FIRST ON FOX: A business government who was tapped earlier this 12 months to serve one other time period on President Biden’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA) beforehand labored as a senior advisor to Hunter Biden’s now-defunct funding agency and strategized with the youthful Biden on brokering business offers in Western Africa years previous to his appointment within the present administration, Fox News Digital has discovered.
On July 14, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo reappointed John Nevergole, co-founder and CEO of the Philadelphia-based venture growth agency ABD Group, and 23 others to serve a two-year time period on the PAC-DBIA from 2022 to 2024.
Nevergole and ABD Group Executive Chairman Mohamed Keita, the son-in-law of former Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure, co-founded the corporate over 15 years in the past and so they at the moment promote their company as a “trusted partner to investors, multi-national firms, and African governments” with “over $2.5 billion USD of investment across the continent.”
“Today ABD Group has a presence on the ground to develop projects in every major market in West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. Partners include Fortune 500 companies and the world’s largest emerging market investors,” their web site reads. An archived version of the ABD website highlights that they had been “happy to have worked with” China’s state-owned China Development Bank and China Airport Construction Corporation (CACC), amongst different firms. CNN Philippines reported in 2020 that the state-owned CACC was one of the subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Company that was “blacklisted” by the Trump administration.
John Nevergole, co-founder and CEO of the Philadelphia-based venture growth agency ABD Group.
(YouTube screenshot/U.S. Department of Commerce)
An archived model of the web site additionally reveals that Hunter Biden was listed as a member of ABD’s board of advisers for a number of years till his bio was eliminated someday between January 23 and May 29 in 2019, based on the Wayback Machine. While Nevergole was serving because the CEO of ABD, he was concurrently serving as a senior advisor to Rosemont Seneca Advisors as early as 2012. However, it seems that his affiliation with Rosemont Seneca in his ABD bio was erased from the web site someday shortly after March 2019.
Nevergole’s relationship with Hunter Biden dates again to at the least 2011, based on emails reviewed and verified by Fox News Digital. In an Aug. 5, 2011 e mail chain, Eric Schwerin, then-president of Hunter’s Rosemont Seneca Advisors, knowledgeable Hunter that Nevergole had requested to separate a retainer charge 70/30 for serving to dealer a deal between Rosemont and Brazilian development big OAS.
In August 2011, Hunter Biden’s longtime business partner, Eric Schwerin, emailed Hunter a few dialog he had with John Nevergole relating to a request to separate a retainer charge 70/30 for serving to dealer a deal between Rosemont and Brazilian development big OAS.
(Fox News Digital)
After Hunter pushed again on the worth, Schwerin, who was additionally a member of ABD’s board of advisers for a number of years, argued, “So, I am OK with 70/30 … Mainly because I think the relationship can bear fruit in other areas down the line, e.g. in Africa if we choose to focus there.”
Longtime Hunter Biden business partner, Eric Schwerin, informed Hunter in 2011 he was okay with the 70/30 break up as a result of “the relationship can bear fruit in other areas down the line” in locations like Africa.
(Fox News Digital)
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Hunter Biden in the course of the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 18, 2022.
(Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post through Getty Images)
A number of years later, Schwerin despatched an e mail to Hunter on May 29, 2014, saying he “talked to John Nevergole yesterday and he said you had mentioned to him you wanted to discuss natural gas at some point.”
At the time, Hunter had simply been appointed to function a board member for the Ukrainian oil and gasoline firm Burisma Holdings, which he has acquired intense scrutiny over for a number of years, prompting him to later admit he used “poor judgment” and that he wouldn’t be a part of the board once more if he might do issues over.
Eric Schwerin informed Hunter Biden in a 2014 e mail that their business partner, John Nevergole, talked about that Hunter “wanted to discuss natural gas at some point.”
(Fox News Digital)
“Not sure if it was Burisma related but he wanted me to tell you that he and Mohammed are really expanding their staff in Ivory Coast and Mozambique, two countries with energy resources,” Schwerin wrote within the e mail, referring to Nevergole’s business partner Mohamed Keita.
Later that very same day, Nevergole despatched an e mail to Hunter and Schwerin itemizing “potential gas opportunities for discussion,” together with in Equatorial Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Ghana and Angola. “Please let me know the thoughts on the above and if Burisma would be interested to explore any further,” Nevergole added.
A pair days earlier than Christmas 2014, Nevergole emailed Hunter and mentioned he was “looking forward to 2015 being a successful year for Rosemont and ABD and for us expanding our work together” and added, “Let’s make it a profitable year.”
John Nevergole emailed Hunter Biden in December 2014 to want him a “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” and mentioned he was “looking forward” to a “successful year for Rosemont and ABD.” Nevergole added, “Let’s make it a profitable year.”
(Fox News Digital)
In April 2015, Nevergole emailed Hunter and Schwerin a few journey he was taking the next month to Beijing to “meet with funds and investors to further talks about putting together investment for Africa and also Latin America” and requested if that they had any contacts they might advocate, prompting Schwerin to reply, “We will connect you with our guys over in China.” Less than every week later, Schwerin launched Nevergole to BHR Managing Director Xin Wang, saying that “I am partners with Hunter Biden and I know Jim Bulger reached out to you about meeting with a colleague and good friend of ours, John Nevergole.”
In April 2015, John Nevergole requested Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin whether or not they had any solutions for individuals to succeed in out to in China for his upcoming go to to Beijing.
(Fox News Digital)
Eric Schwerin informed John Nevergole that they might “connect” him “with our guys over in China.”
(Fox News Digital)
“I believe John will be in Beijing on May 4th and available to meet, but I have copied him on this email so you and John can coordinate directly,” Schwerin continued. “Thanks in advance to you and the BHR team for agreeing to see John and his colleague next week.”
In April 2015, Eric Schwerin launched John Nevergole to BHR Managing Director Xin Wang, saying that “I am partners with Hunter Biden and I know Jim Bulger reached out to you about meeting with a colleague and good friend of ours, John Nevergole.”
(Fox News Digital)
BHR fashioned in 2013 when the Boston-based Thornton Group LLC— a agency that joined forces with Hunter’s now-defunct Rosemont Seneca Partners, launched its joint-venture with Chinese funding agency Bohai Capital.
Wang thanked Schwerin for the introduction and mentioned it was a “pleasure to meet the both of you over email and I look forward to our in person meeting in the coming week.”
Xin Wang thanked Schwerin for the introduction to Nevergole and mentioned it was a “pleasure to meet the both of you over email and I look forward to our in person meeting in the coming week.”
(Fox News Digital)
A day after the May 4th assembly, Nevergole emailed Wang to thank her for assembly with him, saying, “It sounds like BHR is doing great things and that there could also be synergies to explore. I will send you more information on opportunities that could potentially be a fit when I have it for your review. Look forward to meeting again sometime soon, either in Beijing or in US.”
Nevergole would then e mail Hunter and Schwerin on May 6 informing them it “was good to meet BHR” and that he want to “catch up” when he returned to the U.S. so he may give “feedback of the trip overall, what we are thinking, and go over some ideas on how we can work together overall on the China initiative.”
In May 2015, John Nevergole informed Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin that it was “good to meet BHR” and that he wished to meet up with them to “go over some ideas on how we can work together overall on the China initiative.”
(Fox News Digital)
This trade wasn’t the one time China got here up in discussions with Nevergole. Two months earlier, Nevergole provided Schwerin recommendation to cross alongside to Hunter earlier than a deliberate journey to China.
“In terms of Hunter’s trip to China I would say one immediate thing is if there are any large firms, typically the state owned construction companies, that they know who we should try to meet when we go to China,” Nevergole mentioned in a February 2015 e mail. “These groups generally bring funding from China Exim to fund the African government on a project to be done by the China state owned construction firm.”
In February 2015, Nevergole provided Schwerin recommendation to cross alongside to Hunter earlier than a deliberate journey to China.
(Fox News Digital)
“For example this is what we are doing with CACC (China Airport Construction Corppration) and what we do with Samsung with Kexim money,” Nevergole added. “They work with us to put the deal together in Africa.”
Nevergole would ship an e mail to Hunter, Schwerin, and Keita in November of that very same 12 months, laying out the phrases for ABD’s “ongoing relationship” with Rosemont, in addition to future steps to satisfy with the presidents of Cameroon and Senegal, which he mentioned would assist with “advancing the deals.”
In a November 2015 e mail to Hunter Biden and Eric Schwerin, John Nevergole introduced phrases for ABD’s “ongoing relationship” with Rosemont, in addition to future steps to satisfy with the presidents of Cameroon and Senegal, which he mentioned would assist with “advancing the deals.”
(Fox News Digital)
Emails additionally present that Nevergole served a key position in facilitating conferences with international diplomats and world leaders. For instance, Hunter was scheduled to satisfy with the ambassadors of Senegal and Cameroon in D.C. on Nov. 23, 2015, based on emails between Nevergole, Schwerin, and Hunter’s scheduler, however it’s unclear what was mentioned on the conferences. Nevergole didn’t reply to Fox News Digital’s inquiry in regards to the conferences.
However, an e mail from Nevergole to Schwerin about two weeks earlier sheds some mild on what the discussions probably entailed, together with introducing the offers they had been engaged on in Senegal and having “the Ambassador of Senegal give the feedback to the President.”
“Ambassador can then coordinate a first meeting between the President, Mohamed and I,” Nevergole mentioned. “Then at a later date all of us can schedule a subsequent meeting with the President.”
Nevergole laid out the same define for the assembly with the Ambassador of Cameroon.
A pair months after Biden left workplace in January 2017, Schwerin despatched an e mail to Hunter saying Rosemont held fairness in “30% of ABD’s interest in six energy, infrastructure and healthcare projects in Western Africa.” It is unclear whether or not Hunter nonetheless has an fairness stake in these initiatives or whether or not there have been different ABD initiatives that he was invested in.
In March 2017, Eric Schwerin despatched Hunter Biden some of his possession pursuits and venture descriptions, which included “30% of ABD’s interest in six energy, infrastructure and healthcare projects in Western Africa.”
(Fox News Digital)
In November 2021, after President Biden took workplace, ABD introduced that Nevergole had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Senegal’s state-run Ageroute to “develop, finance, and construct two bridges to ensure trade between Senegal and its neighbors remains easily accessible.”
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The Nov. 22, 2021, signing befell in Senegal and featured remarks from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I believe that the ripple effects will be felt throughout Senegal. Better infrastructure can create jobs, can connect more people to cities, can improve public safety, and can increase resilience against climate change,” Blinken mentioned on the occasion, based on an ABD press release.
“President Biden’s Build Back Better world initiative is delivering on its promise of driving investment in Africa, building new markets for American companies, and creating jobs at home and abroad,” Nevergole mentioned within the launch. “We’re grateful for Secretary Blinken’s attendance at today’s MOU signing, alongside Minister Hott, on his first trip to Africa.”
ABD Group CEO John Nevergole, pictured on the underside left, participates in a MOU signing in Senegal, which featured remarks from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, pictured behind Nevergole.
(Photo by ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP through Getty Images)
“This project will ensure the vitality of a key trade corridor between Senegal and its neighboring countries while supporting hundreds of jobs in both Senegal and the U.S.,” he mentioned.
The State Department referred Fox News Digital to the White House about whether or not they had been conscious of Nevergole’s business connections to Hunter Biden and whether or not the youthful Biden performed a job in Nevergole being reappointed to the council in the course of the Biden administration. The White House didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
A spokesperson for the Department of Commerce initially informed Fox News Digital that “Mr. Nevergole was appointed to this board by Secretary Wilbur Ross and the Trump Administration in 2019” in a Tuesday night e mail. When Fox News Digital identified that this time period was from 2019 to 2021, the spokesperson expanded on the assertion Wednesday to elucidate how Commerce Secretary Raimondo reappointed him earlier this 12 months.
“Secretary Ross and the Trump Administration first vetted and appointed Mr. Nevergole for the PAC-DBIA in 2019,” the spokesperson informed Fox News Digital. “Mr. Nevergole applied for reappointment, and he was reappointed in the ordinary course of business. His prior association with Hunter Biden played no role in that re-appointment.”
Nevergole attended the same MOU signing in Senegal in the course of the Trump administration in early 2020 after the summer season 2019 appointment by then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for a similar place.
Notably, the bulk of the advisory council’s members underneath Trump misplaced their spots underneath Biden. Of the 26 members appointed by Ross, solely eight, together with Nevergole, had been reappointed by Raimondo. A Commerce spokesperson pointed Fox News Digital to a number of assets outlining the method for making use of for the council, including the application Nevergole would have needed to fill out. The presidential advisory board will not be thought of half of the federal authorities and the appointees are unpaid.
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Nevergole didn’t reply to a number of Fox News Digital inquiries asking whether or not the Biden administration was conscious of his business historical past with Hunter previous to him being reappointed, why he erased Rosemont from his bio, or for particulars in regards to the conferences between Hunter and the ambassadors.
Hunter’s lawyer and Schwerin didn’t reply to Fox News Digital’s inquiries asking whether or not Hunter nonetheless has a monetary stake in any of the “six” ABD initiatives in Western Africa. Hunter’s lawyer additionally didn’t say whether or not Hunter was concerned in any discussions with the Department of Commerce or Biden administration relating to Nevergole’s appointment again in July.
Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
