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Hunter Biden’s ex-associate Tony Bobulinski heads to Capitol Hill this week to testify in impeachment inquiry

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Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, is expected to testify behind closed doors on Capitol Hill Tuesday as the latest witness in the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

A source familiar with the planning first told Fox News Digital that Bobulinski will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. for a transcribed interview before both the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. 

The testimony could last eight hours, according to the source.

Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, said he met with Joe Biden in 2017. 

Bobulinski, in December, demanded Biden "stop lying" about that meeting and called on him to "correct the record."

"Why is Joe Biden blatantly lying to the American people and the world by claiming that he did not meet with me face to face?" Bobulinski told Fox News Digital in a statement. "He should call his son Hunter and brother Jim as they can remind him of the facts. The American people deserve the truth!"

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

He added: "I call on Mr. Biden to stop lying and correct the record."

Bobulinski said he is a "former decorated Naval Officer who was willing to die for this great country and held the highest security clearance issued by the Department of Energy."

Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC.

Despite Biden’s recent denials of involvement with his son’s business dealings, text messages dating back to May 2017 reveal that Biden met with Bobulinski months after he left the vice president's office. Fox News Digital first reported on the text messages and that meeting in October 2020.

"Mrng plse let me knw if we will do early dinner w your Uncle & dad and where, also for document translation do you want it simple Chinese or traditional?" Bobulinski texted Hunter Biden on May 2, 2017.

"Not sure on dinner yet and whatever is the most common for a Chinese legal DOC," Hunter Biden replied.

"Chinese legal docs can be both, i’ll make it traditional," Bobulinski said.

Hunter replied: "Dad not in now until 11 – let’s me I and Jim meet at 10 at Beverly Hilton where he’s staying."

BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT 'NEVER HEARD BACK': SOURCE

Later, Bobulinski sent a text to Jim Biden, Joe Biden's brother, on the same day, May 2, 2017, saying: "Great to meet u and spend some time together, please thank Joe for his time, was great to talk thx Tony b."

The following day, May 3, 2017, Bobulinski sent another text to Jim Biden, saying: "Morning, please let me know all set for things this mrng. I don't have credentials to get into Milken so just want to make sure not an issue to get me in, where should we meet this mrng?" 

"Milken" was in reference to the 2017 Global Conference, which, in part, was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, according to the program directory. 

Joe Biden, on May 3, 2017, spoke at the conference, hosting "A Conversation with the 47th Vice President of the United States Joe Biden." 

The meeting on May 2, 2017, would have taken place just 11 days before the now-infamous May 13, 2017, email, which included a discussion of "remuneration packages" for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Biden as "Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC," in a reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co.

HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS LIMITED QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DAD,' 'BIG GUY' DESPITE FBI, IRS OBJECTIONS: WHISTLEBLOWER

The email includes a note that "Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate." A proposed equity split references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

Bobulinski has repeatedly said "the big guy" was Joe Biden. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who claimed that politics had influenced the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden, also said "the big guy" was known to be Joe Biden.

The president, in December, was asked whether he had communicated with his son's business partners. The question came after Fox News Digital first reported that IRS whistleblowers turned over metadata to the House Ways & Means Committee revealing that he had used an email alias to communicate hundreds of times with Hunter Biden and his business associate Eric Schwerin during his time as vice president. 

"I did not, they’re lies. It’s a bunch of lies," Biden said Wednesday at the White House.

Bobulinski last year suggested that he and President Biden, Hunter Biden and James Biden "appear together" before Congress for a public hearing.

His suggestion came after Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell sent a letter to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, claiming that Bobulinski lied to the FBI during an interview Oct. 23, 2020, about his business dealings with the president’s son.

James Biden is set to appear for his deposition on Capitol Hill on Feb. 21. Hunter Biden is set to appear on Feb. 28. Both Bidens were subpoenaed and will testify behind closed doors. 

Mayorkas ducks responsibility on border crisis, migrant figures: ‘Congress is the only one who can fix this’

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who narrowly escaped impeachment last week, said Sunday that the Biden administration doesn't "bear responsibility for a broken system," demanding Congress enact legislation to mitigate what has become an illegal migration crisis during this election year.

"No doubt there is gridlock in Congress. But do you bear responsibility for what is happening at the border with the president himself? It's called a crisis," NBC host Kristen Welker asked during an interview with Mayorkas on "Meet the Press."

"It certainly is a crisis. And we don't bear responsibility for a broken system. And we're doing a tremendous amount within that broken system. But fundamentally … Congress is the only one who can fix it," Mayorkas said.

"There is no question that we have a broken system," he added. "There is no question that we have a challenge, a crisis at the border. And there is no question that Congress needs to fix it. And we're doing everything we can within that broken system, short of legislation to address what is a not just a challenge for the United States but one throughout our region."

HOUSE FAILS TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS IN MAJOR BLOW TO GOP

Since Mayorkas took the helm at the Department of Homeland Security three years ago, Welker noted, the asylum case backlog has more than tripled since 2019 and more migrants have crossed the border illegally in 2023 than ever before. She pointed to how Mayorkas himself has said that more than 85% of migrants crossing the border illegally are being released into the U.S. as they await their court dates.

"Let's just put impeachment aside for a minute. Why do you deserve to keep your job, Mr. Secretary?" she asked. 

"The data that you cite is a powerful example of why we need legislation to fix what everyone agrees is a broken immigration system," Mayorkas said. "Before the last three years, that case backlog, which is about 3 million cases, has been growing year over year over year. The time between when we encounter an individual at the border and the time of final adjudication of an asylum claim case has been years, five to seven years, for years and years."

"I remember when I entered the Department of Homeland Security in 2009, we were wrestling with these very same issues. The system has not been fixed for 30 years. A bipartisan group of senators have now presented us with the tools and resources we need – bipartisan group. And yet, Congress killed it before even reading it," he said.

Mayorkas was referring to how the U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a $118 billion supplemental spending agreement that included aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as an ambitious border security and immigration package that drew widespread opposition from conservative Republicans in both chambers since its release just days earlier. Wednesday's vote was 50-49. It needed 60 votes to pass. The vote went mostly along party lines, except for five Democrat no votes and four Republicans voting yes.

Welker pressed Mayorkas on why President Biden would not shut down the border immediately – as Republicans have called on him to do – and "just let the courts try to stop him."

SENATE TANKS IMMIGRATION, FOREIGN AID SPENDING PACKAGE AFTER GOP BACKLASH AGAINST BORDER PROVISIONS

"We have taken executive actions already. We continuously review what options are available to us, but those are always challenged in the courts, and whether or not they see the light of day and actually are able to be operationalized is an open question," Mayorkas said. "That is why the bipartisan group of senators actually prepared and presented a piece of legislation that would … base it in statute, the ability to close the border for a limited period of time, an extreme measure, and would it would be immune from court challenge because it is statutorily based."

"If it were done legislatively, no doubt you wouldn't have these these legal challenges, but isn't trying to do something better than doing nothing at all? Why doesn't President Biden try to shut down the border? Are you encouraging him to do that?" Welker insisted.

"Well, we have already taken important steps. We certainly haven't done nothing. I will tell you, we issued a regulation that circumvention of lawful pathways that increased, that actually created a rebuttable presumption of ineligibility for asylum seekers if they did not avail themselves of the lawful pathways that we built. And so we've done a tremendous amount. It's very important to remember we have removed, returned or expelled more individuals in the past three years than the prior administration did in all four."

Asked if he was considering reinstating the Remain in Mexico policy on Sunday, Mayorkas told Welker, "First of all, it depends upon Mexico's agreement. And Mexico has articulated publicly that it will not allow the re-implementation of Remain in Mexico, number one. Number two, it's been challenged in the courts. And number three, remember something, that Remain in Mexico was implemented in January of 2019. In 2019, there was almost a 100% increase in the number of encounters at our southwest border over 2018."

The Republican-led House of Representatives on Tuesday failed to impeach Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border. It was considered a crushing defeat for the Republican majority, which held hearings throughout 2023 on Mayorkas' apparent "dereliction of duty" and additional hearings on the impeachment articles themselves this year. 

Lawmakers accused Mayorkas of disregarding federal law with "open border policies" that have made the ongoing crisis at the southern border worse. They have pointed to the rolling back of Trump-era policies, like border wall construction and Remain in Mexico, and reducing interior enforcement and expanding "catch-and-release." They say it has fueled record numbers at the southern border, breaching the 300,000 mark in December.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher announces retirement from House: ‘Congress is no place to grow old’

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Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher announced Saturday that he will not seek re-election to his post in the House.

"Eight years ago, when I first ran for Congress, I promised to treat my time in office as a high-intensity deployment. Through my bipartisan work on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and chairing the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, we’ve accomplished more on this deployment than I could have ever imagined," Gallagher said in a statement.

"But the Framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives," the congressman continued. "Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old. And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election."

LEADING HOUSE REPUBLICAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM CONGRESS: 'PRIVILEGE OF MY LIFE'

Earlier this week, Gallagher was one of just three Republican House members to vote against the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, joining with all House Democrats and preventing the measure from going forward.

In his statement, Gallagher, who has represented Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District in the House since 2017, also offered his appreciation for those who supported his career over time.

"Thank you to the good people of Northeast Wisconsin for the honor of a lifetime. Four terms serving you has strengthened my conviction that America is the greatest country in the history of the world. And though my title may change, my mission will always remain the same: deter America’s enemies and defend the Constitution."

In comments provided to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Gallagher said he plans to leave Congress and enter the private sector to spend more time with his family.

"I really just feel like I’ve accomplished much more than I even thought I could when I set out, and I firmly don’t believe that the best use for the next chapter of my career is staying in Congress for another decade," Gallagher told the outlet.

CHINA AIMS TO 'DISPLACE' THE US AS THE GLOBAL LEADER: REP. MIKE GALLAGHER

"Even though my title may change, my job may change, my mission is always going to remain the same," he added. "My mission is to prevent World War III. I’ve dedicated myself to restoring conventional deterrence in order to prevent a war with China, and so whatever I do next will be an extension of that mission."

The announcement from Gallagher, who served as a United States Marine Corps intelligence officer, comes after a handful of other Republicans recently announced their intentions to retire from Congress.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., announced Thursday that she will not be seeking re-election to the House this year, saying in a post to social media that "the time has come to serve the people of Eastern Washington in new ways."

Gallagher's current term expires on Jan. 3, 2025.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announces Republican run for Senate

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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Friday he is running for the U.S. Senate.

"I am running for the United States Senate -- not to serve one party -- but to stand up to both parties, fight for Maryland, and fix our nation's broken politics," the Republican said in a post on X. "It’s what I did as Maryland’s governor, and it’s exactly how I'll serve Maryland in the Senate. Let’s get back to work."

Hogan will be running for the seat opened up by the retiring Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, who has held the position since 2007. The state hasn't elected a Republican senator in decades and Hogan will face off against Democrats such as Rep. David Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

"Fifty years ago, my father, Maryland Congressman Larry Hogan Sr. made a very tough decision. He became the first Republican to come out for the impeachment of President Nixon. He put aside party politics and his own personal considerations and he stepped up to do the right thing for Maryland and the nation," Hogan said in a video released Friday. "Today, Washington is completely broken because that kind of leadership, that kind of willingness to put country over party has become far too rare." 

HALEY ENDORSED BY FORMER MARYLAND GOV. LARRY HOGAN

"My fellow Marylanders, you know me. For eight years, we proved that the toxic politics that divide our nation need not divide our state," Hogan continued. "We overcame unprecedented challenges, cut taxes eight years in a row, balanced the budget and created a record surplus. And we did it all by finding common ground for the common good." 

"The politicians in Washington seem to be more interested in arguing than actually getting anything done for the people they represent. Enough is enough," Hogan added. "We can do so much better, but not if we keep electing the same kind of typical partisan politicians." 

Hogan said he would "work with anyone who wants to do the people's business" and that "we desperately need leaders willing to stand up to both parties."

The campaign announcement comes after Hogan recently endorsed Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and stepped down from the leadership of the third party movement No Labels.

Biden retained records related to Ukraine, China; Comer demands ‘unfettered access’ amid impeachment inquiry

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President Biden retained documents marked "secret" and "confidential" related to Ukraine and China, according to Special Counsel Robert Hur's report.

Hur, who released his report to the public on Thursday after months of investigating, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents — and stated that he wouldn't bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office. 

Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy, which Hur said implicated "sensitive intelligence sources and methods." 

SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN 'SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,' BRINGS NO CHARGES

But Biden also kept classified documents related to Ukraine and China.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., who is currently co-leading the impeachment inquiry against Biden, had asked Hur last year if any of the classified records Biden held were related to the countries that his family conducted business with.

Comer is now demanding "unfettered access to these documents to determine if President Biden’s retention of sensitive materials were used to help the Bidens’ influence peddling."

Hunter Biden, joined the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings in June 2014. Hunter Biden also had joint business ventures with Chinese energy firms.

COMER DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHETHER BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS MENTION COUNTRIES RELATED TO FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS

With regard to the Ukraine documents, according to the special counsel report, Biden kept a September 2014 memo with the subject line "U.S. Energy Assistance to Ukraine." That memo was marked as confidential.

Biden, at the time, did run U.S.-Ukraine policy.

The report also states that the FBI located a green file folder Biden kept, labeled "Ukraine 2/19/15." That folder was inside an "unlabeled green hanging folder." Also, inside that folder was a red file folder labeled "VP Personal."

In the "VP Personal" file folder was a telephone call sheet from Dec. 12, 2015, and talking points for a call with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk. There is a handwritten note attached addressed to Biden’s executive assistant that states: "Get copy of this conversation from Sit Rm for my Records please." The note is signed "Joe." That document was marked as "Secret."

Attached to that document was another, dated Dec. 11, 2015. The report describes that document as "a transcript documenting the substance of a Dec. 11, 2015 call between Mr. Biden and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk." The document is marked "CONFIDENTIAL" and "EYES ONLY DO NOT COPY."

NO CHARGES FOR BIDEN AFTER SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO IMPROPER HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

The special counsel’s report analyzes the documents, saying there "is reasonable doubt that Mr. Biden willfully retained" the documents.

"Mr. Biden's handwritten note does not request that executive assistant save the classified call sheet containing talking points for the call (A9) in his records; rather, he only requested the transcript of the phone call itself," the report states. "And no jury could reasonably find that the substance of the call between Mr. Biden and the Ukrainian Prime Minister was national defense information."

The report states that Biden and the Ukrainian prime minister "exchanged pleasantries and the Prime Minister heaped praise upon Mr. Biden for his December 9, 2015 speech to Ukraine's parliament."

"They did not engage in a substantive policy discussion. There may be technical or nuanced reasons to maintain the classification of the call, but no reasonable jury could conclude the call or its contents were national defense information after the end of Obama administration, or that by asking for a transcript of the call Biden intended to retain national defense information," the report states.

Biden, on Dec. 9, 2015, gave a speech in which he discussed corruption in Ukraine.

"And it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption," Biden said in the speech. "The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform."

In that speech, Biden also said Ukraine’s "energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals."

"It’s not enough to push through laws to increase transparency with regard to official sources of income," he said. "Senior elected officials have to remove all conflicts between their business interest and their government responsibilities.  Every other democracy in the world — that system pertains."

At the time, Burisma Holdings was under investigation by Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Several months later, in March 2016, Biden successfully pressured Ukraine to remove Shokin. At the time Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board receiving tens of thousands of dollars per month.

Biden, at the time, threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED' BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

"I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in,' I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’" Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

"Well, son of a b----, he got fired," Biden said during the event. "And they put in place someone who was solid at the time."

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

But Comer blasted the discovery of this information as "concerning" and questioned the timeline.

"It’s no secret Hunter Biden made millions by sitting on the board of Burisma when Joe Biden was Vice President and that Burisma benefited from the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin," Comer told Fox News Digital, saying it is "concerning Joe Biden retained classified materials related to Ukraine around the same timeframe he called for the firing of Viktor Shokin."

"The Justice Department must provide Congress with unfettered access to these documents to determine if President Biden’s retention of sensitive materials were used to help the Bidens’ influencing peddling schemes," Comer said.

Meanwhile, with regard to China, Biden retained a memo with the subject, "Engagement with China in the Second Term." That document "suggests activities Vice President Biden could do in his second term to "build on my work last year by engaging with China’s leaders in the second term."  The document was marked as confidential.

Comer’s investigation and the House impeachment inquiry is probing Hunter Biden and James Biden’s Chinese business dealings, and whether Joe Biden was involved or had knowledge of the ventures.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to potential timing for the Senate and the international aid package

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The Senate has now cleared the first barrier to starting debate on the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

But how long until there’s a final vote?

In short, this might take a while.

Expect the strong possibility of weekend sessions and even important overnight votes. It’s possible this may not wrap up until next Tuesday – or beyond.

IMPEACHMENT OF ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS WILL HINGE ON THE MATH: CHAD PERGRAM

To wit:

The Senate overcame a filibuster just to start debate on the bill. From a very technical standpoint, the Senate is not on the bill just yet. Opponents of clearing the filibuster are awarded 30 hours after the vote early today.

So, unless there is an agreement to speed things up, the Senate could vote Friday evening around 7 pm ET just to get on the bill.

At that stage, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will likely "file cloture" to try to end debate on the bill.

By rule, if Schumer files on Friday, the Senate cannot vote to overcome the second filibuster until Sunday. "Cloture" (to end a filibuster) requires an "intervening day" before voting to end the filibuster. So that means the Senate can’t vote to break the second filibuster until Sunday. Saturday serves as the "intervening day."

But this is where this gets tricky.

ISRAEL, UKRAINE FOREIGN AID BILL CLEARS FIRST HURDLE IN SENATE WITHOUT BORDER AND IMMIGRATION PROVISIONS

By rule, the Senate must vote to crack the second filibuster one hour after the Senate meets on Sunday. This presents "The Super Bowl Scenario." What the Senate MIGHT do if they are really trying to step on the gas (and get senators the game or to watch the Super Bowl), is meet at 12:00:01 am et SUNDAY. The intervening day (Saturday) will have expired. By rule, the Senate can vote at 1:00:01 am ET Sunday to end debate on the overall bill.

However, there is also the "non-Super Bowl" situation here. We’ll call this the "Ravens-Lions" scenario. Say for a moment that senators don’t give a care about the Super Bowl. So the Senate might meet at noon or 1 pm et Sunday. By rule, the procedural vote to end the filibuster would happen one hour after the Senate meets. So just after 1 pm ET Sunday or 2 pm ET Sunday.

SHOOTING BLANKS: HOW REPUBLICANS MISFIRED WHEN THEY TRIED TO IMPEACH MAYORKAS

If the Senate gets 60 votes to break a filibuster, the bill is on a glidepath to eventual passage. 

But we are far from finished.

Opponents of the bill can require the Senate to burn up to 30 hours after the Senate breaks the filibuster before the Senate can vote on final passage.

So, unless there’s an agreement, the Senate couldn’t vote on final passage of the bill until Monday night after 7 pm et or so… or… in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. Everything will hinge on when the Senate concludes the procedural vote to end the filibuster.

In addition, there’s lot of interesting stuff to watch in between. Debate. Votes on amendments related to the border. You name it. And, it’s entirely possible that the Senate may actually take several days of debate and amendment votes – and elect to not try to break a filibuster and then pass the bill until late next week.

This is all developing right now.

No charges for Biden after Special Counsel probe into improper handling of classified documents

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Special Counsel Robert Hur will not recommend criminal charges against President Biden for mishandling classified documents, according to his report after a months-long investigation into the president's alleged improper retention of classified records. 

Hur has been investigating Biden’s improper retention of classified records since last year. Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, among other records related to national security and foreign policy which Hur said implicated "sensitive intelligence sources and methods." 

"We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter," the report states. "We would reach the same conclusion even if the Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president."

The special counsel also described Biden as "a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." 

"We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," Hur wrote in the report. "Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone from whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him—by then a former president well into his eighties—of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness."

GARLAND SAYS SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBING BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS HAS SUBMITTED REPORT, UNDER WHITE HOUSE REVIEW

But Hur said his investigation "uncovered evidence that President Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen."

The materials included "marked classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, and notebooks containing Mr. Biden’s handwritten entries about issues of national security and foreign policy implicating sensitive intelligence sources and methods." 

Hur said FBI agents recovered the materials from "the garages, offices, and basement den in Mr. Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware home." 

But Hur said that the evidence "does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." :

"Prosecution of Mr. Biden is also unwarranted based on our consideration of the aggravating and mitigating factors set forth in the Department of Justice’s Principles of Federal Prosecution," the report states. "For these reasons, we decline prosecution of Mr. Biden."

The White House was given the opportunity to review the report for privilege after Hur initially submitted his report on Feb. 5, and did not seek any redaction to the report. The report was transmitted to Congress Thursday afternoon. 

Damning photos were included in the report — photos that the Biden campaign reportedly feared could have a negative impact on his 2024 re-election bid. 

Classified records were first found inside the Washington, D.C., offices of the Penn Biden Center think tank on Nov. 2, 2022, but only disclosed to the public in early January 2023.

BIDEN CAMP REPORTEDLY FEARS PHOTOS FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL CLASSIFIED DOCS PROBE COULD DEVASTATE REELECTION BID

A second stash of classified documents was also found inside the garage of the president’s home in Wilmington in December, but revealed to the public earlier this month, prompting Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint former U.S. Attorney Rob Hur to serve as special counsel.

Days later, additional classified documents were found in the president’s home in Delaware. The FBI conducted a more than 12-hour search of Biden’s Delaware home Friday, seizing additional classified records.

Biden has defended the storing of classified documents in the past.

"By the way, my Corvette is in a locked garage, so it's not like they're sitting out on the street," he once said.

In a statement after Special Counsel released the report, Biden said he was "pleased to see they reached the conclusion I believed all along they would reach – that there would be no charges brought in this case and the matter is now closed."

"This was an exhaustive investigation going back more than 40 years, even into the 1970s when I was a young Senator. I cooperated completely, threw up no roadblocks, and sought no delays. In fact, I was so determined to give the Special Counsel what they needed that I went forward with five hours of in-person interviews over two days on October 8th and 9th of last year, even though Israel had just been attacked on October 7th and I was in the middle of handling an international crisis. I just believed that’s what I owed the American people so they could know no charges would be brought and the matter closed," Biden's statement continued.

"Over my career in public service, I have always worked to protect America’s security. I take these issues seriously and no one has ever questioned that," he added.

But Garland, on Nov. 18, 2022, appointed former DOJ official Jack Smith to serve as special counsel to investigate whether Trump was improperly retaining classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

When Smith was appointed to investigate Trump, Garland and top DOJ officials were simultaneously conducting an internal review of President Biden’s mishandling of classified records. That review, and the discovery of classified records at Biden’s office, was not disclosed to the public until January.

BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

Republicans and allies of former President Trump were outraged, blasting the Justice Department for a double standard.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges out of Smith's probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

Trump, the 2024 GOP front-runner, was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation – an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty.

That trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024. 

Biden's aides told Axios earlier this week that they are fearful former President Trump's campaign could use the photos against the Democrat incumbent ahead of their likely 2024 rematch.

COMER DEMANDS ANSWERS ON WHETHER BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS MENTION COUNTRIES RELATED TO FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS

Anthony Coley, a former senior adviser to Garland, accused the Biden team of slow-walking discovery in the president’s classified records case, versus the handling of the Trump probe.

"Against the backdrop of former President Trump's indictment on charges of willful and deliberate retention of classified documents, the Biden team's drip, drip, drip of information made the discoveries seem even worse," he wrote in an op-ed.

Before Hur’s findings were released, reports suggested the Biden campaign was concerned about potentially embarrassing photos included in Hur's expected report that could be released as soon as this week.

The campaign was concerned that the images would show how Biden stored classified materials. The classified documents were carried over from Biden's time as former President Obama's vice president.

Hur interviewed Biden at the White House – an interview that lasted two days. The White House said the president’s interview with Hur was "voluntary."

Last year, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is co-leading the impeachment inquiry against President Biden, began investigating whether the sensitive, classified documents Biden retained involved specific countries or individuals that had financial dealings with Biden family members or their related companies. 

Comer questioned why Biden would have kept certain classified materials and asked Hur to provide his committee with a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings.

It is unclear if Hur cooperated with Comer's request. 

Hunter Biden was paid $100K through joint-venture with Chinese energy firm, ex-associate testified

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Hunter Biden was paid $100,000 a month and James Biden was paid $65,000 a month in 2017 from their joint-venture with Chinese Communist Party-linked Chinese energy firm CEFC, a former associate testified to the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees.

Mervyn Yan, who testified behind closed doors at the committees last month, said he did not know the nature of the work the Bidens provided, according to a transcript of the testimony obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Yan testified that he met Hunter Biden and James Biden in May 2017 through a CEFC business partner Gongwen Dong, also known as "Kevin." Yan said that meeting lasted less than 15 minutes, but that it was the impetus for the joint-business venture, Hudson West III, with the Bidens.

Yan said the business venture was intended to facilitate the investment of Chinese energy infrastructure firms – like CEFC – into U.S. energy companies in exchange for energy exports to China.

"It was in May 2017, four of us. And then Kevin asked me to come to a meeting. And then eventually we met. I met Hunter Biden and James Biden and Kevin, just four of us… in Midtown. That was a relatively quick meeting, roughly 15 minutes, because I noticed the time because I couldn’t even get a water in that place," Yan told the committees.

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"So basically we shake hands and basically say we can work together," Yan continued, adding that he would be "sort of like on-the-ground person who executes and pretty much sources the infrastructure deals." Yan said he would be "working closely with Hunter."

Yan was asked what he thought Hunter Biden "brought to the table" in the joint-venture.

"I don’t know," Yan testified. "I don’t know what he can contribute."

Yan said he did not know if Hunter Biden had "knowledge" in the energy infrastructure field.

Yan said Hunter Biden was given a $500,000 retainer, and then paid $100,000 per month. Yan also testified that Hunter Biden had been working for CEFC prior to their introductory meeting, but did not know for how long.

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Hunter Biden, though, in correspondence that was shown to Yan during his interview last month, initially requested $30 million for introductions in the industry.

Fox News Digital last year reported correspondence between Hunter Biden and Gongwen Dong, in which the first son demands $10 million to "further the interest" of the joint-venture, saying that the "Bidens are the best I know at doing exactly" what the chairman of the CCP-linked firm wanted. 

"The Biden's [sic] are the best I know at doing exactly what the Chairman wants from this partnership," Hunter Biden writes in the WhatsApp message. "Please let’s not quibble over peanuts."

According to a September 2020 report released by the Senate Homeland Security Committee and Senate Finance Committee on their investigation into Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, Ye Jianming, Gongwen Dong and other Chinese nationals that Hunter Biden had business associations with were linked to the Chinese Communist government and the People's Liberation Army.

That Senate report, showed that on Aug. 8, 2017, just days after this WhatsApp message, CEFC wired nearly $5 million to the bank account for Hudson West III, a firm that Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates.

"These funds may have originated from a loan issued from the account of a company called Northern International Capital Holdings, a Hong Kong-based investment company identified at one time as a ‘substantial shareholder’ in CEFC International Limited along with Ye," the report stated. "It is unclear whether Hunter Biden was a half-owner of Hudson West III at the time."

The report also stated, "the same day the $5 million was received, and continuing through Sept. 25, 2018, Hudson West III sent request payments to Owasco, Hunter Biden’s firm." The report stated the payments were described as consulting fees and reached "$4,790,375.25 in just over a year."

Meanwhile, Yan testified that none of the five infrastructure deals he worked on with the Bidens in 2017 came to fruition, but said Hunter and James Biden were still compensated for their work in attempting to bring business.

Yan testified as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Yan told congressional investigators that Joe Biden was not involved in the joint-venture, and said neither Hunter nor James Biden ever suggested he would be involved.

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Yan also testified that he was not aware of any funds from the joint-venture going to Joe Biden. Yan maintained that he was never in contact with Joe Biden, and that Hunter and James Biden did not discuss the then-former vice president in their conversations.

Yan was pointedly asked if he was ever told that he could receive political favors from Joe Biden if he engaged in business with Hunter Biden, to which he replied in the negative.

"Did you engage in a business relationship with Hunter and James with the expectation that you would receive political favors from Joe Biden?" Yan was asked.

"No," Yan said.

After his interview last month, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., pointed to Yan’s testimony in which he "admitted on the record the Bidens had no experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors and was not sure what they brought to the table."

Comer has stressed that evidence collected by congressional investigators reveals that President Biden "was at least aware of some of his family’s business ventures and sought to influence potential business deals that financially benefited his family."

Yan’s testimony came as the committee continues to interview former business associates of Hunter Biden. Next up is Tony Bobulinski on Feb. 13. Then, James Biden will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 21, and Hunter Biden's deposition is set for Feb. 28.

Gaetz says George Santos ‘never missed more’ following failed Mayorkas ouster

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Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said his former colleague George Santos has never been missed more following a failed impeachment vote.

The GOP failed to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday after three Republicans defected from the party line and voted against the measure.

"As I am watching that board, and it’s 215-215, I have never missed George Santos more," Gaetz told Newsmax.

Those who voted no were Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.; Ken Buck, R-Colo.; and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. The lawmakers said while they disapproved of the job Mayorkas is doing at the southern border, the threshold for impeachment had not been met and warned it could be used against future Republican administrations.

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The final vote came to 214-216 after Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green showed up on the House floor in scrubs to vote against the measure.

Santos was expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 1 because of charges he faces related to allegations of defrauding campaign contributors and, according to a House Ethics Committee Report, using campaign funds to purchase luxury items and spa treatments.

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"I also wondered, wouldn’t it have been nice to still have Kevin McCarthy in the House of Representatives? Never thought you’d hear me say that," the Florida representative said. 

McCarthy announced in early December that he would step down, two months after his historic ouster as House speaker. 

The announcement capped a stunning end to a House career for the one-time deli counter owner, who ascended through state and national politics to become second in line to the presidency, until a cluster of hard-right conservatives engineered his removal in October.

"Kevin McCarthy — after being dislodged as speaker — took his marbles and went home," Gaetz added during his appearance.

McCarthy's departure set off a scramble to replace him that is being sorted out in court. A state judge earlier ruled that a McCarthy protégé, Republican Assemblyman Vince Fong, could appear on the ballot as a candidate for the former speaker's seat, even though he earlier filed for reelection for his Assembly seat. That decision is being appealed by the state.

McCarthy is the only speaker in history to be voted out of the job.

Fox News' Greg Wehner, Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

‘Frustrated’ Republicans leave Capitol Hill after back-to-back defeats on Mayorkas impeachment, Israel aid

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House Republican leaders failed to pass two of their major policy bills Tuesday night, a blowup so massive it left GOP lawmakers irritated upon leaving Washington for a long weekend Wednesday morning.

"Some people are frustrated. Very few people are surprised," Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., said.

The House GOP conference, dealing with highly divided factions and a razor-thin majority, is again at odds after narrowly failing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. It was followed by the defeat of a standalone Israel aid bill that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had announced over the weekend.

"An unmitigated disaster" was how Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., described the situation to Fox News Digital. "I don't think either of those votes moved our party or our country forward."

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He argued that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., would not have brought the bills to the floor if he was uncertain of their passage.

"I don't think we would have had that vote on Israel. I mean, what did it accomplish? And then I think it was embarrassing to lose the vote on Mayorkas. And I think [under McCarthy] we would have either had the votes for it or we wouldn't have voted on it," Massie said.

Some have blamed Johnson for bringing the bills to the floor, while others attacked the three House Republicans who voted against impeaching Mayorkas.

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"Are we in the majority? I'm not sure. Because it doesn't seem like it. We're not acting like it," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "You’ve gotta know how to count votes, I guess. But, hey, listen, I know that [Johnson] wanted the job. He can have the job."

Republicans were poised to impeach Mayorkas Tuesday night until Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who was recovering from surgery, made a surprise appearance still wearing hospital clothing to tie the vote. It seemed to catch GOP leaders and even some Democrats by surprise.

Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, warned Johnson he was following a similar path as the ex-leader by putting an Israel aid bill up for a vote without offsetting its cost with spending cuts elsewhere.

The House previously passed a $14 billion Israel aid bill that would’ve been offset by cuts to IRS spending, but the measure was never taken up by the Senate.

"The best thing I thought the speaker did was the Israel funding with a pay-for, because that had a chance to break what I call a suboptimal path that we've been locked into for decades here," Biggs said. "I thought, what a shame it is that you had this big victory, you know, which actually made you different than McCarthy, and then you reverted back to this last night."

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who also voted to oust McCarthy, said her frustration was with the Republicans who were not on board with impeachment.

"This is a defining moment for our nation, and we have the policies to fix this dire situation, and you’re going against those policies? I don't know how you go home with that," Mace said. "I made the right vote. … I'm voting the will of the people. The people who voted against that, Democrats and Republicans alike, they have to take that home."

Freshman Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., fumed over the Mayorkas impeachment’s failure.

"We should’ve taken that sorry rascal out," he said. 

But Collins said he did not see a difference between House Republicans’ status under McCarthy versus Johnson.

"It's basically the same. And, to Johnson's credit, man, you know, he was voted in, and he was already behind the eight ball," Collins said. "So, he's gonna have to take a few shots to get back into position."

Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson's office for comment.