Published under: Joe Biden Maxine Waters
Maxine Waters Pays Daughter Hundreds of Thousands in Campaign Funds Rep. Maxine Waters's (D., Calif.) campaign paid her daughter hundreds of thousands in campaign funds during the 2020 election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Karen Waters received $240,000 from her mother’s campaign for a variety of campaign activities, including soliciting campaign contributions from other candidates in exchange for the congresswoman's endorsement on campaign mailers, Fox News reported .
This is not the first time Maxine Waters has used the controversial practice to raise funds for her campaign, and her campaign has paid her daughter for years to help manage the scheme.
From 2006 through 2020, Waters’s campaign shelled out more than $1 million to her daughter—either directly or through Progressive Connections, Karen Waters’s public relations firm—for producing what are known as slate mailers featuring her mother's endorsement of California candidates. Karen Waters raked in more than $200,000 from her mother’s campaign during the 2018 election cycle, the Washington Free Beacon first reported .
Watchdog groups have filed complaints asking the FEC to audit Waters's campaign for using the mailers. The campaign has faced criticism for the mailers since 2010, when one watchdog group first reported that the congresswoman had been paying her daughter to run the operation .
California Democrats including Governor Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Waters’s campaign for the endorsement mailers.
Though the FEC caps individual campaign contributions at $2,800, payments for the slate mailers are considered "reimbursements" for Waters’s endorsement. The commission issued an advisory opinion in 2004 allowing Waters permission to run the operation through her campaign.
Waters was first elected to Congress in 1990 and serves California's 43rd Congressional District.
Maxine Waters Unfit to Chair House Financial Services Committee Considering her record and documented history of poor ethical and moral fitness, it’s outrageous that Maxine Waters is up for chair of the ultra-powerful House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over the country’s banking system, economy, housing, and insurance. With Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives, come January the 14-term California congresswoman is expected to head the committee, which also has jurisdiction over monetary policy, international finance, and efforts to combat terrorist financing. Throughout her storied political career, Waters has been embroiled in numerous controversies, including abusing her power to enrich family members, getting a communist dictator to harbor a cop-murdering Black Panther fugitive still wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and accusing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of selling crack cocaine in black neighborhoods. A few months ago, the 80-year-old Democrat from Los Angeles encouraged violence against Trump administration cabinet members. “If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they are not welcome anymore, anywhere,” Waters said at a summer rally in Los Angeles. Judicial Watch filed a House ethics complaint against Waters for encouraging violence against Trump Cabinet members. Among her most corrupt acts as a federal legislator is steering millions of federal bailout dollars to her husband’s failing bank, OneUnited. Waters allocated $12 million to the Massachusetts bank in which she and her board member husband held shares. OneUnited subsequently got shut down by the government and American taxpayers got stiffed for the millions. Judicial Watch investigated the scandal and obtained documents from the U.S. Treasury related to the controversial bailout. The famously remiss House Ethics Committee, which is charged with investigating and punishing corrupt lawmakers like Waters, found that she committed no wrongdoing . The panel bought Waters’ absurd story that she allocated the money as part of her longtime work to promote opportunity for minority-owned businesses and lending in underserved communities even though her husband’s bank was located thousands of miles away from the south Los Angeles neighborhoods she represents in Congress. The reality is that without intervention by Waters OneUnited was an extremely unlikely candidate for a government bailout through the disastrous Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The Treasury Department warned that it would only provide bailout funds to healthy banks to jump-start lending and OneUnited clearly didn’t meet that criteria. Documents uncovered by Judicial Watch detail the deplorable financial condition of OneUnited at the time of the government cash infusion. The records also show that, prior to the bailout, the bank received a “ less than satisfactory rating .” Incredibly, after that scandal Waters was chosen by her colleagues to hold a ranking position on the House Financial Services Committee she will soon chair. The only consequence for blowing $12 million on her husband’s failing bank was a slap on the hand to Waters’ chief of staff (her grandson) for violating House standards of conduct to help OneUnited. Waters, who represents some of Los Angeles’ poorest inner-city neighborhoods, has also helped family members make more than $1 million through business ventures with companies and causes that she has helped, according to her hometown newspaper. While she and her relatives get richer (she lives in a $4.5 million L os Angeles mansion), her constituents get poorer. The congresswoman was also embroiled in a fundraising scandal for skirting federal election rules with a shady gimmick that allows unlimited donations from certain contributors. Instead of raising most of her campaign funds from individuals or political action committees, Waters sells her endorsement to other politicians and political causes for as much as $45,000 a pop. It wouldn’t be right to part without also noting some of Waters’ international accolades. She has made worldwide headlines for her frequent trips to communist Cuba to visit her convicted cop-assassin friend, Joanne Chesimard, who appears on the FBI’s most wanted list and is also known by her Black Panther name of Assata Shakur. Chesimard was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted by a jury of the 1979 murder of a New Jersey State Trooper. With the help of fellow cult members, she escaped from jail and fled to Cuba. Outraged U.S. lawmakers insisted she be extradited but Waters always stood by her side, likening the cop-assassin to civil rights leader Martin Luther King. In fact, Waters wrote Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro a letter to assure him that she was not part of the group of U.S. legislators who voted for a resolution to extradite the cop murderer. Waters told Castro that she opposed extradition because Chesimard was “politically persecuted” in the U.S. and simply seeking political asylum in Havana, where she still lives. In the 1980s Waters accused the CIA of selling crack cocaine to blacks in her south-central Los Angeles district to raise millions of dollars to support clandestine operations in Latin America, including a guerrilla army. During the infamous 1992 Los Angeles riots the congresswoman repeatedly excused the violent behavior that ironically destroyed the areas she represents in the House. She dismissed the severe beating of a white truck driver by saying the anger in her district was righteous. She also excused looters who stole from stores by saying they were simply mothers capitalizing on an opportunity to take some milk, bread, and shoes. Should this ethically and morally challenged individual, who has repeatedly displayed behavior unbecoming of a federal lawmaker, be at the helm of an influential congressional committee that oversees the financial sector ?
CLEARLY WE KNOW HOW MUCH BILLARY, HILLARY AND THE OBOMB MADE SERVICING CRIMINAL BANKSTERS. ALL PAID VIA 'SPEECH' FEES AT ABOUT $500k EACH. OBAMA PRIDED HIMSELF IN MAKING SURE NO CRIMINAL BANKSTER EVER WENT TO PRISON. MOST OF HIS BANKSTERS CONTINUE TO THIS DAY TO PLUNDER WITH IMPUNITY!
KAMALA HARRIS WAS WAITING ON THE SIDELINES IN CA AS A.G. SUCKING OFF WELLS FARGO AND 'KING OF FORECLOSURES' STEVEN MNUCHIN.
THE OLD WHORE FEINSTEIN FOUGHT AGAINST ENDING 'CONSULTANT FEES TO FAMILY MEMBERS' BRIBES AS HER PIMP HUSBAND, RICHARD BLUM WAS DOLING OUT BIG MONEY TO BOXER SO SHE WOULD VOTE FOR ANYTHING THAT BENEFITED THE CRIME DUAL OF FEINSTEIN-BLUM.
FEINSTEIN IS A WHORE FOR RED CHINA, HAS SERVED THEM LONG FOR 'DEALS' THAT HER PIMP MADE. FEINSTEIN HAS LONG VOTED IN THE SENATE FOR ANYTHING THAT WOULD BENEFIT RED CHINA.
FEINSTEIN IS ALSO THE BIGGEST WAR PROFITEER IN U.S. HISTORY. SHE'S SO FUCKING CORRUPT SHE QUICKLY ENDORSED JOE BIDEN FOR THE PRESIDENCY, AFTER ALL, HE'S A FEINSTEIN CLONE.
Maxine Waters's paid-mailer racket snowballs By Monica Showalter
When we last visited Rep. Maxine Waters's hightly questionable 'slate-mailer' money-making racket in 2019, where candidates and causes get Waters's endorsement in exchange for cash, her daughter Karen who runs the thing had just pocketed $50,000.
Well, the operation seems to have gotten bigger, and Karen appears to be richer, all from mama Maxine's simple word of endorsement.
According to Fox News , citing federal election data and a 2018 report from the Washington Free Beacon :
The reelection of U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters to another term in Congress last month proved to be something of a financial windfall for Karen Waters, the California Democrat's daughter, federal election data suggest.
Karen Waters received a total of about $240,000 from her 82-year-old mother’s campaign during the election cycle, Federal Election Commission records show.
The dollar figure appears to mirror what Karen Waters received during her mother’s previous campaign in 2018, when the daughter was paid “more than $200,000,” according to a November 2018 report by the Washington Free Beacon .
Which is nice work if you can get it. Seriously, this person makes $240,000 which is nearly equal to what the mayor of Los Angeles makes, or the average U.S. Senator makes , or Maxine herself makes as a House member at $ 174,000 a year . It's more than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes ( $223,500 ). It's certainly more than California's Gov. Gavin Newsom ( $210,000 ) makes.
All for the little task of assembling a mailer to fill the voters' junk mail takings and then the recycle bins in one part of one county, and collecting cash on the content. Running the country's largest state with the world's seventh largest economy, by contrast, is less important stuff. Karen Waters must be brilliant.
Which raises questions as to why Waters, a far left demogogue, is selling her endorsements for cash, and what the payers of these endorsements, are really getting for their money. We know the Waters machine is strong, but so strong as to merit inflated fees and salaries for Waters and her family? This is known as getting rich while in public office. Waters is the only one who's doing this sleazy machine-politics practice on a national scale, but don't imagine other Democrats aren't also looking to cash in.
Everybody wins when Maxine sells her endorsement, Maxine's family with cash, and others with cash turned into newfound power. The only losers are the voters, who get these misleading junk mail flyers in their mail and vote on arguably false premises.
What a racket this is for people like Waters. Still no sign of any legislation to stop this practice.
Image: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Waters Has Shoveled Over $1 Million in Campaign Cash to Daughter Joe Schoffstall -
Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) has now dished out more than $1 million in campaign payments to her daughter following the 2020 elections.
Karen Waters has pocketed $1.13 million for providing an array of services for her mother's campaign since 2003. The majority of the cash is for her role in running a controversial slate-mailer operation, in which California politicians gave money to Waters's campaign in exchange for mailers bearing her endorsement.
The mailers have become increasingly lucrative for the younger Waters over the years. During the 2020 cycle, her payments hit a high of $240,000 . That's significantly more than the $90,000 her firm, Progressive Connections, took in during the 2006 election cycle. The Federal Election Commission gave Waters the green light for the mailer operation in 2004.
While slate mailers are commonplace in states like California and Oregon, the practice is extremely rare at the federal level. In fact, Waters appears to be the only federal politician to use a slate-mailer operation. As such, the arrangement between her and her daughter has led to complaints from watchdog groups asking the FEC to audit the campaign.
Many prominent California politicians have paid to be featured on the mailers. Vice President Kamala Harris twice shelled out tens of thousands from her campaigns for a spot on the mailers. California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) and former senator Barbara Boxer (D.) have likewise dished out cash for Waters's support.
The practice has received criticism from local media."While some of these mailers reflect the earnest political values of the organizations that put them together, many are pay-to-play money-makers that blur the line between endorsement, paid advertisement and extortion," CalMatters wrote last year.
Waters's campaign did not return a request for comment.
The Next Hunter? Kamala Harris’s Stepdaughter Cashes in on Biden Presidency Brooklyn 'artist' Ella Emhoff scores modeling deal with firm run by Democratic donors ·
·
·
·
Andrew Stiles - JANUARY 29, 2021 4:00 PM
Hunter Biden's gravy train may be stalled on the tracks until federal authorities conclude their investigation into his finances, but that doesn't mean other Biden-Harris family members can't cash in on their proximity to power.
Ella Emhoff, the 21-year-old stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris, recently scored a major modeling contract with IMG Models, a firm with deep ties to the Democratic Party.
Prior to signing with IMG, the Brooklyn-based "artist" was best known for wearing a weird coat to the inauguration ceremony, and for the inability of journalists to contain their excitement in response to said coat. For example:
· "Ella Emhoff, Second Daughter, Is The First Style Icon of the Biden Presidency" ( Glamour )
· "Meet Ella Emhoff, the U.S. presidential inauguration's breakout fashion star" (CNN)
· "Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's Stepdaughter, Showed Everyone Else Up at the Inauguration" ( Town & Country )
· "Ella Emhoff's Inauguration Day Stylists Share the Story Behind Her Instantly Iconic Miu Miu Coat" (E! Online)
· "There's a Lot More to Ella Emhoff, Inauguration Star, Than Her Fabulous Coat" ( Daily Beast )
Here's how the New York Times described the Second Stepdaughter's alternative appeal in an article announcing her new modeling gig:
Ms. Emhoff throws a crocheted grenade at the image of typical D.C. political offspring, with a style that could be termed Wes Anderson chic. In her selfies, she doesn’t wear much makeup and doesn’t carefully blow-dry her naturally curly hair. She shows off her armpit hair and cartoonish tattoos, which include eggs and bacon in the shape of a smiley face and a cow.
As Ivan Bart, president of IMG Models, explained in an interview with the Times , being a model is "not really about shape, size or gender anymore." Emhoff was a perfect fit for the organization, Bart said, because she exudes "cheekiness" and "joy," and "communicates this moment in time."
While most journalists seemed to agree with that assessment, there were a few exceptions. Slate published an article expressing frustration with "the way Emhoff’s deal has been conveyed and celebrated" as a norm-destroying coup, pointing out that there isn't anything particularly revolutionary or diverse about being a rich, white, tall, thin, female Brooklynite with tattoos and armpit hair.
See for yourself:
Bart was an early max donor to Harris's failed presidential campaign, according to federal election records. He reportedly met Emhoff at the fundraiser where he presumably wrote the check for $2,700.
In the summer of 2020, around the time Joe Biden picked Harris as his running mate, Bart and Emhoff began discussing the possibility of a modeling contract with IMG. It would seem, however, that a final decision wasn't made until Harris was sworn in as vice president.
IMG is part of an entertainment conglomerate run by Ari Emanuel, brother of Rahm Emanuel, the former Obama chief of staff, and Patrick Whitesell, a prolific Democratic donor who contributed more than $150,000 to Democratic candidates and committees in the 2020 election cycle.
Emhoff isn't the only member of Harris's family cashing in on the success of the Biden-Harris ticket.
Kamala's niece, Meena Harris, published a Kamala-themed children's book in 2020, and a second book released on the eve of the inauguration. She also started her own apparel company specializing in #Resistance swag, including this $52 Anthony Fauci mug. Lawyers for the Biden-Harris transition team were concerned enough to warn the ambitious niece against profiting off her aunt's image.
Hunter Biden's ongoing legal challenges haven't stopped other members of the Biden family from blatantly exploiting their ties to the president for financial gain. Joe Biden's younger brother, Frank Biden, promoted his relationship with the president in an ad published on Inauguration Day in a Florida business journal.
"My brother is a model for how to go about doing this work," Frank Biden says in the ad for the Florida-based litigation firm where he works as a non-attorney senior adviser. The younger Biden has previously bragged about his success in lobbying his brother on behalf of moneyed interests during the Obama administration.
Pests, Filth, and Killer Elevators: Inside Raphael Warnock’s Secret Low-Income Apartment Building
ATLANTA—A low-income apartment building owned by Raphael Warnock’s church is plagued by pests, maintenance problems, and filth, according to residents—and at least two people have sued the building this year after the elevator allegedly collapsed on them.
Residents of the Columbia Tower at MLK Village complained about living conditions in the building, telling the Washington Free Beacon that garbage is left to pile up in the storage rooms for days, creating an "overwhelming trash smell," common areas aren’t maintained, and the air vents produce a "sickening" amount of dust.
Tenants also said the elevators often break down, and handicapped residents have had to call the fire department to carry them to their rooms.
The allegations follow a Free Beacon report that found Columbia Tower had attempted to evict at least eight low-income residents over unpaid rent since the start of the pandemic—including one tenant who owed just $28. Warnock serves as senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which, through a charity it controls called the Ebenezer Building Foundation, owns 99 percent of Columbia Tower, according to records obtained by the Free Beacon . It’s not clear what Warnock’s role was in overseeing Columbia Tower. A repair grant Ebenezer Building Foundation filed in June, however, said Warnock "works closely" with Ebenezer’s executive pastor "in managing the overall vision, ministries, and operations" of the church.
The news raises questions for Warnock, who has campaigned as an ally of low-income Georgians and people with disabilities. It could also draw new scrutiny to Warnock’s compensation from the church, which paid him a $7,417-per-month, tax-free housing allowance last year—an arrangement that allowed him to circumvent federal limits on outside income for U.S. senators.
Court filings reviewed by the Free Beacon appear to back up claims from Columbia Tower residents that there are problems with the living conditions at the building.
Two men filed separate lawsuits against the building in February and May of this year claiming they were injured after the elevator ceiling collapsed on them in May 2020.
One of the alleged victims said he "was in an elevator at Columbia at MLK Village Towers as the elevator ceiling abruptly fell down," knocking him unconscious and resulting in injuries that cost him over $50,000 in medical bills.
"The collapsed elevator ceiling struck the Plaintiff about the head, neck, and back area," said the lawsuit. "The impact of the collapsed elevator ceiling caused the Plaintiff to immediately lose consciousness."
The judge granted the man default judgment in the case, after lawyers for Columbia Tower neglected to respond by the required deadline. The building’s attorneys are currently attempting to get the judgment overturned. The second case is still ongoing. An attorney for the alleged victim said he was unable to comment because that case is "still being litigated."
Residents told a Free Beacon reporter who visited the building in October the only two elevators in the building frequently break down. One resident said she has witnessed firemen physically carry wheelchair-bound tenants up to their rooms during instances when both of the elevators were broken at the same time.
"The firemen will come and help them up and down the stairs," one resident said. "For hours they’re stuck waiting on the bottom floor, or stuck on their floor for hours and hours."
Another resident described an incident in which a police officer and a firefighter had to "tote" a wheelchair-bound African-American man up the stairs because the elevators were broken down.
The Atlanta Fire Rescue Department has not returned numerous requests for comment asking if firefighters have been called to Columbia Tower to carry people up to their rooms. The fire department has also not returned an open records request seeking copies of all incident reports at Columbia Tower since the start of 2020.
Residents said they had no idea their building was owned by Ebenezer Baptist Church, or that it had just received a $5 million grant from Georgia in August to fund building repairs. The grant was bankrolled by funds provided to the state from the American Rescue Plan, legislation that Warnock voted in support of in March 2021.
"It’s not being seen here. They’ll cut the grass and the bushes, and fix the elevator sometimes," a resident said. "But the vents haven’t been blown out for years. The dust, it’s sickening, actually."
"They change the furniture. The furniture is new or different from when I moved in here, but that’s the most I’ve seen. I haven’t seen any upgrades or anything like that," the resident added.
Ebenezer ended 2021 with over $1.2 million in cash and "cash equivalents," according to audited financial statements obtained by the Free Beacon . Throughout 2021, the church received "general undesignated offerings" of $4.3 million and rental income of $202,000, the financial statements show.
Also in 2021, Ebenezer paid Warnock $120,964 in salary and housing benefits while he served in the Senate. That same year, Ebenezer incurred just over $69,000 in "repairs and maintenance" expenses across all its program areas, including pastoral services, local ministries, and support services, the financial statements show.
Warnock’s office did not return a request for comment.
Columbia Tower residents expressed concerns about the building’s living conditions.
"We have a smell here," one resident said. "The trash room has this overwhelming trash smell. As soon as you come in the building it inundates you. It’s just in your face. And it’s embarrassing."
The 12-story building has a garbage chute on every floor that connects to the trash room on the bottom floor. But residents said nobody clears out the trash over the weekend. With 96 rooms in the building, residents said the trash room quickly overflows with waste on Saturdays and Sundays.
"They’ll leave on a Friday, and the trash chute will fill up to the 12th floor. And they don’t come back until Monday to clean it out," the resident said.
"The aroma of the trash was so horrific and ridiculous," said another resident, who lives on the first floor of the building near the waste room.
Photo of the trash room at Columbia Tower at MLK Village provided by building resident
Photo of the trash room at Columbia Tower at MLK Village provided by building resident
One resident described horrific conditions living next door to her former neighbor, who she said suffered from schizophrenia.
"We complained. He had odors coming out of the apartment. He never cleaned. The maintenance didn’t want to go in. Never mind the pests. I was totally infested living near him," the resident said. "After people were complaining so much they did get someone to come in and clean up."
"There's a lot of turnaround when it comes to office management and, of course, with the upkeep of the building. They can't keep anybody, and they can't keep the building up," the resident said.
In lieu of regular maintenance staff, the mostly elderly residents of the building say they have to pool their own resources and labor to keep common areas clean.
Columbia Residential boasts on its website that the apartment has a community garden, but one resident said the garden is frequently littered with trash. The garden was nothing more than a plot of dirt and weeds when a Free Beacon reporter visited the property this month.
Columbia Tower’s "community garden"
Ebenezer itself acknowledged that the building’s lack of maintenance is a major cause of concern when it applied for $5 million from Georgia to fund building repairs.
"The cost of increasing annual capital repairs at the property is impacting the lives of the residents, making it increasingly difficult to fund the needed resident services and maintain housing stability for this vulnerable, formerly homeless population," Ebenezer wrote in the grant application. "The purpose of this grant request is to make the needed repairs to the building and preserve the ability to house and serve this specific population."
The Ebenezer Building Foundation also disclosed problems with Columbia Tower’s elevators in the grant application, writing that the "failures are becoming more frequent."
"When the elevator needs repair, it takes several days," said the group, calling the problems "detrimental" to residents.
In a court filing responding to one of the elevator injury lawsuits, however, a lawyer for Columbia Tower suggested the machinery was damaged by an individual. The "issue with the elevator may have been the result of persons who rode the elevator immediately before the plaintiff," said the attorney for Columbia Tower.
Columbia Residential told the Free Beacon that Ebenezer "contracted with Columbia Residential property management to manage the day-to-day operations of the property on their behalf." The property management company said Warnock has no involvement in the daily operations at Columbia Tower.
"Due to the age of the property, the need for capital repairs, and the desire to keep rents affordable to extremely low-income tenants, the owners applied for the Georgia Investments in Housing Grant, which was specifically targeted to support housing for individuals experiencing homelessness," Columbia Residential told the Free Beacon .
The grant, which Georgia Republican governor Brian Kemp awarded to Ebenezer in late August, will be used to fund building repairs, as well as to replace all faucets and toilets with low-flow systems, install LED lighting in the building, and upgrade major appliances in the building to energy star standards.
Ebenezer did not return requests for comment.
True Fact: Hunter Biden took $5 million in a deal with his Chinese business associate Patrick Ho — who he referred to as “the f**king spy chief of China” in a recording on his abandoned laptop.
THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY GOP Lawmaker: 'Once Joe Biden Gets In The White House, Suddenly Hunter Biden's An Artist' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCah_BKAlg
HUNTER AND JOE BIDEN: CHINA'S RENT BOYS!
Hunter Biden will be a top priority for Republicans: Rep. Comer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AumMMgIGNs '
America sees two weak leaders in the White House: Mercedes Schlapp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVL-8P82_20
Naïve American people had no idea what they were getting with Biden: A senile, corrupt, debauched old man with a son who was a conduit for his dirty dealings and who has a personal life so disgusting it’s hard to write about it. That’s what the American media and the tech tyrants have done to America. ANDREA WIDBURG
Report: White House Fears Hunter Could Doom Joe Biden’s Potential 2024 Campaign
Aides in the Biden administration fear Hunter and President Joe Biden’s shady business activities could doom the president’s potential campaign in 2024, Politico reported.
The Republicans’ investigations into the Biden family upon retaking the House in November could derail any hope of Joe Biden’s returning to the White House after 2024.
According to Politico’s Eugene Daniels, Jonathan Lemire, Jordain Carney, “[i]f a GOP-led House turns up the heat on Hunter Biden, it could weigh heavily in the president’s decision to run for a second term.”
“White House officials said Biden is preparing to seek reelection, but a final decision likely won’t be made for several months, with the first lady having an outsized influence. Some aides believe that Biden could forgo another campaign if it would shield his family from hostile congressional investigations,” the report states.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, have both pledged to investigate the Biden family business if they retake the House in November.
“We’ve got a lot of opportunities. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Obviously, we’re going to have some high-profile committee hearings on the investigations dealing with Hunter Biden,” Comer told the publication.
The GOP’s plan to probe the Bidens has likely alarmed many in the White House, causing aides to begin preparing messaging strategies for the “investigative onslaught” coming if Republicans retake the House.
A select committee may be deployed to investigate the Bidens, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told Breitbart News in August. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) also told Breitbart News that it is “absolutely” an option to probe the “big guy.” A select committee is a type of temporary committee created to conduct investigations or consider other measures on a specific topic.
“I think it can be done over oversight. There’s plenty there [to investigate],” Mace told Breitbart News. “But if that is not enough, once the traditional committee process investigates – then by all means – a special committee would be another option, absolutely.”
The president’s son is reportedly under investigation for tax fraud, money laundering, and gun and foreign lobbying violations by Trump-appointed United States Attorney David Weiss. Joe Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland has refused to say whether a special counsel should be placed over the investigation to maintain a just probe. A special counsel would distance from Joe Biden and the investigation into Hunter and the Biden family business dealings.
Recent polling shows 62 percent of registered voters believe Joe Biden likely consulted and perhaps profited from the Biden family business dealings. Fifty-eight percent of voters believed Joe Biden played a role in his family’s business. Sixty percent said Hunter Biden has sold “influence and access” to the president.
President Joe Biden and his staff have claimed at least seven times the president has had no part in the family business, but evidence shows he has been involved in at least 17 instances.
Hunter Biden is the subject of a brand new narrative film, My Son Hunter , marking Breitbart’s expansion into film distribution. The film was directed by Robert Davi (Goonies , License to Kill , Die Hard ) and stars Laurence Fox (Victoria , Inspector Lewis , The Professor and The Madman ) as Hunter Biden; Gina Carano (The Mandalorian , Deadpool , Heist ) as a Secret Service agent; and John James (Dynasty ) as Joe Biden. It was produced by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney (Gosnell movie, FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers ) from the Unreported Story Society. The film is available RIGHT NOW for Streaming and Downloading at MySonHunter.com . The trailer below has been viewed almost 5 million times across social media.The Ann & Phelim Scoop
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality .
Exclusive–Dr. Sebastian Gorka: Investigating the Biden Cartel Courtesy Dr. Sebastian Gorka 4:57
Matt Gaetz is a troublemaker. He is a patriot. He is totally America First. And he understands the following:
After the midterm elections, there will be an expectation that the Republican Party get serious. Not business as usual. Not the “Let’s treat the Democrats as a normal party” attitude, but let’s get to the bottom of the corruption that is rife across this nation, and especially in the White House.
That’s why he wants to investigate and subpoena Hunter Biden. And that’s why he invited me to Capitol Hill this week to strategize on how to get serious.
What will that entail? It will entail a show of political force. It will entail, as Matt Gaetz has said on my radio show, making every committee of Congress an investigatory committee with subpoena power, to get to the bottom of the corruption of the Cartel that is the Biden Clan.
We know the laptops are real. We’ve seen the pictures. We’ve read the emails, listened to the voicemails. Now there have to be consequences. Consequences that can satisfy the 74 million Americans who actually voted for President Trump and who want to live in an America where there is rule of law. We need to know the truth about all those shady deals with corrupt regimes. We must know whether we have a Commander-in-Chief who is vulnerable to blackmail by our enemies, or who is potentially profiting from colluding with our enemies.
Hunter Biden’s laptops are not in dispute. The fact that his lawyers wanted those laptops back proves to you that they are his. We need answers to the questions as to what happened with all the money he received from interests connected with the Communist regime in China, with the CFC company.
VIDEO
We need to subpoena his business partners at Rosemont Seneca and confidantes such as Eric Schwerin , who acted as the “de facto financial planner for the wider Biden family” managing their foreign incomes. We have to subpoena individuals like John Robinson “Rob” Walker , and ask them questions like: What happened to the $6 million from China that went to the Bidens? Why were there shared bank accounts between Hunter Biden and Joe Biden? Who paid for Joe Biden’s mortgage in certain crucial years when Hunter was cutting those deals?
And on top of that, why do we have the President of the United States denying he knew anything about his son’s business dealings — when we have now the unclassified records of his meeting more than a dozen of his son’s business partners? And I don’t mean American business partners, I mean business partners from places like Ukraine, China, and Kazakhstan. We even have Biden himself on a voicemail discussing Hunter’s dodgy deals.
At the end of the day, and more importantly, this is an issue that affects national security and not just criminal activities, such as wire fraud or FARA violations. It concerns real national security. China is at war with us. Whether it’s their Unrestricted Warfare strategy to take America down and to become the only hegemonic power in the world, whether it’s the “One Belt, One Road” initiative used to intimidate our friends, our allies, our partners in Asia and across the world, China is at war with us. President Trump knew it and did something about it. His successor reversed course on our policies regarding China. Why?
The figures for just fentanyl overdoses alone tell you that they are at war. More than 110,000 dead in the last calendar year from overdoses; that is almost twice the amount that died in 10 years of the Vietnam War. That is a form of indirect warfare.
But we have a regime, we have a First Family, that is — by their own admission — in bed with China. Just listen to the audio of Hunter Biden boasting, from his laptop, that he is in business with the “f***ing spy chief of China.” That’s not Sebastian Gorka, that’s not Matt Gaetz, that’s not President Trump, Steve Bannon, or anybody else. It is Hunter Biden’s own words.
That is why I said yes to Matt Gaetz. That I’d be honored to act as Staff Director for any serious GOP effort, because they need to get serious, and they need to investigate and have a special commission, a special Congressional committee, to investigate both the criminal, the RICO, and the national security aspects of Hunter Biden’s corruption, and the corruption of the Biden crime cartel family. In fact, this is not new territory for me.
Before moving to the U.S., I served as special investigator for the special committee of the Hungarian Parliament investigating Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy after it was revealed that he had been a Major in the Communist Secret Police. I am practiced in investigating corrupt Communist-ties heads-of-state.
So, I’m ready. Matt Gaetz is ready. Are you? If you think we need the truth about the Bidens, demand exactly that from your GOP Representative or Senator. Only if they fear your political wrath will we have a chance at justice.
House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY) said on Thursday that an investigation into Hunter Biden will commence once Republicans take back control of the House.
“The reason we’re investigating Hunter Biden is because we believe he’s compromised Joe Biden,” Comer, who will likely be the next House Oversight Committee chairman, told reporters.
Comer said that the crux of the planned investigation into Hunter Biden and his business dealings centers on rooting out corruption and political retribution against Democrats for their investigations and impeachments against former President Donald Trump.
“We’ve already brought forth more evidence of wrongdoing with Hunter Biden in foreign countries than Adam Schiff ever brought forward with Donald Trump or Jared Kushner or anyone else,” the lead Oversight Republican said.
Comer has described Hunter Biden as a “national security risk” this summer.
House Republicans across the spectrum have discussed the potential crimes and other implications Hunter Biden’s business dealings have had with President Joe Biden.
Breitbart News senior contributor and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) President Peter Schweizer said during a Republican Study Committee (RSC) meeting in April that there is a “slam dunk” case to indict Hunter Biden for tax evasion.
Schweizer even said the Hunter Biden laptop stories made it easier to answer “three basic fundamental questions” about the relationship between China, Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden:
The Biden family received roughly $31 million in business deals with the Chinese. Hunter Biden had significant business dealings with high-ranking Chinese government officials. Schweizer said that the Hunter Biden emails revealed that the Biden family’s money is “fungible.” Even though Schweizer said there is a good chance that Hunter would go to jail, he said that Hunter would likely take the fall to protect his father, the president.
“What is probably going to happen is there’s going to be a deal cut. Hunter Biden is going to cop to some of the charges. He may spend some time in jail. But, he’s going to do that to protect his father.”
Hunter Biden is the subject of a brand new narrative film, My Son Hunter , marking Breitbart’s expansion into film distribution. The film was directed by Robert Davi (Goonies , License to Kill , Die Hard ) and stars Laurence Fox (Victoria , Inspector Lewis , The Professor , and The Madman ) as Hunter Biden; Gina Carano (The Mandalorian , Dead Pool , Heist ) as a Secret Service agent; and John James (Dynasty ) as Joe Biden. It was produced by Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney (Gosnell movie, FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers ) from the Unreported Story Society. The film is available RIGHT NOW for Streaming and Downloading at MySonHunter.com . The trailer below has been viewed almost 5 million times across social media.
VIDEO
The Ann and Phelim Scoop
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3 .
Naïve American people had no idea what they were getting with Biden: A senile, corrupt, debauched old man with a son who was a conduit for his dirty dealings and who has a personal life so disgusting it’s hard to write about it. That’s what the American media and the tech tyrants have done to America.
ANDREA WIDBURG
True Fact: Hunter Biden took $5 million in a deal with his Chinese business associate Patrick Ho — who he referred to as “the f**king spy chief of China” in a recording on his abandoned laptop.
However, the lust for power and immense pecuniary gains cause people to behave in the most cold-hearted fashion. It is inhuman of Biden's wife and family to allow him to be exploited like this, such that he becomes the target of ridicule.
'Abundantly Clear Why His Handlers Have Been Keeping Him Away From Cameras': GOP Rep Rips Biden
THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY
GOP Lawmaker: 'Once Joe Biden Gets In The White House, Suddenly Hunter Biden's An Artist' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCah_BKAlg
HUNTER AND JOE BIDEN: CHINA'S RENT BOYS!
Hunter Biden will be a top priority for Republicans: Rep. Comer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AumMMgIGNs '
America sees two weak leaders in the White House: Mercedes Schlapp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVL-8P82_20
Naïve American people had no idea what they were getting with Biden: A senile, corrupt, debauched old man with a son who was a conduit for his dirty dealings and who has a personal life so disgusting it’s hard to write about it. That’s what the American media and the tech tyrants have done to America. ANDREA WIDBURG
How Raphael Warnock Dodges Income Taxes
Warnock doesn't pay income taxes on a $90K ‘parsonage allowance’ from Atlanta church
Senate records reveal that Warnock has voted with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time since getting elected to the Senate and 100% of the time in 2021.
Warnock voted with Biden for at least a trillion in new spending. Warnock voted with Biden to allow abortion up until the moment of birth. Warnock voted with Biden against restarting the Keystone XL pipeline. Warnock voted with Biden to send stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and dangerous criminals such as the Boston Marathon bomber. Warnock voted with Biden to block funding for our southern border security . Warnock voted with Biden to protect China and Iran. Warnock voted to expand firearm regulations. Warnock voted for the CDC's requirement of masks on planes, trains, and buses. Warnock voted to form a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Warnock voted for the Inflation Reduction act, which is actually a disguised version of the green new deal, along with 87,000 new tax agents to audit Georgia's small businesses. Warnock voted to send billions of dollars , without any tracking mechanism, to Ukraine. The case for Herschel Walker
The Senate race in Georgia between Herschel Walker and sitting Sen. Raphael Warnock is rapidly drifting away from the issues and focusing on the personal.
The Democrats have directed their media assassins to attack the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, Walker.
Hence the Daily Beast claimed that Walker had impregnated a woman in 2009 and paid for her abortion.
In response to this report, Walker’s son Christian had a meltdown on social media as he accused his father of abandonment, violence, and lying about his past.
Just yesterday, Christian uploaded a 4-minute video on social media, further saying did not want to be involved further in his father’s campaign, and refuting allegations that he was paid by the Democrats to attack his father. He appeared unhinged.
Christian is almost like a dream come true for the Democrats.
His message was amplified on social media and the mainstream media.
Back in August 2021, Christian endorsed his father, and had even sold Herschel 2022 merchandise on his website.
Hershel Walker has rejected the claim about the abortion and has sued the Daily Beast.
Just yesterday, President Trump reiterated his support for Walker .
The Daily Beast previously claimed that Walker had fathered three children about whom he had not publicly acknowledged paternity as a candidate.
The Democrats are not only attempting to portray Walker as a hypocrite, i.e., that he is pro-life but paid for an abortion, but also the fact that he may be an absent, negligent father and abusive to his family.
Walker’s rival Rev. Raphael Warnock is senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Do we have more about Warnock’s background?
The picture isn't exactly rosy.
Back in March 2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Warnock was accused by his then-wife Ouleye Ndoye of running over her foot with his car during a heated argument days before he filed paperwork to officially seek the office.
Warnock wasn’t charged with a crime by Atlanta police and since then, medical officials ‘didn’t find visible signs of injury in the foot that his wife said was struck by the vehicle.'
Warnock denied the allegation that he harmed his estranged wife, telling the AJC in an interview that “it didn’t happen.”
Tucker Carlson aired the police bodycam video on Fox News showing that police responded to a call from Warnock's now ex-wife.
In the video, Raphael claims he was there to pick up their children from school when they got into an argument. However, Ouleye accuses Raphael of running over her foot with his car as she was standing next to it.
Ouleye said she remained quiet (presumably about Raphael’s abusive behavior) for the sake of her children and his reputation, however, the car incident crossed the line.
She rejected Raphael’s claim of innocence, saying he was lying.
“….he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
This wasn’t the only legal domestic dispute that Raphael was involved in.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Ouleye was seeking legal action to make changes to their child custody arrangement.
The 11-page filing by Ouleye requested the court to grant her additional custody of their two young children so that she can complete a Harvard University program, citing an agreement she struck with Warnock while he was campaigning for the U.S. Senate in early 2020.
Ouleye also requested that Warnock’s child support payments be recalculated because of a “substantial” increase in income after his victory in the Senate race.
So what do we have here?
Both Senate candidates in Georgia have been accused of abusive behavior and neglecting their families. Both men have had their close family members make these accusations. Both men haven't been charged. Both men have denied these allegations.
So what is the difference?
On the personal front, Herschel Walker still emerges the winner.
He is an accomplished sportsman. He won the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 1982 and played in the National Football League for 12 seasons. He is a self-made man who has also given back to society.
Now for Warnock.
Senate records reveal that Warnock has voted with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time since getting elected to the Senate and 100% of the time in 2021.
Warnock voted with Biden for at least a trillion in new spending. Warnock voted with Biden to allow abortion up until the moment of birth. Warnock voted with Biden against restarting the Keystone XL pipeline. Warnock voted with Biden to send stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and dangerous criminals such as the Boston Marathon bomber. Warnock voted with Biden to block funding for our southern border security . Warnock voted with Biden to protect China and Iran. Warnock voted to expand firearm regulations. Warnock voted for the CDC's requirement of masks on planes, trains, and buses. Warnock voted to form a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Warnock voted for the Inflation Reduction act, which is actually a disguised version of the green new deal, along with 87,000 new tax agents to audit Georgia's small businesses. Warnock voted to send billions of dollars , without any tracking mechanism, to Ukraine. Like most Democrats contesting in the midterms, Warnock isn’t talking much about Biden on the campaign trail owing to Joe’s unprecedented unpopularity. But Warnock is a staunch ally of Biden or perhaps more accurately, he supports all that Biden’s handlers stand for.
The voters in Georgia must understand that this isn’t a contest about past personal behavior that hasn't been proven, it is about the future of the nation.
Warnock's voting record makes him culpable for the hardships that have occurred due to Biden's misgovernance.
It is perfectly obvious that the Democrats are focusing on the personal life of Herschel and perhaps even concocting allegations because they cannot defend their abominable record of misgovernance.
A vote for Warnock is a vote for more hardships and persecution of political opponents.
A vote for Herschel Walker is a vote against Biden’s tyranny.
The choice should be obvious!
Image: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via Wikipedia // public domain
Raphael Warnock’s Muddied Past Resurfaces as Camp Child Abuse Questions Go Unanswered Paras Griffin/Getty Images 6:48
Gasoline was poured on the Georgia Senate race this week as both candidates now have a series of allegations lodged against them, detailing alleged aspects of their personal lives which could seriously impact the midterm election race. But while the current focus remains on Republican candidate Herschel Walker, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is no stranger to scandal.
The race rocketed to the national spotlight this week following anonymous allegations that the former NFL star not only encouraged a woman he was with to abort their child, but paid for it. All the while, the Republican candidate’s 23-year-old son, Christian, is lashing out on social media, accusing Walker of giving their family “the middle finger.”
Walker has denied the Daily Beast story, which appeared on Hannity on Monday night. He said he had no idea who the accuser is, adding, “It is a flat-out lie.” He also outlined his intention to sue the Daily Beast for defamation and, separately, publicly expressed love for his son, despite the young man’s bitter allegations against his father.
“You’re not a ‘family man’ when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence,” Christian wrote.
Facebook/Cristian Walker
While the spotlight remains on Walker as he battles these twin scandals, Warnock, a former pastor, is no stranger to being placed in the hot seat, as he has faced allegations of abuse and was famously accused of running over his then-wife’s foot with his 2014 Tesla. He and his ex-wife, Ouleye Ndoye, went through an ugly divorce, which was finalized in 2020 amid Warnock’s Senate bid runoff against former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA).
Tucker Carlson Tonight aired body cam footage of the alleged incident, in which Ndoye tells authorities that her husband is a “great actor” and “phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
“I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line,” she said.
Notably, her foot did not show signs of injury as she accused Warnock of only caring about his reputation as he ran for Senate.
His then-wife said:
This man’s running for United States Senate, and all he cares about right now is his reputation.
I work at the mayor’s office, and this is a big problem. I’ve been trying to be very quiet about the way that he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation.
I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So that is what is going on here, and he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.
At the time, Warnock told police, “I barely move, and all of the sudden she’s screaming that I ran over her foot. I don’t believe it.”
He was not charged in that incident. However, his scandals do not end there, as he also faced allegations of child abuse occurring at a church camp overseen by Warnock. He was arrested in 2002 over accusations of obstructing a child abuse investigation at a church camp in Carroll County, Maryland.
As Breitbart News reported :
Warnock and Wainwright interrupted a police interview of a camp counselor in 2002. After investigators moved the interview to a picnic area, the reverends interfered against and tried to prevent one camper from directing police to other potential witnesses.
Maryland State Trooper Diane Barry of the state police Child and Sexual Assault Unit said, “I’ve never encountered resistance like that at all.”
Barry contended that the counselors consented to be interviewed after they were told they were free to go at any time and were not obligated to answer Barry’s questions. After being arrested and charged, Warnock and Wainwright were released.
The charges were dropped, and Warnock’s campaign spokesperson claimed that Warnock was simply “protecting the rights of young people to make sure they had a lawyer or a parent when being questioned.”
Washington Free Beacon spoke to an attendee of the camp who described some of the abuse:
Washington’s account is buttressed by records from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, obtained by the Free Beacon earlier this month, which indicated that campers were routinely left unsupervised; staffers were not subject to required criminal background check; and at least five cases of child abuse or neglect were brought against the camp’s director, who was ultimately forced to resign.
…
Washington’s sister, Dominique, who also attended Camp Farthest Out the summer her brother says he was abused, corroborated the family’s involvement in the lawsuit when contacted by the Free Beacon . Another source close to the Washington family told the Free Beacon that the lawsuit was related to an incident when counselors “poured urine on [Anthony], at the camp.”
At the time, Loeffler described the report as “disgusting,” contending that it “should be disqualifying for serving in the U.S. Senate.”
Yet, perhaps stunningly, the establishment media has remained relatively uninterested in allegations of abuse at this church camp. Further, as he faced these allegations and disputes with his wife, he continued to raise money on ActBlue, “ despite the company’s policy to not host candidates or causes that are linked to sexual or domestic violence allegations,” as the GOP noted at the time.
During this race in 2022, Walker has attempted to capitalize on Warnock’s muddied past, including accusations of neglecting his own children and “failing to pay court-mandated child care costs, despite being worth more than $800,000 and making $174,000 a year from taxpayers,” as the ad detailed
“When officials tried to serve him papers, Warnock ran from the process server,” it added.
VIDEO
Indeed, Warnock’s ex-wife took legal action over the custody of their children, citing a “substantial change of circumstances regarding the welfare of the children” after his Senate win. She ultimately accused Warnock of skipping out on child care costs.
“The fact that (Warnock) has failed to reimburse (Ndoye) has left (Ndoye) financially strapped, leaving the children in her care when she should be concentrating on work-related and school-related responsibilities,” the filing stated, alleging that Warnock’s reimbursements “often” were “accompanied with an extended questioning regarding the value of and need for the services provided.”
It remains unclear what effect the current allegations lodged against Walker will have on the highly anticipated Senate race, which could help determine the balance of the Senate. However, the establishment media’s attack does not change the fact that mounting allegations still stand against Warnock, many of which the establishment media happily swept under the rug.
Warnock Fundraises With Steyer After Voting for Legislation That Poured Billions Into Green Energy Events come amid global surge in energy prices as Democrats vilify fossil fuels
Alana Goodman •
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) raked in cash from wealthy green energy moguls at a series of San Francisco fundraisers last weekend, a month after voting to pass legislation that steered billions to climate initiatives and the green energy industry.
During his West Coast fundraising swing, the senator partied with billionaire investor Tom Steyer, biofuels CEO Wade Randlett, and "Defund the Police" advocate Meena Harris, the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to photos. Steyer cohosted an event for Warnock in San Francisco on Saturday, along with NextGen America board member Andrea Evans, according to an invitation for the fundraiser. Randlett cohosted an event for Warnock on Friday.
The parties came weeks after Warnock voted for the Biden administration’s budget reconciliation bill—officially dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act—and highlight the cozy relationship between Democratic political leaders and the lucrative green tech industry. The legislation poured billions into green energy initiatives and is expected to benefit industries in which Steyer is an investor, according to analysts. The fundraisers also come amid a global surge in energy prices, with many Americans struggling to pay utility bills, and as Democratic lawmakers continue to vilify the fossil fuel industry.
Steyer, a Democratic donor who ran a short-lived campaign for president in 2020, launched a "climate investment fund" called Galvanize in 2021 with a goal of investing "billions" into decarbonization companies. The fund’s reported investments include Regrow Ag, a startup that "aims to help accelerate the shift to climate-friendly farming" and Arable, which seeks to "create a more sustainable food supply."
Both Regrow Ag and Arable were named as companies that are likely to benefit from a $20 billion earmark in the federal spending bill, according to an analysis published by the clean energy investment firm G2 Venture Partners on Aug. 17, the day after the bill was signed by President Joe Biden.
The bill "has earmarked $20B to (1) target methane and nitrous oxide emission reduction (e.g. Arable, Trace Genomics), (2) improve soil carbon and nitrogen content (e.g. Pivot Bio), and (3) avoiding / sequestering GHG emission (e.g. ProducePay, Regrow, Cloud Agronomics)," wrote G2 Venture Partners.
Steyer praised the passage of the bill as the "culmination of a decade of advocacy and persistence." Earlier this month, he attended a party at the White House celebrating the legislation.
The Friday fundraiser was cosponsored by Randlett, a biofuels mogul and CEO of the transportation fuels division at General Biofuels. The spending bill extended the biodiesel tax credit and was praised by leaders in the biofuels industry.
"This bill represents the most significant federal commitment to low-carbon biofuels since the Renewable Fuel Standard was expanded by Congress in 2007," said Renewable Fuels Association president Geoff Cooper in a statement applauding the bill.
Andrea Evans, a board member at Steyer’s nonprofit group NextGen, also cohosted the Saturday Warnock fundraising event.
The Inflation Reduction Act has faced some criticism, with Republicans arguing that it will raise taxes while steering federal funds to Democratic constituencies. Warnock praised the bill, saying it will "help lower costs for families in every corner of our state—all without raising taxes for hardworking Georgia families. That’s a win-win."
Photos from Warnock’s California fundraising trip also show him posing with his arm around Meena Harris, an Instagram lifestyle influencer and the niece of Kamala Harris. Meena Harris is a vocal advocate for the "defund the police" movement.
"Defund the police and reallocate funds to mental health and social services. This shouldn’t be controversial," wrote Harris in one Twitter post.
She later expanded on this by adding: "To everyone in my mentions policing my language, let me clarify: Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police."
The senator is the party’s top fundraiser for the midterm cycle, pulling in a whopping $17 million last quarter in his competitive faceoff against Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Published under: Georgia Raphael Warnock Tom Steyer
How Raphael Warnock Dodges Income Taxes
Warnock doesn't pay income taxes on a $90K ‘parsonage allowance’ from Atlanta church
Alana Goodman •Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) has an unusual financial arrangement with an outside employer that allowed him to avoid income taxes on $89,000 in outside salary last year, according to tax experts.
Warnock, who works as the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said the church paid him $89,000 last year as a "parsonage allowance"—as opposed to regular outside income, which is subject to strict limitations for senators under federal law. Lawmakers are not allowed to receive more than $29,895 in outside income.
The news raises questions about whether Warnock is taking a tax break that’s unavailable to the vast majority of Americans. Republicans say Warnock wants to raise taxes, pointing to his vote for a spending package in August that some analysts claim would increase taxes on low- and middle-income earners. The senator has also faced criticism for his outside financial arrangements from his opponent, Republican Herschel Walker. The Walker campaign has slammed Warnock for doubling his annual salary since taking office, raking in $120,000 from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and over $240,000 for a book deal.
Tax experts said the Internal Revenue Service created the modern "parsonage allowance" provision in the 1950s as a tax break for religious leaders, who historically lived in tax-exempt church-owned parsonages but now often rent or own their own homes. The provision allows pastors and other clergy members to deduct their estimated annual housing expenses—including mortgage payments, lawn care, furniture, and pool maintenance—from their income taxes.
Warnock’s campaign declined to comment on whether he paid income taxes on his housing allowance.
Some legal experts also questioned the Senate Ethics Committee’s decision to approve the arrangement, saying it appears to violate federal law that prohibits members of Congress from receiving more than $29,895 in outside income. Warnock’s campaign suggested that the "parsonage allowance" wasn’t subject to the same cap as regular income, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , which first reported on the arrangement last month.
"Sen. Warnock's arrangement appears to be an abuse of both the parsonage allowance provisions of the tax code and Senate ethics rules," Charlie Spies, a Republican campaign finance attorney with Dickinson Wright, told the Washington Free Beacon . "The parsonage exception in Sec. 107(2) is targeted for those who are pastors, not boondoggles for politicians."
Tax experts told the Free Beacon qualified clergy members are allowed to designate up to 100 percent of their salaries as tax-free under the parsonage exemption. Although clergy members need written acknowledgment from their church to participate, religious institutions have no say over the percentage the clergy requests and don’t provide oversight into how the employee spends this money, according to experts. Instead, participating clergy members are supposed to be regulated by the IRS.
While many pastors claim less than 40 percent of their salary as a parsonage allowance, one forensic accountant said he has seen some who take upwards of 70 or 80 percent—an amount he said was "bordering on abusive."
Warnock’s parsonage allowance adds up to nearly 75 percent of his income from the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which breaks down to about $7,400-per-month in housing expenses.
The senator owns a home in Atlanta that was recently appraised at around $1 million, according to property records. In addition to mortgage payments, the parsonage allowance can be used to cover any housing-related costs, including security, landscaping, and home furnishings.
Gil Rothenberg, the former chief of the Department of Justice tax division’s appellate section, told the Free Beacon the parsonage allowance was intended to "even the scales" between wealthy churches and poorer ones, which can’t always afford to provide a well-maintained home for their ministers.
But he said there have also been past cases where religious leaders have abused the system. In 2002, Rothenberg represented the government in a legal dispute with Rick Warren, a megachurch pastor who had claimed $80,000 of his salary as a "parsonage allowance"—an amount that the IRS claimed exceeded the value of his housing. The case prompted Congress to update the law, capping the parsonage allowance at the fair rental value of the home, plus furnishings and maintenance.
"The kinds of cases that got to me when I was at DOJ were basically the really abusive ones," said Rothenberg. "I don’t know how many other ministers are basically padding their parsonage allowance. Nobody knows. You hope that the CPA, or whoever is doing their taxes, is doing it correctly."
While churches note that the provision is crucial for many clergy members, who often don’t earn large salaries, the rule has also been controversial. Critics have accused some clergy members of taking advantage of the exemption, using it to pay for lavish vacation homes and other luxuries.
Peter Reilly, a certified public accountant who has written about parsonage allowances, said Warnock’s allowance "seems like a lot, but it’s not crazy" in comparison with others he has seen.
"Some of the parsonage [allowances] can tend to be enormous," he told the Free Beacon . "Some of the televangelists, it’s millions."
'Abundantly Clear Why His Handlers Have Been Keeping Him Away From Cameras': GOP Rep Rips Biden
THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY
GOP Lawmaker: 'Once Joe Biden Gets In The White House, Suddenly Hunter Biden's An Artist' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCah_BKAlg
HUNTER AND JOE BIDEN: CHINA'S RENT BOYS!
Hunter Biden will be a top priority for Republicans: Rep. Comer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AumMMgIGNs '
America sees two weak leaders in the White House: Mercedes Schlapp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVL-8P82_20
Naïve American people had no idea what they were getting with Biden: A senile, corrupt, debauched old man with a son who was a conduit for his dirty dealings and who has a personal life so disgusting it’s hard to write about it. That’s what the American media and the tech tyrants have done to America. ANDREA WIDBURG
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY
GOP Lawmaker: 'Once Joe Biden Gets In The White House, Suddenly Hunter Biden's An Artist' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaCah_BKAlg
“Everything about this is a shady business dealing, and this is the first time that there’s proof that Joe Biden was involved. That’s why we are trying to get those suspicious activity reports and those transaction records,” said Comer.
"Along with Obama, Pelosi and Schumer are responsible for incalculable damage done to this country over the eight years of that administration (JOE BIDEN WAS OFF SUCKING OFF BANKSTERS AND BRIBES)." PATRICIA McCARTHY
Naïve American people had no idea what they were getting with Biden: A senile, corrupt, debauched old man with a son who was a conduit for his dirty dealings and who has a personal life so disgusting it’s hard to write about it. That’s what the American media and the tech tyrants have done to America.
ANDREA WIDBURG
True Fact: Hunter Biden took $5 million in a deal with his Chinese business associate Patrick Ho — who he referred to as “the f**king spy chief of China” in a recording on his abandoned laptop.
However, the lust for power and immense pecuniary gains cause people to behave in the most cold-hearted fashion. It is inhuman of Biden's wife and family to allow him to be exploited like this, such that he becomes the target of ridicule.
A Commie Coalition of Racists, Butchers, Liars,
and Ghouls
Kamala cackles at Korea's DMZ . Braindead Biden speaks to ghosts . Wicked Witch Hillary curses America with lies. Halloween season must be here. Except the evil that Democrats do lasts all year long. Filled with racists, butchers, killers, liars, misanthropes, thieves, and snobs, the commie coalition of leftists in America pursues nothing but harm. Feasting on children, spreading fear and hate, they are the carnival horror show no sane person would dare permit through the gates. Wherever their power grows, Dems bring darkness (thanks, Green New Deal!), scary times, and frightening monsters. (Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself, after all.)
It is clear that the commie coven has cast a spell upon the country, transfixing too many otherwise rational-thinking Americans into supporting wicked things. Who could be in favor of explicitly judging people by the color of their skin? Who could support secretly grooming innocent children to partake in sexual fantasies? Who could promote mutilating a child's body as if "transgenderism" were a sacred rite? Who could demand that babies be sacrificed on the altar of convenience? Who could preach that freedom is sinful and that obedience to government is divine? Who could maliciously scare billions with the unscientific doomsaying of imminent climate apocalypse? Who could steal food and fuel from the poor, while global elites choose who will be lucky enough to eat? Who could teach Westerners self-loathing on such a grand scale? Surely only very wicked people could do such things. Or people who have become lost in the delusions of malevolent magicians who seed discord, spread lies, feed on pain, despoil innocence, and thrive on hate.
Leftism really is a curse because it twists minds into believing hideous things. Saying, "All lives matter," is somehow racist. Wanting to "Make America Great" somehow spreads hate. Treating people equally regardless of skin color promotes "white supremacy." Rewarding merit and hard work does, too. The less someone thinks of race, the more that person is condemned as "racist," while the more someone obsesses over race, the more "virtuous" that person is said to be. Only "racists" today treat people of all shades the same.
What a sick world the commies have built. White adolescent males have been intentionally left behind . Their rates for academic achievement have plummeted , while their rates for alcohol and drug dependence continue to rise . They are lonely, without purpose, and suicidal as never before, yet the merciless Marxists beat them over the head with allegations of their miraculous "supremacy." There are no scholarships for "white boys." There are no clubs where they are encouraged to belong. They are not invited to succeed. Books, television shows, and movies relentlessly paint them as the villains. The federal bureaucracy treats them as potential "domestic threats." The stories of their ancestors are rewritten as shameful tales best to forget. They have become the eternal whipping post for the hideously racist political left.
Where has compassion gone? To where has the dream of a colorblind world vanished? Why must young innocents be punished for perceived "sins" committed in the distant past? Who could possibly justify looking through a person's character and seeing instead nothing but oppressive hues? Only a race-obsessed commie coalition seeking to divide. Only hateful demagogues who maintain power by teaching others to despise.
In America, former president but lifelong Marxist Barack Obama can slander proponents of secure borders as racists , and nobody bats an eye. Babbling Vice President Harris can promise to disburse federal funds for victims of Hurricane Ian based on Americans' skin color , and corporate news talking heads applaud. Nancy Pelosi can justify millions of illegal aliens as necessary for picking crops , and America's most race-obsessed pretend not to hear. White victims can be violently targeted on the street by criminal gangs, and Democrat mayors cover up their race-based crimes. Beloved statues and monuments honoring the world historical achievements of America's Founding Fathers can be defiled and toppled, and no arrests are ever made. A white male waving the American flag or singing the National Anthem too proudly, however, is condemned for not proactively apologizing for the color of his skin. Hidden "racist" intent is seen lurking in every corner of society. Americans insufficiently dedicated to racial grievance are "canceled" for imaginary sins. Those unwilling to rewrite history are punished. Those who refuse to believe in "woke" delusions are derided. That's how the left helps evil win.
It has been said often that a culture can be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable, and by any measure the West will soon be harshly judged. It was not enough to legalize abortion while promising to keep it rare. The killing of children had to be embraced, then universalized, then celebrated, and finally used as an absurd "human right" cudgel against its opponents . It was not enough to redefine the ancient institution of marriage when destroying the traditional family was the Marxists' ultimate goal. It was never about preaching "tolerance" for others when the political left steadfastly refuses to leave God-fearing Americans alone.
Young students forced to endure Marxist indoctrination may be surprised to learn that a short time ago there was no confusion over biological sex . Nowhere in the world did any culture, scientific body, or human rights group find it controversial to believe in the existence of biologically-defined women and men. Parents had no trouble distinguishing their daughters from their sons. Schools had no need to invent hundreds of "genders" to account for each human's uniqueness. Medicine had not been so politicized as to turn basic genetics upside-down. Only a few years of propaganda and brainwashing, though, were sufficient for thousands of years of human history to be tossed out. What unbelievable witchcraft it is to transform a basic fact of life into a divisive curse for argument and division. How sinister it is to teach toddlers outright lies. How barbaric it is to encourage boys and girls to take life-altering hormones and undergo irreversible surgeries before ever growing up. What ghoulish monsters the Marxists are for mangling bodies, manipulating psyches, and ruining lives.
As if teaching racism, butchering children, and killing babies were not enough, the left's horror tale is not complete without the frightful terrors of global warming. So committed they are to centralized government power and so obsessed they are with unchecked population growth that the Marxists would rather terrify the world with visions of destruction than let children grow up with hope. To tell kids that their parents are killing them with "fossil" fuels. To spread outrageous propaganda that the world does not have long to live. What sinister intent inspires such apocalyptic prevarications? What kind of evil people spread such fear and dread?
It takes a certain kind of monster to intentionally hurt and scare the weak. It takes a certain kind of villain to terrorize the poor. It takes awfully racist people to obsess over the color of children's skin. It takes misanthropic Marxists to spin lies of planetary horror. Yet the evil that men do succeeds only when good men choose to remain silent. So speak up loudly every day. Break the leftists' spells. Chase the wicked far away. And never be compliant.
Image via Max Pixel .
YOU DON'T THINK NAFTA PELOSI PAYS LIVING WAGES TO HER WINNERY WORKERS AT HER ST HELENA WINNERY DO YOU?
Pelosi, through her holdings in local restaurants and vineyards, is reputed to be one of the largest employers of illegal labor in Northern California.
“Our job as elected officials is to serve the people — not ourselves,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement on Friday.
Nancy Pelosi Sits in SILENCE as Lauren Boebert UNVEIL New Facts on her in Congress
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
Internet stock traders often follow Nancy Pelosi's
purchases and selloffs for investing tips, Business
Insider reported , with some suggesting "she's making the
big bucks off of insider information."
WALK THE STREETS OF YOUR HOME TOWN OF SAN FRANCISCO AND COUNT THE DRUG ADDICTS, YOU FUKING INSIDE TRADER!!!
Pelosi: Congress ‘Must’ Enact Law That
‘Empowers All to Participate in the Rapidly
Growing Cannabis Industry’
Sasha Valour and Nancy Pelosi attend Tectonic Theater Project's Annual Benefit 'A Tectonic Cabaret' at Chelsea Factory on Oct. 3, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)
(CNSNews.com) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) put out a statement on Thursday in which she praised President Joe Biden for pardoning people who had been federally convicted for possessing marijuana and called for a federal law to legalize the drug, which she said would empower “all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry.”
“Today is a day of hope and healing, as President Biden takes historic steps to reform America’s approach to marijuana,” said Pelosi .
“These transformative actions are the latest manifestation of Democrats’ unyielding commitment to justice, especially for those unfairly harmed by cannabis criminalization,” she said.
“House Democrats applaud these bold actions by President Biden, which build on the important progress we forged in passing our Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act,” said Pelosi.
“This legislation, which decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level and empowers all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry, must become law,” she said. “Our proud Democratic Majority will never relent in fighting for these reforms, and more, as we work to advance justice for all.”
Here is the full text of Pelosi’s statement :
“Today is a day of hope and healing, as President Biden takes historic steps to reform America’s approach to marijuana. These transformative actions are the latest manifestation of Democrats’ unyielding commitment to justice, especially for those unfairly harmed by cannabis criminalization.
“For far too long, failed federal drug policies — which have specifically targeted communities of color — have torn apart too many families. By pardoning those arrested for simple marijuana possession, and encouraging governors to follow suit, President Biden is advancing racial and economic justice: empowering more Americans to return to their loved ones, find a good-paying job and contribute to our communities. At the same time, exploring the reclassification of marijuana is a necessary step to ensure that we do not repeat the grave mistake of mass incarceration.
“House Democrats applaud these bold actions by President Biden, which build on the important progress we forged in passing our Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act. This legislation, which decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level and empowers all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry, must become law. Our proud Democratic Majority will never relent in fighting for these reforms, and more, as we work to advance justice for all.”
TRAITOR! THE BIDEN - CHINESE CONSPIRACY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFZGCCratXk
CALIFORNIA CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE 'BIG MOUTH' WATERS HAS SIPHONE OFF MORE THAN A MILLIOND DOLLAR IN BRIBES TO HER DAUGHTER. BIDEN SAYS SHE SHOULD RUN FOR THE SENATE!!!
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
The Stock Market Made Nancy Pelosi Rich. Now, She Wants To Ban Her Colleagues From Trading. House speaker's fortune has grown $140 million since 2008, thanks in part to her husband's trades
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul. / AP Andrew Kerr
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has seen her net worth increase by $140 million since the 2008 financial crisis thanks in no small part to her husband’s fortuitous trades in companies she has worked to subsidize. Now, she's trying to pull up the ladder behind her: In what may be her final months as a member of Congress, she’s backing a proposal that would prohibit her colleagues from buying or selling individual stocks.
Pelosi scoffed at the idea of banning lawmakers from trading individual stocks as recently as December, saying that she and her colleagues should be able to fully participate in the free market economy. After rejecting similar proposals, Pelosi is throwing her weight behind legislation that would ban stock trading among members of Congress and other senior government officials. House Democratic leaders introduced the Combating Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act last Tuesday but failed to bring the measure to a vote before adjourning for the midterm elections.
Pelosi has been dogged by allegations that her husband, Paul Pelosi, trades stocks on inside information gleaned from her position in Congress. In March, Paul Pelosi exercised options to buy up to $5 million worth of Tesla stock as the speaker pushed for electric vehicle subsidies, the Washington Free Beacon reported . And in June, Paul Pelosi exercised call options to buy up to $5 million in the graphics card manufacturer Nvidia just weeks before the House considered a bill to provide more than $50 billion in subsidies to domestic semiconductor manufacturers.
Pelosi said in November 2020 after being nominated for a fourth term as speaker that she would relinquish the gavel at the end of 2022. And while she announced in January that she would run for reelection in 2022, there is rampant speculation that she will depart Congress should Republicans retake the House in the upcoming midterm elections.
Even Pelosi’s late-stage about-face is not enough to pacify her progressive critics. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) says the speaker and Democratic leadership only put the bill forward because they knew it would fail.
The bill "was written to create confusion surrounding reform efforts and complicate a straightforward reform priority," Spanberger said in a statement on Friday, "all while creating the appearance that House Leadership wanted to take action."
Pelosi’s portfolio has performed remarkably well during periods of financial turmoil, her financial disclosures show. Her estimated net worth skyrocketed at the onset of the Great Recession, going from $31.4 million in 2008 to $101.1 million in 2010, a 220 percent increase in a window where the S&P 500 decreased by 13 percent. The speaker also reaped a significant return during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing her estimated net worth jump from $106 million in 2019 to $171.4 million in 2021, an increase of 60 percent.
Government ethics watchdogs noted glaring loopholes in the Pelosi-backed stock trading bill they say will create new avenues for lawmakers to secretly profit from their positions in Congress.
"To say the bill is weak … would be an understatement. The bill is dangerous. It would undermine what little ethics we have in our federal government," former director of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub said of the measure.
Shaub noted that the bill would enable lawmakers to enter into "fake blind trusts." Typical blind trusts, in which a lawmaker’s assets are handled by an independent manager, require trustees to divest whatever officials put in the trust. But the Pelosi-backed bill would exempt trustees from the divestiture requirement, Shaub said.
"The problem with this bill is it creates a completely separate process and doesn't have any particular rules or requirements around it," Project on Government Oversight government affairs manager Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette told Insider . "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust."
The precise net worth of Pelosi and all other members of Congress, is unknown, as lawmakers report a range of values for all their assets rather than exact dollar amounts. Pelosi’s estimated net worth of $171.4 million in 2021 was calculated by taking into account the ranges of all the individual assets and liabilities reported in her financial disclosure statement.
Pelosi joined Congress in 1987 with a net worth of at least $2.7 million, according to her financial disclosure filed that year and obtained by Politifact. Pelosi’s net worth during her inaugural year in Congress was almost certainly higher than that figure, however, because lawmakers were not required at the time to report an upper range for their assets as they are today.
Pelosi has flatly denied allegations of insider trading. Her office did not return a request for comment.
Pelosi Saves Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Through Another ‘Timely’ Stock Move Some stock traders think the speaker is 'making the big bucks off of insider information,' Business Insider reported
Karl Salzmann • September 2, 2022 3:10 pmSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and her multimillionaire husband, Paul Pelosi, saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling their shares in Nvidia about one month before the U.S. government placed restrictions on the tech company, causing its stock price to plummet.
In July, the Pelosis sold all 25,000 of their shares in Nvidia. On Aug. 26, the government ordered Nvidia to stop selling microchips in China and Russia without authorization, which could cost the company up to $400 million, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The day after CNBC's report, Nvidia's stock price was down nearly 12 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal .
By selling the shares before the news broke, the speaker and her husband saved around $600,000, according to multiple Twitter accounts that track the Pelosis' controversial stock trades.
Paul Pelosi has a long history of making "timely" purchases in companies that his wife has worked to subsidize, the Washington Free Beacon has reported . He purchased the Nvidia stock in June as the speaker oversaw a bill that would grant billions of dollars in subsidies that could benefit the company.
Internet stock traders often follow Nancy Pelosi's purchases and selloffs for investing tips, Business Insider reported , with some suggesting "she's making the big bucks off of insider information."
A Nancy Pelosi spokesman told Fox Business that Paul Pelosi does not speak to his wife about his stock trades until after he makes the trades.
While the speaker in February implied that she wouldn't oppose a congressional stock-trading ban, she appears "content to let" a ban "die behind the scenes," the Daily Beast reported .
"The people who control the calendar don't want to bring it to the floor," Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) said.
Democrat Lawmaker Calls for ‘New Leaders’ Within Own Party After Stock Trade Ban Vote Stalls Alex Wong/Getty Images 5:36
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) called for new House Democratic leadership after a vote to ban congressional lawmakers from trading stocks was stalled indefinitely in the lower chamber.
On Tuesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act prohibiting senior government officials and their family members from trading stocks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) directed her to craft the legislation in February. However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that the bill would not be voted on before the midterms.
“Probably no vote this week,” Hoyer told CNN on Friday, as congressional members leave to focus on their campaigns ahead of the midterm elections on November 8.
“I haven’t read it, it’s a complicated issue, as you can imagine, as a new rule for members they have to follow, and their families as I understand, so I think it deserves careful study to make sure if we do something, we do it right,”
Spanberger, who introduced similar legislation in early 2021, tore into the Democrat leadership officials for waffling around on bringing the bill to a vote.
Spanberger continued:
For months, momentum grew in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate to finally take a step towards prohibiting Members of Congress from day trading while on the job. We saw remarkable progress towards rectifying glaring examples of conflicts of interest. And after first signaling her opposition to these reforms, the Speaker purportedly reversed her position. However, our bipartisan reform coalition was then subjected to repeated delay tactics, hand-waving gestures, and blatant instances of Lucy pulling the football.
The Virginia Democrat then called for a change of House leadership within her own party while accusing them of sabotaging the legislation so it would not pass:
This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it’s yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill , as I have long made known. [Emphasis Added]
…
It’s apparent that House leadership does not have its heart in this effort, because the package released earlier this week was designed to fail. It was written to create confusion surrounding reform efforts and complicate a straightforward reform priority — banning Members of Congress from buying and selling individual stocks — all while creating the appearance that House Leadership wanted to take action.
The scathing criticism of Pelosi and other House Democrat leaders comes as Spanberger has made attempts within the past two years to convince voters she is a moderate politician. Nonetheless, she faces a tough reelection battle as recent polling shows Democrats at risk of losing the lower chamber to the GOP.
This is not the first time Spanberger has called out members of her own party, as she has previously expressed that her Democrat colleagues should “consider a different job” if a ban on trading stocks was a dealbreaker for them.
Pelosi shrugged off Spanberger’s criticisms at a Friday press conference, saying her ideas were already included in Lofgren’s legislation, the Hill reported.
“Her bill is in the bill, others had ideas too. And that’s what the committee put forth,” the Speaker told reporters. “But it’s good press because you asked a question.”
The Speaker also defended the House Democrat’s inability to bring the bill to the floor, saying, “We have to have the votes to bring it up.”
Pelosi, along with her husband Paul, are among the highest earners in congress from stock trading.
The couple recently came under fire after they bought 20,000 shares of semiconductor stocks worth up to $5 million before the Senate was about to vote on a computer chip subsidy bill this summer. Paul Pelosi ended up selling his shares at a loss after facing mounting public criticism.
Lawmakers are required under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012 to submit a periodic transaction report within 30 to 45 days of stock transactions over $1,000 made on their behalf or that of their spouses.
In 2011, Breitbart News Senior Contributor and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) Peter Schweizer rocked official Washington with his investigative revelations of insider trading by members of Congress. Left-leaning Slate hailed Schweizer’s blockbuster book on the topic, Throw Them All Out , “the book that started the STOCK Act stampede.”
The bipartisan STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) banned insider trading by members of Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 4, 2012. The legislation received overwhelming support from both parties. One of the main figures featured in Schweizer’s Throw Them All Out , then-chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Spencer Bachus (R-AL), announced he would not seek reelection after the book’s reporting.
Indeed, Bachus was the only elected official the late Andrew Breitbart ever called on to resign.
CBS’s 60 Minutes did an investigative report on Schweizer’s revelations that won them the Joan Shorenstein Barone Award for excellence in Washington-based journalism.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman .
“Our job as elected officials is to serve the people — not ourselves,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement on Friday.
Nancy Pelosi Sits in SILENCE as Lauren Boebert UNVEIL New Facts on her in Congress
Vicente Gonzalez Has Funneled Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Campaign Cash to His Own Company, Records Show Texas Democrat has long history of ethics issues
Rep. Vicente Gonzales (WikiMedia Commons) Collin Anderson Texas Democratic congressman Vicente Gonzalez has funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to a company he owns and directs, a move that elicited condemnation from liberal media outlets and ethics experts when employed by former president Donald Trump.
Since 2018, Gonzalez has sent $33,000 to a mundane-sounding property management company, Tenant Services LLC, for office rent, according to federal campaign finance disclosures . As it turns out, Gonzalez owns that company, financial statements and corporate records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show. The setup allows Gonzalez to use his job as a politician to pocket more than just his congressional salary, through which the Democrat earns $174,000 a year.
Members of Congress are allowed to pay themselves for office rent so long as the monthly amount matches a fair market rate. Still, similar arrangements have prompted criticism from ethics experts. When Trump's political entity used donor funds to rent office space at Trump Tower, for example, the Huffington Post and the Washington Pos t quoted watchdog groups that called the setup "sleazy," "a scam," and "a con." The University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato, meanwhile, likened Rep. Tom Suozzi to Trump after the New York Democrat used campaign funds to pay a company he owns nearly $40,000. "You shouldn't be running for office or serving in office to enrich yourself in any form," Sabato told the New York Post . "Trump was a master of this."
Gonzalez, who is embroiled in a high-profile campaign against Rep. Mayra Flores (R., Texas), has a long history of ethics issues. For at least eight years, the Democrat and his wife improperly claimed a homestead exemption on two separate properties, saving the couple thousands of dollars in taxes, the Texas Tribune reported in August. Roughly two months earlier, a Business Insider report found that Gonzalez violated a federal conflict-of-interest law by waiting nearly a year to disclose a stock trade. That law requires Gonzalez to report trades no later than 45 days after making them.
Gonzalez did not return a request for comment. The Democrat serves as Tenant Services's "owner and director," according to his latest House financial statement . Corporate records obtained by the Free Beacon also list Gonzalez as the company's sole governing agent.
Gonzalez is not the only Texas Democrat who pays himself for campaign office rent, though he has been less forthcoming about the arrangement when compared to his Lone Star State colleagues. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D., Texas) cuts himself a $750 check every month for "office rent and furnishings"—those disbursements specifically note that Cuellar "personally owns and manages" the building his campaign rents from. In Gonzalez's case, an LLC with a generic name makes the connection less apparent.
Gonzalez's campaign office is listed at the same address as the Democrat's law firm, V. Gonzalez and Associates. Gonzalez earned $110,000 in "attorney fees" from the firm in 2021, his financial statement shows.
Before launching his political career, Gonzalez agreed to represent a slew of controversial clients through his firm. In the late 1990s, for example, the Democrat was retained to defend an array of felony drug dealers who collectively conspired to distribute thousands of pounds of marijuana, nearly half a pound of cocaine, and eight pounds of MDMA, the Free Beacon reported in July. One of Gonzalez's clients, Richard Contreras, pleaded guilty to federal charges after he conspired to import more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana from Mexico. Another, Frank Tijerina, led a Texas street gang called the "Corrupt Criminal Mob." More than a decade later, Gonzalez often emphasizes the need to stop the flow of drugs from the southern border and maintain "law and order."
Gonzalez joined Congress in 2017, replacing longtime Democratic incumbent Rubén Hinojosa in Texas's 15th Congressional District. After Gonzalez cruised to reelection in 2018, he faced an unexpectedly tight 2020 race against Republican Monica de la Cruz, whom he defeated by only 3 points.
That result prompted Gonzalez to instead run in Texas's 34th Congressional District in 2022, as the state's redistricting process made the seat considerably more blue. But Republicans remain hopeful that Flores can beat Gonzalez come November, particularly after Flores in June became the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress and the first Republican to represent portions of the 34th Congressional District since 1870. In that race, Flores beat her Democratic opponent, Dan Sanchez, in historically blue areas such as Cameron County, which is 90 percent Hispanic and voted for Biden by double digits in 2020. Flores has raised $1.8 million to Gonzalez's $2.3 million.
Published under: Mayra Flores Texas Vicente Gonzalez
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
Florida Congressional Hopeful Illegally Omitted Stock Holdings From Her Financial Disclosure, Watchdog Says As Annette Taddeo accuses oil companies of 'price gouging,' she won't tell voters if she's still invested in Exxon
Democratic Florida congressional candidate Annette Taddeo / @Annette_Taddeo Collin Anderson • September 29, 2022 5:00 amFlorida Democratic congressional hopeful Annette Taddeo illegally omitted stock holdings from her candidate financial disclosure, a new complaint says. A look into her past disclosures may explain why—Taddeo in 2016 reported a sizable stake in a U.S. oil giant and now accuses oil companies of "price gouging."
In her July 6 financial disclosure , Taddeo—who is running to unseat Rep. Maria Salazar (R., Fla.)—violated federal law and House ethics rules by failing to disclose the stocks held within her investment accounts, a Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust complaint obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon states. During her failed congressional run in 2016, however, Taddeo did disclose the stocks within those accounts, which included a $100,000 stake in America's largest oil company, ExxonMobil.
That holding may explain why Taddeo is hesitant to reveal her investments during her second congressional campaign. Taddeo on July 15 accused Salazar of failing to stand up to oil companies, which the Democrat accused of "price gouging at the pumps." On her campaign site , meanwhile, Taddeo pledges to "be a champion in Congress for taking on [the] corporate greed that's worsened our current economic crisis" and "push for solutions to stop big gas companies from price gouging." But Taddeo earned up to $5,500 in Exxon dividends from January 2015 to April 2016, profit that could undermine her attempts to vilify big oil companies should she still hold the stock.
Taddeo's campaign did not return a request for comment. The Democrat's criticism of Salazar on gas prices stems from Salazar's May vote against House Democrats' so-called Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. While the bill's sponsor, Rep. Kim Schrier (D., Wash.), said the legislation would "protect families' wallets at the gas pump," other Democrats acknowledged that it would do nothing to address inflation. Jason Furman, who chaired former president Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, called the bill "dangerous misguided nonsense," and Taddeo's fellow Florida Democrat, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, said it would "strangle production."
"I think vilifying one sector doesn't actually address the inflation issues that my constituents are facing," Murphy, who voted against the bill, told ABC News in May.
Taddeo has a long history of losing campaigns. Prior to her bid against Salazar, Taddeo in 2008 ran for Congress unsuccessfully in Florida's 18th Congressional District. Two years later, Taddeo ran for an open seat on Miami's county commission, which she also lost. In 2014, Taddeo served as Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist's running mate—the pair lost to incumbent Republicans Rick Scott and Carlos López-Cantera. Not long after, in 2016, Taddeo ran for Congress in Florida's 26th Congressional District but did not advance past the primary, losing to fellow Democrat Joe Garcia.
During that 2016 race, a leaked Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee research document said Taddeo's failed runs for office could make her look "incompetent." The memo also noted Taddeo has "called herself a member of the middle class despite being worth $5.7 million and living in a 6,500-square-foot mansion," leading many to "view her as a wealthy elitist who lacks commonality with everyday middle-class families." Taddeo quickly sold the "mansion," property records show.
Following her four losing campaigns, Taddeo managed to win her 2017 campaign for a Florida state Senate seat, which she still holds. Taddeo in October 2021 launched a campaign for governor but vacated the bid in June to run against Salazar. She will face the Republican in November, having raised $681,000 to Salazar's $3.9 million as of Aug. 3.
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party Published under: Dan Kildee , House Democrats , Michigan
No comments:
Post a Comment