Burisma has raised concerns about him using his political influence to the extent that his father violated ethics rules regarding his son's overseas business dealing and perhaps received millions of dollars  for his efforts.

By the end of April 2014, Burisma had signed an engagement letter with the firm that was intertwined with Biden’s appointment to the board.

“Please find attached an Engagement Letter for our firm, per our call earlier this week,” Heather Kin, another partner at the firm, said in an email to Vadim Pozharskyi, a key Burimsa official and Hunter Biden associate

Just days later, Devon Archer, another Hunter Biden business associate, would begin discussion the announcement for  Biden joining the Burisma board, as did Archer.

“Given that Burisma is going to execute the proposed engagement letter and engage Boies imminently, let's discuss how you would like to communicate in regards to the below,” Archer wrote Biden. “We agree upon Boies engagement you would join the Board. Assume that's the case?”

Biden responded: “I think it's important we try to link the two engagements as closely as possible,"

He also asked King to advise him on how to proceed, given the nature of his dual role with the firm and their future client.

“Hunter – Per the email chain you forwarded below, we’re discussing our advice on the most prudent roll out of you, and potentially of BSF, via Burisma,” King advised. “In addition, please note that I’m going to hold off on sending the revised Engagement Letter for their signature until we have resolved our advice to you later today, because it may entail issues surround conflict of interest considerations and it will be best to have that discussion prior to Burisma becoming our Client."

Dellinger and Hunter Biden appeared to have at least a friendly working relationship.

“Hunter, great to see you last week. Today is our monthly attorney lunch in case you can make it. Starts at noon. Best, Hamp,” Dellinger wrote to the younger Biden. Though he could not make it, Hunter proposed they meet the following day for lunch.

Dellinger responded: “I will be here tomorrow and be great to catch up.”