Kevin Morris' loans to Hunter Biden totaled $6.5 million, $1.6 million more than previous estimate
A lawyer for Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris told congressional investigators that Morris' loans to Hunter Biden exceeded $6.5 million, an amount roughly $1.6 million higher than described in earlier estimates.
In a Jan. 25 letter to the general counsel of the Republican-led House Oversight Committee obtained by CBS News, Morris' attorney provided new financial information in response to follow-up questions from GOP investigators stemming from his client's closed-door deposition earlier this month.
Morris' attorney confirmed a repayment schedule on the loans beginning in 2025, noting that separate attorneys negotiated an interest rate of 5%.
An IRS agent involved in the Hunter Biden tax investigation told Congress in December that Morris spent approximately $4.9 million financially supporting the president's son. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately apparent.
CBS News reviewed a transcript of Morris' deposition, delivered last week, in which he told the House Oversight Committee the loans began in 2020, within a month of meeting Hunter Biden at a political fundraiser for his father's presidential campaign.
However, the letter from Morris' attorney lists five loans dated from October 2021 until December 2023.
Morris acknowledged to Congress that the president's adult son would not owe him any repayment until after the 2024 elections.
Who is Kevin Morris?
A prominent entertainment lawyer, Morris is a ubiquitous behind-the-scenes presence in the long-running political saga surrounding President Biden's son. In his closed-door testimony, Morris told congressional investigators the loans covered Hunter Biden's back taxes, payments related to his divorce and paternity suits, as well as rent and car payments. Morris also provided him with flights on his private jet and paid more than $875,000 for Hunter Biden's artwork.
Factoring in his purchase of the artwork, Morris' financial support for the president's son exceeded $7.4 million.
Morris testified there was originally no formal agreement in place for Hunter Biden to reimburse him, but the two have since arranged a repayment plan that won't start until 2025. Asked why he did not seek repayment any sooner, Morris told the committee, "I'm not required to ask for it sooner."
Despite allegations of political impropriety by GOP members of Congress, Morris repeatedly denied receiving any political favors from the Biden administration in exchange for his financial support of the president's son. He said he had been to the White House three times since President Biden was elected — for a tour, the wedding of Hunter Biden's daughter Naomi, and last year's annual Fourth of July picnic.
When asked during his committee appearance if he had ever spoken with the president directly during visits to the White House, according to the transcript, Morris responded: "The President waved. And I think he said 'Hi.' He always makes jokes about my hair. I think he made a crack about my hair. That was it."
Republicans questioned Morris about whether he was entitled to certain legal protections as Hunter Biden's attorney. Morris asserted attorney-client privilege when asked about discussions with the president's son about the loans. Still, Morris testified Hunter Biden had never "asked me for anything" and defended the loans as "voluntary."
Morris defended his financial support as purely the product of friendship and an attempt to help someone "getting the crap beat out of him by a gang of people," referring to what he believed were unfair political smears of the president's son.
"I can loan money to whomever I want," Morris testified. "This is America, and in this country there is no prohibition against helping a friend in need, despite the incapacity of some to imagine such a thing."