Gal Luft, who has been evading authorities as a “missing witness” in the Biden corruption investigation, has provided fresh information to the House impeachment inquiry. This information pertains to an FBI informant who alerted Hunter Biden that his Chinese business associates were named in sealed indictments by Manhattan federal prosecutors in 2017.
Luft, an Israeli professor and former Israel Defense Forces officer, has been on the run for six months after fleeing Cyprus, where he faced extradition to the United States on charges related to gun-running and foreign lobbying, also brought by the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
In a letter addressed to Representatives James Comer, Jim Jordan, and Jason Smith, who are overseeing the impeachment inquiry, Luft alleges that the tipoff to Chinese CEFC executives coincided with Hunter Biden sending a WhatsApp message to extort millions of dollars while claiming his father was present. This message was presented to Congress by IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley in June.
According to Luft, CEFC executive Patrick Ho received an urgent call to leave the US that same night, and this incident is believed to be related to the secret SDNY indictments. Within days, CEFC wired $5.1 million to entities in the US for Hunter.
Luft flew to Hong Kong and met Ho, who disclosed the SDNY indictments and the existence of an FBI mole known as “One-Eye” who had informed Hunter. Luft suggests that Congress should investigate this potential mole as part of its impeachment inquiry.
The revelation to CEFC executives occurred during critical negotiations to buy a stake in Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft. It also coincided with a meeting between a CEFC employee and FBI counterintelligence chief Charles McGonigal, who later pleaded guilty to concealing cash payments.
CEFC announced its plans to acquire Rosneft on Sept. 8, 2017. On Sept. 9, 2017, McGonigal met a CEFC employee, Dorian Ducka, in Albania, where they discussed oil field drilling licenses. On Sept. 10, 2017, Hunter signed an attorney engagement letter to represent CEFC’s Ho.
Luft claims that in September 2017, Hunter and Jim Biden flew to Hong Kong to meet Ho and told him it was safe to return to New York. However, upon his return in November 2017, Ho was arrested at JFK Airport on bribery and money laundering charges. He immediately contacted Jim Biden, who sought Hunter’s assistance.
The connection between McGonigal and the Biden-CEFC situation is yet to be determined, but he oversaw FBI counterintelligence in New York while the SDNY was monitoring Ho and associates, suggesting he may have been aware of Hunter’s involvement.
Representative Comer regards Luft’s information as “helpful” and expresses interest in investigating the allegations of an FBI mole. His committee remains interested in interviewing Luft to further scrutinize these claims.
