A newly released Justice Department Inspector General (OIG) report reveals that Charles McGonigal, a former senior FBI counterintelligence official, compromised an investigation into the China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC), a firm with ties to the Biden family.
In June 2017, McGonigal allegedly tipped off an Albanian associate (“Person B”) that the FBI was preparing arrests connected to CEFC. That information was passed to Patrick Ho, CEFC’s top executive, and to Chairman Ye Jianming, who also warned another target in the probe (referred to as “Target 3”), the New York Post reported this week.
Despite the leak, Ho was arrested upon his arrival in the U.S. on bribery and money laundering charges after he was encouraged to travel to the U.S. by James Biden, former President Joe Biden’s brother.
The watchdog report further discloses that James Biden reportedly contacted a former Secret Service agent in 2017 to check if Ho had an active arrest warrant—though the agent found none. James characterized his outreach as informational only, denying any intent to warn Ho.
According to the report and House Oversight Committee documents:
– Hunter Biden referred to Ho as “his client” and called him the “f—ing spy chief of China.”
– Hunter and James Biden received $4.8 million from CEFC’s affiliate, CEFC China Energy, during 2017–2018.
– Hunter also noted that any deals struck would be “interesting for me and my family.”
New York Post
The report concludes that McGonigal’s actions “dishonored the FBI’s core values,” undermined a critical criminal investigation, and violated standards of integrity and leadership expected of FBI personnel, The Post noted.