Swedish emails reveal new facts on Joe Biden’s keys to Hunter’s office

Hunter Biden’s leaked emails sent shockwaves through the election campaign in 2020. Media outlets loyal to Trump published revelations throughout the autumn, that came from what was claimed to be a copy of Hunter Biden’s laptop’s contents.

The aim of the smear campaign was connecting Joe Biden to his son’s allegedly corrupt deals. And to show how Hunter Biden used his father’s influence to enrich himself, and in extension also Joe Biden, in business doings with Ukrainian and Chinese enterprises.

Dagens Nyheter has investigated the story and can now publish new information, where a set of extra keys to the Swedish embassy building has a central role.

House of Sweden is one of Washington’s most exclusive office buildings, with its location by the Potomac River. The building, which was designed by the architect Gert Wingårdh, is administrated by the Swedish National Property Board. The spectacular building, built of glass, blonde wood and stone, is supposed to be Sweden’s shop window in the U.S. Besides offices for the Swedish and Icelandic embassies, it also offers conference facilities and offices.

In February 2017, Hunter Biden and his companies moved into suite 507 - as a neighbor to the Icelandic ambassador. The rent was 50.000 USD per quarter.

Hunter Biden’s time in the Swedish owned house was short and filled with conflict - after just one year the contract was terminated and Hunter Biden moved out. But during the autumn of 2020 the office in House of Sweden gets a major part in a Republican smear campaign against Joe Biden. Orchestrated by Donald Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Using the Swedish principle of public access to official records, Dagens Nyheter has requested all communication between the National Property Board Sweden and representatives of Hunter Biden’s company. We have gone through a number of documents, contracts and emails sent from the President’s son and the Swedish authority’s representatives in Washington.

In December 2020, media outlets in the U.S published emails which showed how Hunter Biden asked for four sets of extra keys for his father Joe Biden, his stepmother Jill Biden, his uncle Jim Biden and an envoy for the Chinese businessman Ye Jianming, accused of corruption.

The news quickly spread from a right-wing website to leading conservative media outlets like Fox News and New York Post. The email is described as evidence that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s alleged filthy business. Hunter Biden is currently under investigation by the FBI for his business connections with China.

The public documents from the National Property Board Sweden that Dagens Nyheter has been able to look at, partly confirm the leaked information - the email about keys for Joe Biden is real. It was received by the board’s server on September 21, 2017. But that is not the whole picture - the background is a conflict between Hunter Biden and the Property Board.

About a month after Hunter Biden moved into House of Sweden the problems started. He repeatedly let visitors in through a backdoor, contrary to the security rules stating that all visitors must pass through the main entrance and the metal detectors.

In emails from April 2017 the Swedish local director for the premises raises the issue with Hunter Biden and his staff. She asks colleagues to make sure the rules are being followed. She also notes that it is not permitted to lend keys to guests.

In September it happens again. Surveillance cameras show Hunter Biden receiving guests in the evening. The National Property Board’s representative writes to Hunter Biden:

”It has once again come to my attention that it appears that after hours access has been given to visitors through the North Entrance to 507 - as we have 24/7 security camera coverage throughout the building. Please help us in keeping the building safe by following House of Sweden’s Rules and Regulations.”

In a long response Hunter Biden answers, in an upset tone, accusing the staff at House of Sweden of being racist and discriminating against his guests.

”If  NN has an issue with the race or dress of my visitors I think we should all sit down and discuss with an attorney present.”

One of the visitors that has entered using the backdoor is Lundon Roberts. According to Hunter Biden’s email she was the basketball trainer for his eldest daughter and Barack Obama’s daughter. The woman, who worked at a strip club,  had a baby one year later. She was forced to go to court to make Hunter Biden acknowledge paternity.

In the email he also writes that House of Sweden has seemed bothered by a homeless woman who has visited.

”In particular (among several) NN took issue with a middle aged African American woman who because of her economic circumstances was dressed in clothes I will assume NN would associate with an extremely poor person.”

Hunter Biden claims that the woman is a friend who he has been trying to help.

”She has stayed in MY parents home. She has been to the White House with me and she has met my entire family.”

24 minutes after the angry email Hunter Biden sends another email to House of Sweden, in which he asks for extra keys for his office for his family and the Chinese businessman. He also discloses Joe Biden’s private cellphone number and states that the Swedish director is welcome to call him for reference, ”if she insists”.

Even though only 24 minutes passed between the two emails, no media outlet has reported what came before the order of new keys to Hunter Biden’s father, Joe Biden.

In Hunter Biden’s disclosed emails, that have spread to journalists around the world, Dagens Nyheter has not been able to find anything about the dispute with House of Sweden.

Trump’s camp has used Hunter Biden’s emails about keys for his father as evidence that Joe Biden was a part of his son’s business with, among others, the Chinese businessman who has been accused of corruption. But DN’s investigation shows that Joe Biden never had any keys for the office in House of Sweden.

– The keys were manufactured, but they were never retrieved by anyone, Michael Blomqvist, director of premises at the National Property Board, writes in a comment to DN.

Around one week after the upset email, Hunter Biden in a meeting says that he wants to terminate the contract in advance. After a period of time the termination is granted by the National Property Board in Stockholm.

But by then Hunter Biden has stopped answering his emails, and his mail is piling up.

In January he is threatened by eviction, but in the end he pays the rent and the outstanding security deposit. The contract is terminated and he moves out.

Michael Blomqvist at the National Property Board denies that Hunter Biden’s guests were discriminated against.

– The National Property Board does not think Hunter Biden’s guests were treated in any other way than other tenants’ visitors. There are rules in the lease, and we point out, in a friendly but firm manner, to all tenants when rules are not being followed, he writes in a comment to DN.

About the security situation he writes:

– There are two embassies in the building, Sweden’s and Iceland’s. This in combination with fire security reasons leads to a a great demand of knowing who and how many people are present in the building.

The premise was rented out to another tenant straight after Hunter Biden’s company moved out, according to Michael Blomqvist.

DN has reached out to Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts for comments on this piece - they have not responded.

Translation from Swedish by Evelyn Jones