The Most Devastating Video on the Internet
A tale of two Bidens - and crack cocaine.
7 commentsThe most devastating video on the internet is now making reverberating shock waves around the world. It's the tale of two Bidens - and crack cocaine. Don't miss it!
Report: Artist Hunter Biden Living in 3,000 Square Foot Malibu Home, Estimated 20K Rent
Hunter Biden is reportedly launching his art career from a 3,000 square foot, 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in Malibu, California.
The house was reportedly worth $3.34 million in 2019 or $20,000 per month in rent.
“The house is crawling with Secret Service agents. One neighbor tells us, someone from the Secret Service approached him a few days back and asked if he’d be willing to rent out his house to them for a year. He politely declined,” TMZ reported Tuesday.
Hunter recently struck a deal with art dealer Georges Bergès to sell his art to “anonymous” investors for up to $500,000.
Bergès has strong connections with China, which, incidentally, occurred around the time when President Joe Biden’s son consummated deals with Chinese officials and made tens of thousands of dollars per month serving on the board of Burisma in 2014.
“My plan is to be the lead guy in China; the lead collector and art dealer discovering and nurturing talent from that region,” Bergès stated in 2015. “I plan to find and discover and bring to the rest of the world those I consider China’s next generation of modern artists.”
Bergès also claimed in 2014 that he travels to Communist China “three or four times a year” and that, at the time, he had a “solid group of about 25 collectors, most of them overseas.”
Bergès connections to Communist China are concerning because of Hunter’s past work during his father’s term as vice president — making deals with Chinese officials and cashing in tens of thousands of dollars per month serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian oligarch-owned oil and gas company, despite having no experience in the energy sector.
Joe Biden later flaunted about threatening to withhold aid from Ukraine unless officials fired the prosecutor conducting a corruption investigation into Burisma.
But instead of making the transactions more transparent and open, the Biden administration is hoping to strike a deal to make buyers of Hunter Biden’s artwork, which is expected to sell for up to half a million dollars, anonymous.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday labeled Hunter’s meeting with potential “anonymous” art buyers “reasonable.”
Breitbart News senior contributor and Profiles in Corruption author Peter Schweizer, however, told Breitbart News the “anonymous” proposal as an utterly “absurd” solution.
“The only way to address these issues is with greater transparency–not less,” Schweizer stated. “Their proposed solution is greater secrecy, not transparency. And they are essentially saying ‘Trust Us.’ Joe and Hunter Biden’s track record on such matters gives us no reason to trust them.”
Watch: Biden, Reading from Notes, Nevertheless Stumbles Through Remarks on Iraq
(CNSNews.com) - "Well, I'm honored to welcome the prime minister," President Biden said at the start of a photo opportunity at the White House on Monday. He addressed Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi as "Mr. Prime Minister," saying the name "Kadhimi" only once, in response to a question.
"We've known each other for some time. And welcome to the White House. Welcome to the Oval, Mr. Prime Minister."
Biden, reading from his notecards, said he's been "engaged deeply in Iraq for my entire career," and he said his administration is "committed to strengthening that partnership," even as the U.S. shifts from a combat mission in Iraq to an advisory role.
Speaking in nice-nice generalities is typical of these Oval Office photo-ops, but this president couldn't do it without written assistance, as the video shows. Here's what Biden said, er, read:
(Note: The White House YouTube video zoomed in on Biden shortly after he began reading from his notes, showing just Biden's bowed head. But CSPAN video maintained its wide shot, clearly showing Biden reading, and that's what we replay here.)
Iraq has been a vital partner for the--partner for the United States for some time now in the Middle East and we've been--I've engaged deeply in Iraq for my entire career, back in the Senate, as vice president, and as president.
And I've worked with Iraq to, ah --and matter of fact, my son Beau was in Iraq for a year with the Ameri--with the Army National Guard. And the sacrifices that so many--so many have made to build the U.S.-Iraq partnership has been real and it's consequential. And my administration is committed to strengthening that partnership, Mr. Prime Minister.
And the U.S.-Iraqi Strategic Dialogue is about commitments that expand our cooperation on issues like health care, climate, energy, for--a matter of fact, I want to tell you, I was told you--that half a million--500,000 doses of COVID vaccine we're sending. I was told--you were told they wouldn't come for a while. They'll be there in a couple of weeks. They'll be there quickly.
And--and, ah, you know, we support strengthening Iraqi democracy, and we're anxious to make sure the election goes forward in October. And we're also committed to our security cooperation.
Our--our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of the region. And our counterterrorism cooperation will continue even as we shift to this new phase we're going to be talking about. I'm looking forward to consulting with the prime minister today. We have a lot to talk about. He's been a good friend, and I'm anxious to get going. The floor is yours, sir.
In response to a question about how the U.S. relationship with Iraq may change -- and how many U.S. troops will remain in Iraq by year's end -- Biden couldn't, or didn't, answer the question:
"Well, we've been talking a lot. Our foreign ministers, our cabinet members have been talking. We're looking forward to seeing an election in October. We're working very hard with the Iraqi government to make sure the U.N. and the GCC are--we have oversight, that there's--these are full and fair elections," Biden said.
"I've been--I've been in contact with Kadhimi. Ah, ah, I have--anyway. I think things are going well. Our role in Iraq will be as a--dealing with not--it's just to be available to continue to train, to assist, to help, and to deal with ISIS as it--as it arrives. But we're not going to be, by the end of the year, in a combat mission."
In response to another shouted question about the Veterans Affairs Administration requiring masking for all employees, Biden told NBC's Kelly O'Donnell, "You are such a pain in the neck, but I'm going to answer your question because we've known each other for so long. It has nothing to do with Iraq. The answer--
"No. I'll answer your question. Yes, Veteran Affairs is going to, in fact, require that all docs working in that--in facilities are going to have to be vaccinated."
Biden didn't refer to his written notes to answer that question.
INFLUENCE PEDDELING IS NOT NEW. THE CRIME DUAL OF HILLARY AND BILLARY HAVE AMASSED A VAST FORTUNE THIS WAY. THE OBOMB HAS HIS FRAUDULENT BOOK DEAL AND BANKSTER SPEECH FEE BRIBES. WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE OLD WHORE FEINSTIEN AND HER WAR PROFITEERING AND MAXINE WATERS ONE MILLION DOLLARS SIPHONED OVER TO HER DAUGHTER. WHERE THERE IS A DEMOCRAT POL, THERE IS A BRIBES SUCKER!
Ron Johnson on Hunter Biden Investigation: ‘Agencies Are Covering for the Bidens’
On this week’s broadcast of FNC’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused government agency of covering for the Biden family in denying congressional requests for information on investigations pertaining to President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
Johnson said there was a similar trend in dealing with the Centers for Disease Control.
“So, the Secret Service is not being — and so we have asked for — requested for information on that because they have no records of it,” he said. “So, once again, we subpoenaed FBI Director Wray. He slow-walked our request. We basically didn’t get squat. Now Secret Service, they gave us the initial records. Past that point, they haven’t given us squat. What workers they have given are highly redacted. So these agencies are covering for the Bidens. They have always been covering for them. Even though he supposedly ended Secret Service protection, they still apparently provided it as well, but off the books. Who knows what’s happening? These agencies are not being forthright. They’re not being transparent. And, quite honestly, Congress is losing its oversight capability.”
“I have sent two letters with five members of the Homeland Security Committee on it,” Johnson continued. “There’s a law that says, when five members of the Homeland Security Committee request information, the agencies shall turn it over. CDC is not turning us over the records as it relates to the teachers union involvement with some of the CDC’s pronouncement. Or they are also not turning over Anthony Fauci’s unredacted e-mails. So I’m calling on Senator Peters to use the committee to subpoena those records because they’re not responding to our lawful requests, saying that they shall turn those records over to us. This is a huge problem, Maria. The administration is just blowing off Congress.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
Hunter Biden Will Not Talk About Art Sales at Gallery Events: White House
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden will not discuss art sales at gallery events while mingling with prospective buyers, the White House said Friday.
Biden administration officials and the gallery helping sell the younger Biden’s art previously said Hunter Biden would attend gallery events in New York City and Los Angeles later this year.
But Hunter Biden will not have discussions about art sales at those events, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed.
“He’s not—those discussions will be happening with the gallerist,” Psaki told reporters in Washington.
Asked how the administration could guarantee that, Psaki could not provide an answer. Will there be anything stopping a prospective buyer from telling Hunter Biden that they plan to buy a piece? “He will not know, we will not know who purchases his art,” Psaki said.
The latest claim on the unusual arrangement, which the White House helped craft, drew criticism from Walter Shaub, who directed the Office of Government Ethics during the Obama administration.
He accused Psaki of deflecting when asked about possible buyers telling Hunter Biden they’d buy his art.
“The response? She deflects, saying Hunter won’t know who the buyers are, then jumps to another reporter. They have no answer,” Shaub wrote on Twitter.
“The secrecy agreement was designed to keep one group of people from knowing who buys Hunter Biden’s art: The public. There’s no mechanism for monitoring, no mechanism for notifying the public if confidentiality is broken, no mechanism for tracking if buyers get access to [government],” he added.
The arrangement, according to the White House and the Georges Berges Gallery, will see the gallery handle the sales while shielding the identities of the buyers from both Biden administration officials and Hunter Biden.
Experts have expressed concern about buyers trying to curry favor with the Biden administration and have said the identities should be made public.
Jerry Saltz, an art critic at New York Magazine also weighed in, envisioning a scenario former President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. was selling pieces of art while his father was president.
“Imagine all the foreign agents, fishy businessmen, lobbyists, politicos buying the work & back room deals. The potential for conflict of interest is enormous & dangerous,” Saltz wrote on social media.
The specific mechanisms of the arrangement have not been made public and the gallery has not responded to emailed questions. Persons who have answered the phone there have declined to comment.
During the briefing Friday, a reporter later wondered about specific procedures that are in place to make sure conversations at the gallery events don’t touch on sales.
“I think it is certainly a commitment that has been made by all parties involved. He is not involved in the sale or discussions about the sale of his art. And he will not be informed of the sale and who is purchasing that art,” Psaki answered. “That is a commitment that’s been made, and we expect that all parties would abide by it.”
THE BIDEN KLEPTOCRACY
American people deserve to know what China was up to with Joe Biden, especially when Beijing had already shelled out millions of dollars to Biden family members — including millions in set-asides for “the big guy.” What else is on that infamous Hunter Biden laptop? The conflicted Biden Justice Department cannot be trusted to engage in any meaningful oversight on this issue. We need a special counsel now. TOM FITTON - JUDICIAL WATCH
With Biden in the White House, President Trump predicted, China would “own the United States.” There’s also something to Trump’s charge that the Bidens are an “organized crime family.”
LLOYD BILLIONGSLEY
IMAGES OF JOE BIDEN’S MANSIONS: NOT BAD ON A BRIBES BUDGET
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/real-estate/a33809100/joe-biden-real-estate-homes/
RIDING THE DRAGON: The Bidens' Chinese Secrets (Full Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRmlcEBAiIs
CHINA’S OLD WHORE SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, AMERICA’S BIGGEST WAR PROFITEER, WAS FIRST TO ENDORSE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT. WONDER WHY???
As Glenn Bunting of the Los Angeles Times reported in 1997, Feinstein’s husband Richard Blum “has expanded his private business interests in China – to the point that his firm is now a prominent investor inside the communist nation.” In 1995, Dianne Feinstein became a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “giving her a prominent platform for her efforts to support China’s trade privileges.”
As Ben Weingarten noted in the Federalist in 2018, Feinstein’s husband has “profited handsomely from the greatly expanded China trade she supported.” The senator also “served as a key intermediary between China and the U.S. government, while serving on committees whose work would be of keen interest to the PRC.”
For 20 years, through three election cycles, Feinstein maintained on her staff a Chinese spy who would even attend consular functions for the California Democrat. One wonders what the FBI knew, when they knew it, and what they did about it, if anything.
Other politicians with China business connections include Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi, whose husband has conducted a series of deals in the Communist nation. Recall that Speaker Pelosi kept Eric Swalwell on the House Intelligence Committee even after his “PoonFang” liaisons with a Chinese spy (FEINSTEIN LONG EMPLOYED A CHINESE SPY).
Tucker Carlson Delivers a Monologue So Damning That President Trump Shares It, Includes Explosive Hunter Biden News
By Bonchie
The segment ends with an assertion that Joe Biden has been compromised, and that’s exactly correct. There hasn’t been a more China-friendly politician in the last 30 years than Biden. With his probable swearing-in on the horizon, the communists are rejoicing. That should tell you just how big a mistake it was to let him anywhere near the presidency.
Schweizer: ‘It’s Going to Be Business as Usual’
for Hunter’s Dealings
Video:
In Hunter Biden Bingo, who had 'he lied about a homeless crack addict'?
Do you remember when Jimmy Carter tried hard to keep his bad-boy brother Billy away from the White House? Those days of presidential rectitude are long gone. Joe Biden wants to keep Hunter Biden near him, and so Hunter's peccadilloes are going to be near Joe, too. The latest is the revelation that Hunter Biden, in Beautiful Things: A Memoir, his alleged autobiography (because who believes he really wrote it?), was lying through what's left of his meth-addict teeth when he devoted an entire chapter to his caring, compassionate relationship with a middle-aged Black crack addict.
I haven't read his book, but, according to the Daily Mail, Biden devoted lots of space to "Rhea":
In his book, Hunter devotes nearly an entire chapter to a woman he writes he 'loved as much as any friend he's ever loved,' a homeless crack addict he says he trusted to live in his apartment even though she was a criminal and had one son on death row and another serving life in prison.
Hunter also alleged that Rhea was the one who turned him into a crack addict. To this, the Daily Mail drily adds, "The 52-year-old Washington, DC woman, who Hunter refers to by the pseudonym Rhea in his book, tells a different story."
But you know me. Before I get to the meat, let me give you the background. As I read the Daily Mail, my first question was how the publication found the real Rhea. Had she stepped forward, and do we know she's real? Well, she's real and the Daily Mail found her by locating on Hunter's hard drive the texts she had exchanged with him.
In the texts, when Rhea pleads with Biden for help getting into his apartment, the man who "loved her as much as any friend he's ever loved" pithily replied, "No I can't a------."
In another thread, when she thanked him for some "investment you putting it to [into?] me," Hunter said, "Shut up." He then instructed her to "stop calling."
So why was Rhea trying to get into his apartment if she lived there? Well, according to the actual Rhea, who is still homeless, she didn't live there at all. Again, from the Daily Mail:
Rhea explodes several more Hunter lies in the Daily Mail article.
When shown excerpts of the memoir she hadn't read in its entirety, she disputed many of the specifics the president's son wrote about her upbringing, her life on the street and the evolution of their unlikely friendship, including Hunter's claim they grew so close he let her stay in his home for five months.
'See, this is some b-------,' she told DailyMail.com after reading that line. 'I never lived with him. All I did was clean his house. He was never there.'
She said certain details seemed to be pulled out of thin air. For starters, she said, she doesn't have a son on death row or locked up for life.
'He doesn't know about my family,' she said. 'He puts all this information in here he didn't know about me.'
What she most objected to is how Hunter portrayed her as sucking him into his addiction.
'He makes it seem like I'm the reason he was in this situation,' she said. 'He's making me out to be the villain.'
Her version aligns better with the texts, which sound as if they come from a frustrated cleaning lady or a junkie looking for a place to crash than they do the texts of someone Hunter loved as he loved no other and who was sharing his home with him.
The Daily Mail also has emails from the manager at Hunter's office building showing that Hunter was sneaking Rhea, who was then his crack dealer, into the office building. Hunter pulled out the race card to defend himself.
Hunter is a presidential liability, yet Biden pulls him ever closer. Why? Yes, some of it's clearly because Biden loves his son, but it's a sick, corrupt love. Not only does Biden seem to be an enabler, constantly rescuing Hunter from his own disasters, but there's more going on. As the White House's connivance with Hunter over the infamous art show reveals, Biden needs Hunter as his conduit for selling out America. In that way, Biden isn't an enabler; he's an abuser — especially because I wouldn't be surprised if some of Hunter's problems aren't physical, arising from the serious head injuries he sustained in the accident that killed his mother.
By the way, regarding Hunter's art, he has real graphic and color sense. If I were at a street fair, I wouldn't hesitate to shell out $50 to buy one of his pieces to brighten up a child's room. Spend any more than that on his work, and you know someone is buying a ticket to the White House.
Image: Hunter Biden with the crack pipe that tied him to Rhea. Public domain from Hunter's hard drive.
White House Cannot Identify Any ‘Procedures’ to Ensure Hunter Biden’s ‘Art’ Sales Are Ethical
White House press secretary Jen Psaki could not identify Thursday any “procedures” to ensure Hunter Biden’s “art” sales to “anonymous” investors at up to $500,000 are ethical.
“Are there any specific procedures, you can tell us, that are being put in place to ensure these conversations remain, as you say, not about the sales?” a reporter asked.
“Will he get ethics training, will he have to report afterwords about the conversations — anything specific you can tell us about you are monitoring” the sale of art?
Psaki regurgitated a frequent response, ignoring the reporter’s direct question by suggesting Hunter “is not involved in the sale or discussions about the sale of his art,” and that Hunter will not be “informed” of “who is purchasing his art.”
The White House’s omission of any procedures to protect against Hunter Biden potentially abusing his proximity to the President comes as art critics have scoffed at Hunter’s newest ploy to obtain money.
Senior Art Critic Jerry Saltz on Friday said, “imagine” if Donald Trump Jr. “made little watercolors” like Hunter Biden’s “art” and “sold them at an iffy commercial gallery for upwards of $150,000.” He then underscored:
Now imagine all the foreign agents, fishy businessmen, lobbyists, politicos buying the work & back room deals. The potential for conflict of interest is enormous & dangerous. Do what Republican war-monger George W. Bush did. Make your work; show it at a non-profit; no sales.
Artnet News’s national art critic Ben Davis wrote the headline, “Hey Hunter Biden, Here’s a Radically Simple Solution for All Your Art Woes: Don’t Sell Your Work,” with the subtitle, “If Hunter Biden wants his art to be received outside a political black box, his best bet is not to sell it.”
The Washington Post even published a parity piece to mock Hunter’s newfound ability as “the talent of one of America’s most celebrated painters, Hunter Biden.”
“Biden’s virtuosic work has earned him critical acclaim from around the world, and his art would be the perfect decorative touch for any oligarch’s palace in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and beyond,” the Post continued in jest, apparently.
In reality, however, Hunter’s art dealer, George Bergès, maintains “strong ties to China,” which coincides with Hunter Biden’s “business interests in a billion-dollar Chinese investment firm,” while his father served as vice president.
Bergès and his art gallery also have a troubled past in which Bergès was reportedly sued for fraud and breach of contract in 2016 by an investor in his gallery, filed for personal bankruptcy, and was arrested in California and “charged with assault with a deadly weapon and ‘terrorist threats,’ according to public records from the Santa Cruz Police Department.”
The checkered history of the art dealer, however, is apparently overcome by his singular character.
The art world was notified July 8 that Bergès will referee any sale of the “artwork” and withhold “all records, including potential bidders and final buyers.”
Bergès “also agreed to reject any offer that he deems suspicious or that comes in over the asking price, according to people familiar with the agreement,” the Post expounded.
But Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), explained, “Their solution of transparency is to actually hide who is engaged in the transaction. It’s ludicrous.”
Money laundering, moreover, was identified as an issue in the art world, according to the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations last year.
“Secrecy, anonymity, and a lack of regulation create an environment ripe for laundering money and evading sanctions,” the committee said. “Given the intrinsic secrecy of the art industry, it is clear that change is needed in this multi-billion dollar industry.”
Hunter is expected to attend two art shows this fall in which he will be present to meet the anonymous investors. When Hunter was asked what his father might think of his new found occupation, Hunter replied, “My dad loves everything that I do, and so I’ll leave it at that.”
GAMER LAWYER JOE BIDEN HAS BEEN CORRUPT ALL HIS POLITICAL LIFE. HE'S SO CORRUPT HE RUBS OUR NOSES IN IT.
Obama Ethics Chief Slams Joe Biden’s ‘Blind Spot’ over Hunter Biden Meeting with ‘Anonymous’ Art Investors
Former Obama Ethics Chief Walter Shaub slammed President Joe Biden’s “blind spot” over Hunter Biden’s arranged art expose with potential “anonymous” art investors.
“Welp, when I’m right, I’m right. Hunter Biden will meet with prospective buyers of his absurdly overpriced, presidency-profiting art. Good grief. The president has such a blind spot on this issue. I really hope he and his son come to their senses,” Shaub tweeted Wednesday about Georges Berges Gallery spokeswoman Robin Davis confirming to CBS News that Hunter Biden will attend the art events in New York City and Los Angeles.
Shaub continued, quoting Davis’ confirmation:
So the art dealer to whom the White House outsourced government ethics has arranged for Hunter Biden to meet with the richies who will bid on his art: “Oh yes. With pleasure. He’s looking forward to it. It is like someone debuting in the world. And of course he will be there.”
CBS News reported Wednesday Hunter Biden will “presumably socialize with potential buyers” at the event, which is “seemingly at odds with an agreement struck with the gallery owner that aims to keep buyers’ identities secret from Biden, President Biden, the White House, and the public.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday called Hunter Biden’s meeting with potential “anonymous” art buyers “reasonable”:
Psaki also stated July 10 that Hunter Biden “has the right to pursue an artistic career” by selling “artwork” to an anonymous buyer for as much as $500,000, despite concerns that Hunter Biden is still invested in “CCP [Chinese Communist Party]-linked firms.”
Breitbart News reported July 8 that Hunter Biden was working with Georges Bergès, who has links to China:
Bergès is holding an art exhibition in the fall, where Hunter’s art is expected to sell anywhere from $75,000-$500,000. The entire venture has prompted ethics concerns, particularly given Hunter’s past work as his father served as vice president — striking deals with Chinese officials and raking in tens of thousands of dollars per month serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian oligarch-owned oil and gas company, despite having no experience in the energy sector. His father would later brag about threatening to withhold aid from Ukraine unless officials fired the prosecutor conducting a corruption investigation into Burisma.
But instead of making the transactions more transparent and open, the White House is hoping to strike a deal to make buyers of Hunter Biden’s artwork, which is expected to sell for up to half a million dollars, anonymous.
Breitbart News senior contributor and Profiles in Corruption author Peter Schweizer, however, explained the proposal as an utterly “absurd” solution.
“The only way to address these issues is with greater transparency–not less,” he told Breitbart News. “Their proposed solution is greater secrecy, not transparency. And they are essentially saying ‘Trust Us.’ Joe and Hunter Biden’s track record on such matters gives us no reason to trust them.”
On July 8, the Washington Post reported Bergès will set the prices for the “artwork” and withhold “all records, including potential bidders and final buyers.”
Bergès “has also agreed to reject any offer that he deems suspicious or that comes in over the asking price, according to people familiar with the agreement,” the Post explained.
But Bergès and his art gallery have a troubled past in which Bergès was reportedly sued for fraud and breach of contract in 2016 by an investor in his gallery.
Bergès also reportedly filed for personal bankruptcy in 1998, and “his creditors included credit card companies, a bank, a jeweler and furniture retailer Pier One Imports, according to federal court records. Bankruptcy proceedings ended three months later.”
Just months before filing for bankruptcy, Bergès was arrested in California and “charged with assault with a deadly weapon and ‘terrorist threats,’ according to public records from the Santa Cruz Police Department.”
President Joe Biden, for his part, has remained removed during his son’s new scandalous venture, which could earn Hunter up to $500,000 per panting. Hunter Biden told Artnet, “My dad loves everything that I do, and so I’ll leave it at that.”
White House Defends Hunter Biden’s Right to Pursue His ‘Passions’ as an Artist
The White House on Thursday defended the questionable ethical guidelines surrounding President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s newfound interest in painting and selling art.
“We believe that Hunter Biden, just like any child of a president, should be able to pursue their professions and their passions,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said to reporters during the daily briefing.
CBS News reported that Hunter Biden will meet with possible art buyers during two art shows in Los Angeles and New York City – even though the buyers of his paintings are supposed to be anonymous.
Psaki said Hunter Biden had agreed not to discuss the sale of his art while meeting with prospective buyers.
“We believe this is a reasonable system that has been established that allows for Hunter Biden to work in his profession within appropriate safeguards,” she said.
Psaki said the gallery would handle the transactions and sales for Hunter Biden’s paintings.
She dismissed the idea that it was important to disclose the buyers of Hunter Biden’s art for the sake of transparency to ensure there was no corruption surrounding the transactions.
“We won’t know who the buyers are. Hunter Biden won’t know who the buyers are,” Psaki said, adding that as long as the donors were anonymous, “there’s no scenario where they could provide influence.”
Political ethics experts have criticized the decision to keep the names of the art purchasers anonymous.
“Their solution of transparency is to actually hide who is engaged in the transaction. It’s ludicrous,” said Peter Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) in an interview with Fox Business.
Hunter Biden’s paintings are priced between $75,000 and a $500,000 apiece.
Report: Prosecutor Delayed Advancing Hunter Biden Probe Until After Election
The federal prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden’s potential tax law violations and sketchy business dealings overseas last summer decided to keep the public in the dark about the probe until after the 2020 presidential election to avoid impacting the race’s outcome, Politico revealed Friday.
According to the news outlet, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials led by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in the Biden family’s home state of Delaware, delayed the Hunter probe last summer, postponing their pursuit of search warrants and issuing grand jury subpoenas.
Politico explained:
[Weiss] decided to delay taking any actions that were likely to make the existence of the Hunter Biden probe public. Concerns about affecting the presidential election loomed large when Weiss entertained arguments about advancing the probe, according to the person involved in the discussions. No matter what he did, the decision was sure to come under scrutiny for signs of politicization.
Weiss ultimately sided with DOJ colleagues who convinced him it was best to err on the side of caution and wait to advance the probe until after the presidential race.
“They advised [Weiss] to avoid taking any actions that could alert the public to the existence of the case in the middle of a presidential election,” Politico noted.
The U.S. attorney ignored other officials involved in the case who wanted to move forward with the investigation last summer despite the presidential race.
Politico conceded that advancing the Hunter probe amid the presidential election may have benefitted former President Donald Trump’s campaign, noting:
Weiss’s decision to avoid revealing the investigation in a highly charged political atmosphere — a move that might have boosted Donald Trump’s campaign, even at the cost of politicizing the probe — was consistent with his sober-minded approach to his job, said people familiar with Weiss’s career. But so too, they said, is the fact that the probe continues, with most expecting that Weiss will not drop the case until making a full assessment of Hunter Biden’s culpability.
Weiss continues to serve as Delaware’s U.S. attorney under Biden, a sensitive DOJ position that will allow him to decide how to handle the probe into the president’s son.
Former President Donald Trump appointed Weiss to the U.S. attorney position in 2017 at the recommendation of Delaware’s two Democrat senators.
By 2018, the attorney’s office began investigating Hunter in response to various leads, including some linked to his business dealings with business associates from China.
Initially, investigators sought to go after the president’s son over money laundering and violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
However, the criminal investigation evolved into examining possible tax law violations and Hunter’s shady business transactions overseas, Politico learned from an unnamed source.
After Joe secured his election victory, Hunter announced on December 9 that he was under a federal investigation for tax issues, insisting he is innocent.
The existence of the Hunter probe came to light weeks before the election amid the controversy over incriminating files found in a laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter.
In October 2020, the New York Post first reported the contents of the so-called “laptop from hell” that was confiscated by the FBI, which covered Hunter’s business dealings with China and Ukraine.
According to the newspaper, one email suggested Joe lied about not knowing of his son’s shady business dealings abroad. Tony Bobulinski, Hunter’s former business partner, made similar accusations after the Post‘s exposé.
Some Republicans have called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to protect Weiss’s investigation from the Biden administration influence.
Citing an anonymous source last December, when Hunter announced he was the target of a federal investigation, CNN acknowledged the probe had resumed after a hiatus during the elections, adding:
Federal prosecutors in Delaware, working with the IRS Criminal Investigation agency and the FBI, are taking overt steps such as issuing subpoenas and seeking interviews, the person with knowledge said.
Activity in the investigation had gone covert in recent months due to Justice Department guidelines prohibiting overt actions that could affect an election, the person said.
The FBI reportedly expressed counterintelligence concerns with some of the business transactions Hunter made with officials from China, a U.S. strategic rival.
President Joe Biden has vowed not to interfere in the DOJ’s probe into his son.
THE BIDEN KLEPTOCRACY
Bidens of all sorts are under federal investigation for tax evasion, money-laundering, and unregistered agent foreign ties, as this Politico report citing Hunter notes.
Schweizer: ‘It’s Going to Be Business as Usual’
for Hunter’s Dealings
RIDING THE DRAGON: The Bidens' Chinese Secrets (Full Documentary)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRmlcEBAiIs
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), ranking member on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeted, “The Biden family is treating the White House as their own personal cash cow. Who would pay 500K for Hunter’s art if his last name wasn’t Biden?”
Welcome to the Biden-Harris administration: where politics is a family business, and business is booming
The Clinton Project Presents: ‘Nepotism’
Welcome to the Biden-Harris administration: where politics is a family business, and business is booming
Andrew Stiles and Thaleigha Rampersad - FEBRUARY 10, 2021 5:00 PM
The Clinton Project is a coalition of disgruntled Democrats, vulture capitalists, Saudi princes, disgraced journalists, and ex-cons who are dedicated to raising as much money as possible for the nominal purpose of defeating President Joe Biden at the ballot box.
The group's most recent ad takes aim at Biden's family members, as well as the family of Vice President Kamala Harris. Hunter Biden, for example, continues to thrive despite the ongoing federal investigation into his shady business ventures in China and Ukraine. He recently moved into a $5.4 million mansion in Venice, Calif., where he is pursuing a career as an artist while "working to unwind" his 10 percent stake in a Chinese investment firm.
The president's younger brother, Frank Biden, has been touting his White House connections in his (presumably well-compensated) role as a "non-attorney senior adviser" to a Florida law firm. The president's son-in-law, Howard Krein, has ties to a software firm seeking government contracts to assist in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Kamala, who got her start in politics by dating Willie Brown, the former speaker of the California state assembly, must be proud of the success her relatives have enjoyed since Biden chose her as his running mate in 2020.
Her niece, Meena Harris, wrote two bestselling children's books inspired by her famous aunty and launched a #Resistance-themed clothing line that sells Ruth Bader Ginsburg bathing suits for $55. Biden's lawyers reportedly warned Meena, who recently partnered with Beats by Dre on a special collection of headphones, about continuing to profit from Kamala's image. LOL!
Kamala's 21-year-old stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, scored a modeling contract with IMG Models after she wore a weird coat to the inauguration ceremony. Though many cheered Emhoff as an "unconventional" model, others argued that there wasn't anything particularly revolutionary about being a rich, white, tall, thin, female Brooklyn "artist" with tattoos and armpit hair.
Nevertheless, when your daddy is president or your "Momala" is the vice president, things just seem to work out in your favor. Just ask Hunter, who'd probably tell you that politics is a family business.
Welcome to the Biden-Harris administration, where business is booming.
GOP Launches Investigation of Biden Family’s Political Profiteering
Hunter Biden’s sales of artwork may be an avenue for procuring political influence from President Joe Biden, some House Republicans warned while launching a probe on Wednesday into what they described as “Biden family’s efforts to profit from proximity to the White House.”
In a statement titled “Oversight Republicans Raise Concerns About Biden Family Profiting Off White House,” 12 Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform requested information from the president’s counsel and the chief administrator of the federal government’s chief archivist.
The Republican lawmakers wrote:
Reports regarding President Biden’s family members attempting to profit from their proximity to the White House have been disturbing and recurring. Unfortunately, these reports of President Biden using his former official positions of public trust to swell the coffers of his family members are widespread, and any hope the pattern of family self-dealing would finally stop when he assumed the presidency has been dashed,” wrote Ranking Member Comer and the Republican lawmakers.
Rep. James Comer (R-KY), ranking member on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeted, “The Biden family is treating the White House as their own personal cash cow. Who would pay 500K for Hunter’s art if his last name wasn’t Biden?”:
The Republicans’ statement included a request for the following communications and documents:
- Communications and documents surrounding two international trips from the Obama-Biden Administration in which Biden family members and associates seemingly took advantage of a connection to the Oval Office;
- A list of all past and ongoing foreign business interests and relations for Biden family members;
- All documents and communications regarding Hunter Biden’s artwork;
- All Biden family members’ appearance in advertisements, public speaking, or in any nature to solicit business/investments/awareness; and
- All policies and procedures the White House has to prevent the Biden family from profiting off the presidency.
“Prices [for Hunter Biden’s artwork] range from $75,000 for works on paper to $500,000 for large-scale paintings,” according to the Georges Bergès Gallery, which represents the president’s second son, revealed.
Buyers of Hunter Biden’s art will remain anonymous.
Among other sources, the Republicans cited a 2018 report from Peter Schweizer’s examination of a private equity firm run by Hunter Biden and John Kerry’s stepson, Christopher Heinz.
In a letter to Dana Remus, counsel to the president, Republicans wrote:
Reports regarding President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s family members attempting to profit from their proximity to the White House have been disturbing and recurring. Unfortunately, these reports of President Biden using his former official positions of public trust to swell the coffers of his family members are widespread, and any hope the pattern of family self-dealing would finally stop when he assumed the presidency has been dashed.
Republicans considered if the anonymity of buyers of Hunter Biden’s paintings allows for “money laundering, “fraud,” “other illicit activities,” or other forms of monetizing Joe Biden’s political influence.
In January, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “It’s the White House’s policy that the president’s name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities to suggest or in any way, in any way they could reasonably be understood to imply his endorsement or support.”
No comments:
Post a Comment