Here’s What We Know About the Email Aliases Joe Biden Used While Vice President
During his tenure as Vice President, Joe Biden used multiple email addresses, often under aliases like Robert Peters and JRB Ware. This was a common practice among senior government officials to protect against hacking and prevent spam emails from overflowing their inboxes, according to a White House official.
Now, House Republicans are requesting the National Archives to provide them with over 5,000 messages from Biden’s vice presidency that pertain to these email addresses. Their hope is that these messages will reveal new information related to Joe Biden’s alleged involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.
Rep. James Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter to the head of the National Archives, requesting any documents where Biden corresponded using the names Robert Peters, Robin Ware, and JRB Ware. The committee aims to use this information to address deficiencies in the current legal framework concerning ethics laws and disclosure of financial interests related to the immediate family members of Vice Presidents and Presidents.
This request builds upon a previous one made by Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson two years ago, asking the National Archives for communications where Biden used aliases.
Additionally, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, filed a Freedom of Information Request in 2022 for these emails and recently sued the National Archives for disclosure of the records. This lawsuit has sparked speculation among conservatives regarding Biden’s alias email accounts.
The reason Joe Biden used aliases to send emails during his time as Vice President was primarily for security purposes. By using alternate names, he aimed to make it more difficult for hackers and spammers to guess his email address and inundate his inbox. This practice of using aliases is not uncommon among high-profile government officials.
During the Obama administration, officials also used pseudonyms in their official government email addresses for security reasons. This practice was described as consistent with prior administrations of both parties and deemed sensible by White House officials.
In regards to an email sent to Hunter Biden in 2016 containing Joe Biden’s schedule, Rep. Comer has raised concerns suggesting that Biden was informing his son about a meeting with Ukraine’s president, which could be related to Hunter Biden’s role in the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. However, there is currently no evidence to support the claims that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings.
The House Oversight Committee is seeking evidence to substantiate these allegations, particularly during the years Biden served as Vice President. Hunter Biden’s business associate, Devon Archer, testified before the committee in July, stating that Hunter Biden had profited off the Biden name brand. However, the committee has yet to produce concrete evidence implicating Joe Biden himself in these business dealings.
Joe Biden has consistently denied any involvement in his son’s business affairs.
