DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Biden's bribes

They are no better or worse than the NY Post or the Washington Times yet I don't see you complaining about anything they come up with!

But, I'll say this, YOU ARE TRIGGERED... Must be a Snow Flake

Republicans Admit They ‘Don’t Know’ if Biden Bribery Tapes ‘Really Exist’

Amid Trump’s legal woes, right-wingers have run wild with claims of “audio tapes” proving Biden took bribes. But Republicans now confess they have no clue about it.

In recent weeks, and especially since former President Donald Trump was arraigned on federal charges of willfully mishandling classified documents, Republicans and right-wing media have been running wild with unsubstantiated claims about a foreign bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden.

The story really grew legs in the conservative media ecosphere this week when Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) hyped up the potential existence of “audio tapes” proving Biden accepted a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian energy company while he was vice president. Citing an FD-1023, an FBI document memorializing a tip from a confidential source, Grassley noted that a source told the feds in 2020 that a Burisma executive claimed to be in possession of 17 recordings of Biden and his son Hunter discussing the criminal scheme.

“According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden,” Grassley said from the Senate floor on Monday. “These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden.”

He added: “So, as I’ve repeatedly asked since going public with the existence of the 1023, what, if anything, has the Justice Department and FBI done to investigate?”

Yet, while top GOP lawmakers have breathlessly promoted these purported tapes as an absolute bombshell proving the corruption of the president and his family, they’ve simultaneously acknowledged that these recordings may not exist at all and could be “just a bluff.”

At the same time, despite his colleagues being forced to admit there may not be any recordings, Grassley has expressed hope that Trump is proud of him for pushing so hard for a Biden probe. “Well I hope he thinks I’m doing good work,” Grassley said on a conservative podcast on Wednesday. “I’d like to have him think that of my oversight work.”

However, Grassley also told Fox News earlier this month that “it’s not for me to make a judgment about whether these accusations are accurate or not,” adding that it’s his “job to make sure the FBI is doing their job.”

Meanwhile, during an appearance on the right-wing talk radio show Conservative Circus, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was asked by the host whether or not the FBI ever “bothered to listen to the tapes,” prompting Johnson to point out that this was secondhand information given to the bureau.

“Well again, we don’t know really if the tapes exist, we just don’t know that, whether this was just a bluff on the part of whoever the executive was,” the Wisconsin lawmaker said on Wednesday.

This followed up a Tuesday interview on the Vicki McKenna Show in which Johnson simultaneously claimed, “We know the Biden family is corrupt” and that there may not be any tapes at all.

“Well, first of all, we don’t know it exists. I don’t know the FBI has that,” Johnson said after host Vicki McKenna asked, “When are we going to hear” the tapes? “All we know is what’s on that 1023. This is a confidential human source who told them that his source, we believe it’s [Mykola] Zlochevsky, the CEO of Burisma who is trying to rehabilitate himself, we believe he is the guy who is claimed to have made recordings. Again it’s a claim. It’s an allegation. We don’t know if they really exist or not.”

Some Republicans have suggested that Zlochevsky is the foreign national who spoke with the FBI source about the bribery claims and supposed audio tapes.

Notably, the FD-1023 at the center of these latest allegations appeared to be an attempt by ex-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani to rehash the wild Ukrainian goose chase that led to Trump’s first impeachment. Additionally, while Giuliani tried to get Zlochevsky to assist in his dirt-digging operation against the Bidens in 2019, the Burisma founder only affirmed to the former New York City mayor that he never had any conversations with Joe Biden.

“No one from Burisma ever had any contacts with VP Biden or people working for him during Hunter Biden’s engagement,” Zlochevsky reportedly said at the time, ultimately leaving Giuliani unsatisfied.

Other top Republicans have also followed Johnson’s lead in acknowledging that there could be no recordings while speaking to credulous right-wing media figures hoping this is the smoking gun leading to Biden’s impeachment.

“We don’t know for sure if these tapes exist,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) told radio host Chris Salcedo on Tuesday.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who has been the driving force behind the Biden investigations, also admitted on Tuesday that “we don’t know if they are legit or not.”

Comer, of course, threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress if he didn’t make the FD-1023 available to the public. In the end, Comer withdrew his complaint after the FBI allowed members of Congress to securely view the document.

Ultimately, despite the over-the-top claims made by Republicans about the FBI source’s 2020 tip, multiple mainstream media outlets have reported that the allegations were initially investigated and Trump’s own DOJ was unable to substantiate the accusations.

“The Trump Justice Department investigated the allegation, which involved his son Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine, in 2020, but prosecutors could not substantiate the claims, according to two people familiar with the matter,” The New York Times reported this month.

And as others have rightly noted, GOP lawmakers are engaging in the same behavior that they criticized Democrats and liberals of allegedly doing with the Steele dossier, which is credulously elevating sketchy claims made by foreign nationals through paid FBI informants.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/republicans-admit-they-dont-know-if-biden-bribery-tapes-really-exist

Facts don’t matter… GOPers look like fools on this because they are fools. It’s all a ‘whataboutism’ distraction to help Trump.

j/c:

House Oversight Chairman Says There Is Evidence Of $20-$30 Million Of Illegal Payments To Bidens

https://www.zerohedge.com/political...ce-20-30-million-illegal-payments-bidens

The Republican Party is SO SAD. As a former Republican/ now Independent- they/ Republican buddies lost me when they claimed you can't read such and such, nor trust those guys- ONLY Trust Fox/ when they were OK.....it all goes back to 70s/80s when Rush Limbaugh had ALL the answers/ wrong on nothing.....what a crock.

Yeah, and they said there was a tape until they had to admit they had no idea if such a tape actually existed. Maybe you should read the story about The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Here's a hint for you.

From your source......


This story is already being covered by MSN, The Washingtom Post, as well as many other news organizations. Man, some of you just keep crawling down this rabbit hole. Here's one more to climb down.....

"Suspicious circumstances": Giuliani now claims GOP witness behind Biden bribery allegation is dead

GOP Rep. James Comer also claimed "nobody's had any contact" with another key witness for "three years"

Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani claimed that the key whistleblower in the House Oversight Committee's investigation into President Joe Biden and his son's alleged bribery has died.

Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, claimed to have seen an FBI document that indicated Biden accepted a bribe and participated in a money laundering scheme with his family. The file, an FD-1023 form that allows the public to submit tips to the government about possible crimes, according to the lawmakers, allegedly also suggests that there are audio recordings of the incident. But neither Comer nor Grassley, nor the FBI or Rudy Giuliani have the tapes, and several Republicans this week told the press that they don't know if the recordings even exist.

Newsmax has repeatedly questioned Comer, Grassley and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., about the purported audio files, and Johnson recently told the outlet that Grassley never actually said that the recordings exist.

In a Saturday interview with Newsmax, Giuliani claimed that the whistleblower that informed him of the Bidens' alleged scheme had died.

"I did tell them three years ago, and they followed up on none of the evidence I gave them," Giuliani said.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr, however, rebutted that claim in The Federalist last week, saying that the inquiry was "sent to Delaware for further investigation."

Barr's autobiography suggests that Giuliani could be the person who submitted the FBI form. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., called the report an example of "secondhand hearsay." and explained that its claims only "surfaced after Rudy Giuliani was making particular allegations" about the Bidens and Ukraine in early 2020.

"They were hoping that the people would just disappear or die," Giuliani alleged. "It's extraordinary. I gave them one witness that any investigator would jump through hoops to get to. Gave them a witness who was a woman, she was the chief accountant at this crooked company Burisma. She was the wife of the former owner, who died under suspicious circumstances. And she was willing to give up all of the off-shore bank accounts. Including the Bidens."



The person Giuliani may be referring to is the wife of Mykola Lisin, a co-founder of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, according to Raw Story. Lisin died in 2011, which predated Giuliani's trip to Ukraine to search for information on the president as well as Biden's first visit to Ukraine and Hunter's ascension to the company's board. The "suspicious circumstances" Giuliani alleged were a car accident.

Only right-wing outlets have reported the wife's death though none of them appear to know her name, Raw Story noted, and no report has details of the so-called mysterious circumstances Giuliani said surrounds her death either.

Grassley said during a Monday committee hearing that the purported whistleblower kept the alleged "tapes" as "insurance."

"According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses fifteen audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden. According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden. These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden," Grassley claimed.

"...Special Counsel Jack Smith has used a recording against former President Trump. Well, what's U.S. Attorney Weiss doing with respect to these alleged Joe and Hunter Biden recordings that are apparently relevant to a high-stakes bribery scheme?" he continued.

Comer also told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday that a source in the investigation into the Bidens' alleged money laundering scheme was missing, which follows last month's reports that a different source in the probe had also disappeared, according to Mediaite.

"And you estimate that nine Biden family members were beneficiaries – including grandchildren were being funneled money through these shell corporations, fake LLCs," Hannity said to the conservative lawmaker, before referencing the purported audio recordings. "You say about between 20 and $30 million from foreign nationals. Is that true? And what do we know about the 17 tapes? Do we have them? Do you know who has them?"

"Well, with the money, first of all, we've already tracked down a little over $10 million," Comer responded. "We're pretty confident, from other sources that that number will grow to beyond 20 million and it could be more if you factor in the president's brother, who dealt mainly in the Middle East."

"With respect to the tapes, look, it mentioned in the FBI form that the oligarch had 17 tapes of Biden – two with Joe Biden accepting the bribe, that he used that as an insurance policy," he added.

When Hannity asked if Comer had been in contact with the "high-ranking member or owner of Burisma," Comer replied that he hadn't.

"Unfortunately, nobody's had any contact with him for the last three years," Comer said. "You know, the MSNBC makes fun of me when I said that there are a lot of people that were involved in the Biden shenanigans that are currently missing. But with respect to this oligarch, we think we know where he is. He just hasn't been seen in public in a long time, but we're following the money."

Despite the host of accusations levied against Biden and his family, no tangible evidence has surfaced.



https://www.salon.com/2023/06/16/su...ness-behind-biden-bribery-allegation-is/

Yet still repeating unsubstantiated accusations from Comey.

BS. Show me the receipts, until then, this is just propaganda blathering. Let me know when he’s indicted. Y’all gave a pass to a sexual predator for not being charged, but a good man and POTUS is guilty on accusations with zero proof. FFS it’s no wonder this country is dying.

Biden charged .... but no not for Bribery.

lol hunter got charged with not paying taxes and a weapon.

Waiting for a rap album to drop at any moment

Strung out Brandon Jr. forgot to pay his taxes… then paid the back taxes… then gets charged criminally. Yet hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans have done the same thing on taxes and never came close to being charged. Looks to me like the DOJ is being corrupted by radical GOPer calls to prosecute Hunter because he’s Joe’s son.

I’m actually good with it and can’t wait to hear all the whining and crying when Trump’s kids go to jail.

j/c:

McCarthy: Biden's Weaponization Of Government "Rising To The Level Of An Impeachment Inquiry"

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/v...to_the_level_of_impeachment_inquiry.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'The Biden regime is coming to an end': House Republicans celebrate Kevin McCarthy signaling support for impeaching Biden and insists GOP has 'enough evidence' to take Joe down

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ists-GOP-evidence-Joe-down.html#comments

FYI:


Zero Hedge
Site
Zero Hedge is a far-right libertarian financial blog and news aggregator. Zero Hedge, per its motto, is bearish in its investment outlook and analysis, often deriving from its adherence to the Austrian School of economics and credit cycles. Wikipedia
Launch date: January 2009
Created by: Daniel Ivandjiiski
Owner: ABC Media Limited (Bulgaria)

Well the House Oversite Chairman said it, regardless of source.

Daman also says:

And the James Comer "whistleblower" was indicted for espionage...

Not exactly a reliable source.

As has been stated before, I will believe it when I see it in Reuters, AP, New York Times or Washington Post.

Until then it is just political kabuki theater of the absurd.

James Comer’s absolute corruption was never more apparent to me than watching him during the Transdigm hearing in 2021. I felt like I was going to be sick listening to the words come out of his mouth.

I'm aware, but I wanted to point out that this isn't the best source of reliable info.

In case you missed it they've been saying a lot of BS they can't back up lately. It works on people who believe anything they want to hear with little to no evidence to back it up.

My favorite is when Cruz asked the FBI a question he knows they are not allowed to comment on and then says. THEY WILL NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION!! I will know its all fake when it shows up on Fox news

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...fy-Congress-week-shady-dealings-Son.html

Hunter Biden's business partner is going to testify and is getting threats. (from whom HMMMMM)

I'm curious what the dude will say... if he actually testifies... it's been postponed what? 4 times?

Thus far they will be going back in 30 days with both the prosecutor and the defense lawyers after having clarified the plea deal. The judge will once again hear the plea deal after hose clarifications have been made.

You mean this guy? The guy who was convicted of fraud? I gotta give you guys credit. When you decide to back up your stories with criminals, you go all in..........

Court reinstates fraud conviction for Hunter Biden business partner

Devon Archer was convicted of defrauding the Oglala Sioux Indian tribe out of bond-sale proceeds.

A federal appeals court reinstated the fraud conviction of Hunter Biden’s former business partner on Wednesday, reversing a lower court judge who had granted his request for a retrial.

Hunter Biden was not implicated in the scheme, which defrauded the Oglala Sioux Indian tribe out of the proceeds of bond sales. But the scheme was committed under the auspices of a broader business venture in which Hunter Biden was involved, and the perpetrators invoked his name to bolster their legitimacy, according to testimony and a consultant’s slide presentation presented at trial. A lawyer for Hunter Biden has said his name was invoked without his knowledge and that he cut ties with the perpetrators when he learned of their misconduct.

Devon Archer, whose conviction was reinstated by Wednesday’s ruling, had partnered with Hunter Biden in Rosemont Seneca, a Washington-based investment firm. Starting in 2014, the pair served together on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas company accused of corruption, at the same time that his father oversaw U.S. policy towards Ukraine. Hunter Biden has called his decision to take the board seat “a mistake,” while Joe Biden has defended the decision, saying, “my son did nothing wrong.”

A lawyer for Archer, Matthew Schwartz, decried the ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. “As the experienced federal judge who presided over Mr. Archer’s month-long trial determined, he ‘lacked the requisite intent and is thus innocent of the crimes charged,’” Schwartz said. “Today’s ruling, which second-guesses that judge’s decision without having sat through the evidence and listened to the witnesses, is beyond disappointing.”

Archer was convicted in June 2018 of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, but five months later, trial Judge Ronnie Abrams of the Southern District of New York overturned the conviction.

In its ruling, the Second Circuit wrote that the District Court “abused its discretion” in overturning the jury’s verdict.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/08/hunter-biden-business-partner-fraud-428154

MCMA! Make Criminal Great Again!

House Oversight chair accused of concealing evidence in Hunter Biden probe

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is slamming Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) for withholding a key transcript from the public, issuing a "secret subpoena" and following a "troubling pattern" of hiding information.

Why it matters: An 11-page letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) comes after a blockbuster, triple-committee hearing with IRS agents who claimed DOJ mishandled the Hunter Biden case — and ahead of closed-door testimony by Hunter associate Devon Archer.

"This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your 'investigation of Joe Biden,'" Raskin wrote.
A GOP Oversight aide told Axios that Comer intends to release the transcript, which is going through the normal review process where the witness reviews it and provides any corrections.

Zoom in: The transcript in question comes from a recent interview — prompted by what Raskin called a "secret subpoena" from Comer — with a former FBI supervisory special agent who was involved in the Hunter Biden investigation led by U.S. Attorney David Weiss.

In the interview on July 17, Raskin claims the agent "directly undermined Committee Republicans’ narrative of political interference with the Hunter Biden investigation."
He outlines five ways the agent's statements provided important context for claims of misconduct raised by two IRS whistleblowers, including that it is policy for prosecutors to consider many factors before seeking a warrant in an election year or if a political candidate or attorney are involved.
The agent also allegedly acknowledged that it is routine for agents to disagree with prosecutors, and it is not necessarily a sign of political bias.
Raskin is demanding that Comer release the full transcript to the public.

The other side: Comer pushed a different idea of the interview with the special agent, saying in a statement following the interview that it "confirmed key portions of the IRS whistleblower’s testimony."

An earlier version of Raskin's letter claimed that Republicans had withheld the transcript even from the minority — a claim Oversight Republicans publicly challenged with a screen shot of the first page of the letter.
The final version of Raskin's letter only demanded Comer release the transcript to the public.

Zoom out: This isn't the first time Raskin has hit Comer for not operating in good faith on the committee.

The ranking member sent a letter in April accusing Comer for going on TV and misrepresenting the investigation into the Bidens, and refusing to share the alleged Hunter Biden laptop with the minority.

In the newest letter, Raskin again says Comer won't provide access to the laptop hard drive, has not been transparent with Democrats about whistleblowers and has mischaracterized obtained bank records.

He slams Comer for relying on questionable witnesses such as Gal Luft, touting unverified allegations in an FBI form, failing to establish financial links between the president and Hunter Biden or his associates and allowing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to display "lurid pornographic images" in committee.

"Last year, you vowed to conduct “a sober investigation” if you became Chair," Raskin wrote.

What to watch: The Oversight Committee will conducted a transcribed interview on Monday with Devon Archer, a former close business associate of Hunter Biden.

Archer, who was convicted of fraud in 2018, is expected to testify that Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone during meetings with foreign business partners.

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/28/ra...I5lKSZj8KDc_KuQ3y2SQzxYrzLIFwr1Fzmriis4E

Telling only half the story and not allowing people to see the actual evidence you claim to have sure sounds fishy to anyone with a brain. And there's your disappearing and criminal witnesses.

But you know, those damned Democrats!

What deal if any is Archer being offered to try to sell that story?

I’d be interested in who is paying him to say it.

Comer is a joke.

everybody gets all up in arms about "the Biden crime family" and Biden bribes.
I am at a loss as to what the hell does it matter, when this was going on was around the 2017 time frame-Joe Biden was out of office and not even thinking about running-Hunter Biden was not an elected member, not even a state rep-he was not a member of the house or senate or a state seat.

If there was tax fraud, ok, that is getting dealt with
was he a junkie, yes, ok so what, thats his problem

people get all butt hurt about the new benghazi, but our congress has basically dealt in the last 30 years as legal bribery-kickbacks/campaign donations for access and favourable policy.

I see stories all the time (saw 2 today) were lawmakers are making big time stock purchases on companies that are in the dumps who just happen within a business day or two after make huge acquisitions and the stock goes up biggly.
just coincidence-nay, don't think so.

again, if you are really butt hurt, then why are we not doing something about all of the prostitution of our representatives-most of which is not in our best interests.

Where you all butt hurt when trump was having lobbyists come in and work with the repubs to write policy?
I am sure he cares about you so much, he was only having lobbyists come in to quicken the process for "we the people"
there is a link to a story below on some the the policy that trump had the lobbyists come in to take care of


https://www.washingtonpost.com/powe...c-5c34-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html

I don't care about Trump, thank you. Time frame? Did you forget Joe biden promising to withhold money from Ukraine if they didn't fire the prosecutor that was investigating Hunter? I guess you did.

I do care about what trump does, as long as everyone from Pelosi to my local rep selling us out to line their pockets and their friends.

And on the other thing, keep replaying old fox talking points


Fact check: Biden leveraged $1B in aid to Ukraine to oust corrupt prosecutor, not to help his son
Camille Caldera
USA TODAY






The claim: Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine to assist his son, Hunter Biden
While former Vice President Joe Biden oversaw foreign policy in Ukraine, his son Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma Holdings, the largest gas company in the fledgling democracy.

Despite a recently concluded investigation by Senate Republicans that found no wrongdoing by the Bidens, claims to the contrary have continued to circulate on social media.

"VP Biden threatened to withhold 1 billion dollars from Ukraine to save his son's job," reads a meme posted to Facebook by Secure America Now. The meme has been shared more than 9,000 times since Oct. 18.

Secure America Now did not respond to a request from USA TODAY for comment.

Fact check:Joe Biden's childhood apartment later became Section 8 housing

Then US Vice President Joe Biden (R) tours a Hutong alley with his son Hunter Biden (L) in Beijing, China, 05 December 2013.
Joe Biden leveraged aid to remove top prosecutor as part anti-corruption efforts
It's true that Joe Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid to persuade Ukraine to oust its top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, in March 2016. But it wasn't because Shokin was investigating Burisma. It was because Shokin wasn't pursuing corruption among the country's politicians.


As European and American diplomats pressed Ukraine to clean up its corruption, they focused on Shokin's leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office, which he took over in February 2015.

Mike Carpenter, who served as a foreign policy adviser to the then-vice president, told USA TODAY that Shokin "never went after any corrupt individuals at all" and "never prosecuted any high-profile cases of corruption."

Fact check:Claims that Hunter Biden received $3.5M from Russia are unproven, lack context

Charlie Kupchan, who was a special assistant to President Barack Obama and a senior director for European Affairs on the National Security Council, said anti-corruption efforts were "a big part of our diplomacy" with Ukraine, since "it was that corruption that allowed Russia to manipulate the country politically and economically."


As a result, Biden leveraged $1 billion in aid as "a stick to move Ukraine forward," Kupchan said. "He was acting alongside our European allies. Everybody was of a single mind that this prosecutor was not the right guy for the job."

Daria Kaleniuk, the co-founder and executive director of the Anti Corruption Action Centre in Kyiv, Ukraine, credited Biden, the International Monetary Fund — which threatened to delay $40 billion in aid for similar reasons — and others with the prosecutor's removal.

"Civil society organizations in Ukraine were pressing for his resignation," Kaleniuk said, "but no one would have cared if there had not been voices from outside this country calling on him to go."

After Shokin left the Prosecutor General's Office, Jan Tombinski, the ambassador from the European Union to Ukraine, called it "an opportunity to make a fresh start."

"I hope," Tombinski said, "that the new Prosecutor General will ensure that the Office of the Prosecutor General becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust."

Fact check:Joe Biden never said he would have prevented all COVID-19 deaths

Prosecutor was not investigating Burisma at the time Joe Biden called for his removal
Burisma Holdings was not under scrutiny at the time Joe Biden called for Shokin to be removed, per the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, an independent agency that has worked closely with the FBI.

In 2014, Shokin had investigated Burisma for money laundering and tax irregularities, per USA TODAY.

The probe focused on 2010-12, according to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Hunter Biden — who joined the board in 2014 and served on it until early 2019 — was not the subject of the investigation.

More:GOP-led Senate committees: Hunter Biden work in Ukraine a conflict of interest, impact 'unclear'

The case was settled in court in 2017.

The recent report by Senate Republicans also contained no evidence that Joe Biden had pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor as a way to protect his son, according to the Associated Press.

Andrew Bates, a spokesman for Biden, also said any suggestion of impropriety is false.

“Investigations by the press, during impeachment, and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as 'not legitimate' and political by a GOP colleague, have all reached the same conclusion: that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing,” Bates told USA TODAY.

Fact check:In 1973, Biden said 'the two-party system' was 'good for the negro'

Our rating: False
Based on our research, the claim that Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion from Ukraine to save his son's job is FALSE. The then-vice president leveraged aid dollars to persuade the country to oust its top prosecutor as part of anti-corruption efforts endorsed by other international players that were unrelated to his son, Hunter Biden.

More of your debunked BS. did you have any idea that all of our EU partners wanted this guy out as well? That they, along with us were trying to accomplish that very same goal and it just so happens that Biden was the one who finally managed to make that happen? One of two things happened. Either you knew that and you are trying to hide that part, or you only read the things that you want to hear and could care less about the facts. Neither of those things are good.

EU hails sacking of Ukraine’s prosecutor Viktor Shokin

Political crisis continues as deals on a new coalition and premier prove elusive

The European Union has welcomed the dismissal of Ukraine's scandal-ridden prosecutor general and called for a crackdown on corruption, even as the country's political crisis deepened over efforts to form a new ruling coalition and appoint a new prime minister.

Ukraine's parliament voted overwhelmingly to fire Viktor Shokin, ridding the beleaguered prosecutor's office of a figure who is accused of blocking major cases against allies and influential figures and stymying moves to root out graft.

"This decision creates an opportunity to make a fresh start in the prosecutor general's office. I hope that the new prosecutor general will ensure that [his] office . . . becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust," said Jan Tombinski, the EU's envoy to Ukraine.

“There is still a lack of tangible results of investigations into serious cases . . . as well as investigations of high-level officials within the prosecutor general’s office,” he added.

Mr Tombinski said the EU was also concerned about the resignation or dismissal of several “reform-oriented” prosecutors and reports that Mr Shokin’s office was investigating a “highly-respected” anti-corruption group – an obvious reference to Kiev’s Anti-Corruption Action Centre, which had fiercely criticised Mr Shokin.

In what appeared to be his last act before dismissal, Mr Shokin sacked his deputy, Davit Sakvarelidze, who had repeatedly called for his boss to be fired.

Mr Sakvarelidze, a Georgian who was also chief prosecutor in the Odessa region, said his dismissal by Mr Shokin was part of “a cleansing of people who are prepared every day to fight corruption and the old guard without compromise”.

Crime and corruption

Mikheil Saakashvili , a former Georgian president who is governor of Odessa region, said Mr Sakvarelidze had been fired as a result of complaints against him from Odessa politicians closely linked to crime, corruption and Russia.

“In this case, the president, as guarantor of the constitution, should express his opinion explicitly, clearly and sharply,” Mr Saakashvili said.

“And not because it will benefit any one of us, but for the sake of the statehood, integrity and glorious future of Ukraine.”

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko is under huge pressure to appoint a new prosecutor general with a strong anti-corruption reputation, and to back investigations into the shadowy affairs of major businessmen and politicians.

The EU and United States are demanding as much, amid a political crisis that has paralysed reforms in Ukraine and jeopardised vital funding from international lenders.

Mr Poroshenko's eponymous bloc is seeking to forge a new ruling coalition with the People's Front party of current prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and the Fatherland group led by former premier Yulia Tymoshenko.

Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Groysman, a close ally of Mr Poroshenko, is the leading candidate to replace Mr Yatseniuk, who has refused to step down until a new coalition agreement is signed.

Ms Tymoshenko demanded on Tuesday that deputies approve several laws to "regulate" the situation in the country before any coalition deal is agreed.

Anton Gerashchenko, a prominent member of People's Front, responded by saying that "you won't build a European coalition through blackmail".

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/wor...ine-s-prosecutor-viktor-shokin-1.2591190

I do however understand why at this point in our nation's history you would be one who points the finger of guilt at someone who holds corrupt politicians accountable. No real surprise there.

He doesn't really care about the facts or truth. He only regurgitates the things he's being spoon fed.

Biden could go out and shoot someone on Constitutional Ave and still beat trump.

Hunter Biden’s former business partner appears for closed-door interview with GOP-led committee

Hunter Biden’s former business partner appeared Monday for closed-door testimony on Capitol Hill, with Republicans planning to question him about claims that President Joe Biden was directly involved in his younger son’s financial dealings.

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee was conducting a transcribed interview with Devon Archer as part of its expanding congressional inquiry into the Biden family businesses as the GOP explores a potential impeachment inquiry into the president.

Archer, who served with Hunter Biden on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, has been seen by Republicans as a key witness in their so-far fruitless search to directly connect the president to his son’s various international business transactions.

Rep. James Comer, the GOP chairman of Oversight Committee, issued a subpoena to Archer in June, saying he “played a significant role in the Biden family’s business deals abroad, including but not limited to China, Russia, and Ukraine.” He said Archer’s testimony would be critical to the committee’s investigation.

Republicans have focused much attention on an unverified tip to the FBI that alleged a bribery scheme involving Joe Biden when he was vice president. The claim, which first emerged in 2019, was that Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor in order to stop an investigation into Burisma, an oil-and-gas company where Hunter Biden was on the board. GOP lawmakers and staff present at Monday’s interview were also expected to question Archer about several business meetings and conversations Hunter Biden had during which he is said to have invoked his father’s name.

Democrats on the committee, including Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking minority member, have reiterated that the Justice Department investigated the Burisma claim when Donald Trump was president and closed the matter after eight months, finding “insufficient evidence” that it was true. Democrats have also highlighted the transcript of an interview with Mykola Zlochevsky, Burisma’s co-founder, in which he denied having any contact with Joe Biden while Hunter Biden worked for the company.

“Mr. Zlochevsky’s statements are just one of the many that have debunked the corruption allegations,” Raskin said.

On top of his relationship with Hunter Biden, who is currently facing federal tax charges, Archer has his own legal troubles stemming from a 2018 felony conviction for his role in a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe. That conviction was overturned later that year, but then the court of appeals in New York reinstated it in 2020. His sentencing in the case has been repeatedly delayed by appeals.

Archer’s appearance before lawmakers had been scheduled and canceled several times since June. Republicans suggested it was about to be delayed again after the Justice Department over the weekend asked a judge to schedule a date for Archer to surrender to prison and begin serving out his one-year sentence in the unrelated fraud case.

Republicans — led by Comer — criticized that delay, calling it an effort by the Justice Department to intimidate a witness. But the Justice Department in a follow-up memo to the court noted Archer’s surrender was not imminent and asked a judge to ensure that he testified to Congress before reporting to prison.

“Mr. Archer will do what he has planned to do all along, which is to show up this morning and to honestly answer the questions that are put to him by the congressional investigators,” said Archer’s attorney, Matthew Schwartz, who is a managing partner at New York-based firm Boies Schiller Flexner.

https://apnews.com/article/hunter-b...Zuq0hf0H3KFPQ6tkMoJWTBckiMr6WS_HoN4o7dLw

It appears Comer and his GOP constituents haven't looked into what the term credible witness means.

Funny, listen to MSNBC and it's no big deal. Listen to FOX and geez, you'd think they are coming to take biden out of the WH this afternoon.

Wish they'd have had this interview in public. I'd be free to make up my own mind.

If there's more to the whole Burisma thing, then absolutely go and get 'em. Biden is a career politician, so I wouldn't be surprised in the least if he's dealing under the table. I doubt he lied, though... dude doesn't remember what he said 5 minutes prior so you can't expect him to remember emails from years ago.

But don't try to flip this around and make the Trump impeachment more/less than it was. You see smoke from Hunter, but don't forget that Trump and Putin are peas in a pod, Trump was withholding military aid right before his buddy launched an invasion. New smoke doesn't negate old smoke.

Oh, I just throw it out to point out the level of outrage of one vs the other.

As far as Biden and whether he lied. That's a copout and plain hogwash. Can't use his dementia as an excuse when normal protocol is to say it doesn't exist. He knew damned well he had spoken to Hunter about his overseas business when he bald-faced lied.

There is nothing to excuse. This convicted felon they brought forth as a witness made it plain that Joe Biden never discussed any business dealings while on the phone. So which is it? Do you find the witness credible or not? If you do you have to take his testimony at face value. If you don't take him as credible you have to throw out his testimony all together.

What it seems you have chosen to do is take a witnesses testimony and parcel out that part you want to hear as credible and throw out the part of his testimony you don't want to believe as not being credible. That seems to be very convenient for you.