A CNN legal analyst has criticized the Department of Justice's handling of the Hunter Biden investigation, calling it "absurd" due to its nearly five-year duration. Records indicate that Hunter Biden, along with business associates linked to Burisma, attended a White House holiday party hosted by then-Vice President Joe Biden in December 2015. This gathering occurred shortly after Biden's return from Ukraine, where he had threatened to withhold U.S. aid if the country's top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, wasn't dismissed.

During his vice presidency, Biden pressured Ukrainian officials to remove Shokin, who was investigating Burisma Holdings and its founder, Mykola Zlochevsky. Hunter Biden held a board position at Burisma from 2014 to 2019. Biden's supporters argue that Shokin's dismissal was due to his insufficient efforts in combating corruption, not because of his investigation into Burisma.

Biden's December 2015 trip to Ukraine preceded Shokin's firing by three months. Biden later boasted about his role in the dismissal. White House visitor logs confirm Hunter Biden's presence at the Naval Observatory holiday party on December 12, 2015, along with business partners from Rosemont Seneca Partners, including Devon Archer, Eric Schwerin, and Sebastian Momtazi. Archer also served on Burisma's board. Emails reveal that both Archer and Momtazi used Burisma.com email addresses.

While visitor logs don't explicitly link the business partners' presence to the party, they do list a "holiday reception." An email from Hunter Biden's laptop, verified by Fox News Digital, indicates his scheduled attendance at a "VP Holiday Party" that day, along with Archer and others.

A former Senate staffer photographed Joe Biden at the December 12 party, and White House visitor logs corroborate their attendance. An email from a Biden aide to Hunter outlines the vice president's holiday schedule, including a "Holiday Reception" on December 12.

In the days leading up to the party and Biden's Ukraine trip, emails between Hunter and his partners reveal discussions about Burisma, including strategies for handling media inquiries regarding Hunter's involvement. A Burisma executive, Vadym Pozharskyi, requested signatures from Hunter and Archer on documents related to bank transactions. Hunter and Schwerin drafted a statement addressing Hunter's Burisma role for a Wall Street Journal article.

Shortly before Biden's trip, Pozharskyi requested signatures from Hunter, Archer, and Joan Mayer on a Burisma Geothermal resolution. Upon joining Burisma, Hunter reportedly linked the company with Blue Star Strategies to counter corruption allegations against Zlochevsky. Blue Star Strategies faced a federal investigation in 2021 for its lobbying activities, led by the same office investigating Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.

Prior to Biden's Ukraine visit, Blue Star Strategies communicated with its executives, Hunter, Archer, Momtazi, and Pozharskyi about a White House conference call discussing the trip's agenda and U.S. policy towards Ukraine. In Kyiv, Biden commended Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and emphasized the importance of eradicating corruption.

Months later, Hunter Biden expressed gratitude to a Burisma executive for lavish birthday gifts. Congressional Republicans are investigating allegations that Biden received $5 million from Burisma, and a whistleblower claims to possess audio recordings of a Burisma executive bribing Biden. These allegations coincide with Trump's not-guilty plea to 37 criminal counts following an investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Devon Archer for a deposition related to the Biden family's business dealings. Archer, who served with Hunter on Burisma's board, recently lost an appeal against his 2018 conviction for defrauding a Native American tribe. Hunter Biden was not involved in that scheme.