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Hunter Biden business associate to testify on Biden’s alleged role in China deals amid impeachment inquiry

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Hunter Biden’s business associate involved in his dealings with Chinese energy company CEFC is expected to appear for a closed-door transcribed interview Thursday morning before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees.

Mervyn Yan, who worked with the first son on deals with Chinese energy company CEFC, was subpoenaed last November to appear as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

He is expected to appear at 10 a.m. on Capitol Hill.

JOE BIDEN RECEIVED $40K IN 'LAUNDERED CHINA MONEY' FROM BROTHER IN 2017, COMER SAYS

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan notified Yan of his subpoena and explained the reason for compelling his appearance.

"President Biden has received money originating from China via James and Hunter Biden, individuals with whom your client has previously engaged in business," Comer and Jordan wrote to Yan's attorney. "James Biden maintained a business relationship with Hunter Biden, and the two engaged in several business deals, including a deal with Chinese energy company CEFC China Energy (CEFC), which is closely ties to the Chinese Communist Party through its founder, Chairman Ye Jianming."

Fox News Digital first reported on the funds transferred to Joe Biden in November.

Comer said the "money trail" began in July 2017 when Hunter Biden demanded a $10 million payment from a CEFC associate. In a WhatsApp message, Hunter Biden "was sitting with his father and that the Biden network would turn on his associate if he didn’t pony up the money," Comer said.

Hunter Biden in the WhatsApp message allegedly told a Chinese business associate from Chinese energy company CEFC that he and his father would ensure "you will regret not following my direction."

Hunter requested the $10 million wire for his joint-venture with CEFC called SinoHawk Holdings. 

"I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled," Hunter Biden told Henry Zhao, the director of Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management. "And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction."

Zhao responded, in part, "CEFC is willing to cooperate with the family."

HUNTER BIDEN REQUESTED KEYS FOR NEW 'OFFICE MATES' JOE BIDEN, CHINESE 'EMISSARY' TO CEFC CHAIRMAN, EMAILS SHOW

The Oversight Committee then obtained bank records that showed on Aug. 8, 2017, the $5 million in funds were sent to Hudson West III, a joint venture established by Hunter Biden and CEFC associate Gongwen Dong. The same day, Hudson West III sent $400,000 to Owasco PC — a separate entity controlled and owned by Hunter Biden, Comer said.

Days later, on Aug. 14, 2017, the records show Hunter Biden wired $150,000 to Lion Hall Group, a company owned by James Biden and his wife, Sara Biden. By Aug. 28, 2017, Comer said Sara Biden withdrew $50,000 in cash from Lion Hall Group and later deposited it into her and James Biden’s personal checking account.

Sara Biden wrote a check to Joe Biden a few days later for $40,000, with a memo line of the check reading "loan repayment."

While President Biden has maintained he was never in business with his son, text messages obtained by Fox News Digital in 2020 revealed that in May 2017 he met with Hunter's business associates for the Sinohawk venture, specifically Tony Bobulinski. The meeting on May 2, 2017, would have taken place just 11 days before a May 13, 2017, email obtained by Fox News in 2020 that included a discussion of "remuneration packages" for six people in the business deal with CEFC.

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

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.

The "big guy" has been said to be a reference to President Biden. 

Also, Fox News Digital in December 2020 reported that Hunter Biden, his CEFC associate, Gongwen Dong, and Joe Biden shared office space in Washington, D.C., in September 2017.

Meanwhile, Comer and Jordan, in demanding Yan’s testimony, said they expect he will "provide evidence that is relevant to the impeachment inquiry," specifically related to his "knowledge of how James Biden and Hunter Biden operated their businesses and structured their financial transactions, and your client may also know whether and how President Biden has been involved in his family’s business dealings."

FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN IN 2017 SENT 'BEST WISHES' FROM 'ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY' TO CHINA FIRM CHAIRMAN, REQUESTED $10M WIRE

Comer and Jordan also said Yan could be in a position to provide information on whether Joe Biden, as vice president or as president, "took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy."

They also said he may provide evidence of whether Joe Biden "abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him" or "abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him."

Yan’s transcribed interview is expected to take place a day before Hunter Biden business associate Rob Walker appears for testimony and weeks before Hunter Biden appears for his deposition.

Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13 and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.

Biden reportedly jams brakes on massive energy projects over climate impacts

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

The White House has intervened in the permitting process for 17 large natural gas projects, ordering additional climate impact analyses after activists called on the administration to nix the projects, the New York Times reported.

In a move environmentalists have demanded in recent months, the White House is ordering the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider the impact proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects would have on climate change, three individuals with knowledge of internal deliberations told the New York Times. DOE has never before rejected a gas export application on climate grounds.

"It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policymaking through leaks to the media. This continues to create uncertainty about whether our allies can rely on US LNG for their energy security," Shaylyn Hynes, a spokesperson for energy developer Venture Global, said in a statement. "If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire U.S. LNG industry."

"Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States," Hynes added. "The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal."

ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO TANK NATURAL GAS PROJECT AMID NATIONWIDE ARCTIC BLAST

The White House declined to comment on the report and the DOE didn't respond to a request for comment.

Among the projects that would be impacted by the DOE's review is the so-called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project, a proposed $10 billion LNG terminal located on a 546-acre site in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which would be the largest export terminal of its kind in the nation. 

BIDEN ADMIN ABRUPTLY REVERSES PROPOSAL OPENING PUBLIC LANDS TO FOREIGN OWNERSHIP AFTER GOP OPPOSITION

According to Venture Global, the facility would have a nameplate export capacity of 20 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG and a peak capacity of about 24 MTPA. In 2023, the U.S. exported 88.9 MT of LNG, according to a FOX Business analysis of tanker tracking data, meaning the CP2 facility would alone increase exports by a staggering 23%.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and fossil fuel industry associations have called for the Biden administration to expeditiously approve pending LNG export terminals, arguing they are key for strengthening the U.S. economy and supporting the energy security of allies in Europe and Asia amid geopolitical turmoil.

"The longer the Biden administration drags its feet on approving new paths for America to develop and supply its allies with clean natural gas, the more this White House empowers our enemies in China and Russia — and the more the American people pay higher energy prices," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"Our economy and national security can’t afford for President Biden to stay beholden to climate fanatics who are happy to see our country sacrifice jobs and energy independence for nothing," Kennedy said.

Fellow Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy argued during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this month that LNG export facilities in the U.S. would have an "overwhelmingly" lower carbon footprint than the alternative of coal-fired power generation in foreign nations.

ENERGY DEVELOPER AXING KEY COAL POWER PLANTS TO MEET ECO GOALS, JEOPARDIZING POWER FOR MILLIONS

"This is war on our allies," Cassidy told Fox News Digital. "They depend upon us for their energy and economic security. For apparently political purposes, the Biden administration is deliberately postponing permitting. Putin must have designed this strategy."

And Marty Durbin, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Energy Institute, echoed those comments on Wednesday, saying U.S. LNG plays an "essential role in displacing dirtier Russian gas" that Europe remains reliant on. "Any move to restrict or delay our ability to meet our commitments to our allies is deeply disturbing," he said.

Earlier this month, international energy organizations Eurogas and the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) issued strong statements of support for continued permitting of U.S. LNG export terminals. Eurogas said such exports were critical for ensuring the full phase down of Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas, while ANGEA added U.S. LNG is needed to meet Asia's decarbonization goals.

However, LNG export terminals have been opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who argue they would create harmful pollution and contribute to global warming. The issue has led to activists posting videos on social media which, over the last two months, have generated tens of millions of views. 

REPUBLICANS URGE BIDEN ADMIN TO STOP DELAYING MAJOR GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

Additionally, in December, dozens of environmental groups wrote to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, imploring her to reject the CP2 project "for the sake of our climate and communities." Days later, 170 scientists penned a letter to President Biden, asking him to determine CP2 is not in the public interest and to reject it and other pending LNG facilities.

"Putting a stop to expanded gas exports is one of the most important moves President Biden could make on addressing the climate crisis. It would mark a bold and historic decision and a major win for communities and advocates that have long spoken out about the dangers of LNG," Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said Wednesday. 

"These facilities pollute our communities, make energy more expensive for American families, and exacerbate the climate crisis all for the sake of more gas the world does not need," he continued. "Our movement will not give up, and we will keep working to ensure that this reported groundbreaking step will lead to meaningful change."

Further, climate activist Bill McKibben announced he was organizing a civil disobedience protest outside the Department of Energy's headquarters in Washington, D.C., over the permitting of new LNG export terminals. He said the action would mimic the protests that helped nationalize the Keystone XL pipeline fight during the Obama administration.

Conservatives blast Biden as ‘election denier’ after he calls McAuliffe the ‘real’ governor of Virginia

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President Joe Biden was slammed by conservatives on social media and called an "election denier" after he referred to Terry McAuliffe, who lost the Virginia gubernatorial election to the current GOP governor Glenn Youngkin, as the commonwealth’s "real" governor.

"Hello, Virginia, and the real governor, Terry McAuliffe," Biden told a crowd in Virginia on Tuesday night in an event with VP Kamala Harris discussing abortion access. "My name is Joe Biden. I'm Jill Biden's husband and Kamala's running mate. Kidding aside. Thank you, Kamala, for your leadership protecting reproductive freedom and for so much more that you do."

Biden was quickly criticized by conservatives for the comment. 

"I was informed that denying election results is the biggest threat to our democracy," conservative influence LibsofTikTok posted on X. "Start the impeachment hearings!"

BIDEN ABORTION RALLY IN VIRGINIA INTERRUPTED BY MULTIPLE PROTESTERS: ‘GENOCIDE JOE!’

"Sounds like Biden should be removed from the Virginia ballot," conservative commentator Chris Barron posted on X, referencing Democrat efforts to keep former President Trump off the ballot for "election denial."

"Subverting democracy, denying elections, basically insurrection."

"Biden is shuttled across the river to promote nine-month, taxpayer-funded elective abortion-on-demand — and tosses in some casual election denialism while he’s at it," Fox News contributor Guy Benson posted on X.

BIDEN CALLS TRUMP 'MOST RESPONSIBLE' FOR 'STRIPPING AWAY' ABORTION, VOWS TO VETO ANY NATIONWIDE BAN

"Not sure how our democracy survives this kind of election denialism, tbh," Outkick.com founder Clay Travis posted on X.

"Joe Biden is an election denier in more ways than one," GOP Congresswoman Elise Stefanik posted on X.

"Mr. President, I’m right here," Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin posted on X. 

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Biden was "making a joke about McAuliffe’s previous term as governor."

 "He congratulated Governor Youngkin on his election out of the gate and has worked across the aisle with him ever since."

Democrat Cuellar warns Biden: Border crisis will ‘absolutely’ be election issue in 2024

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MCALLEN, Texas — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is warning fellow Democrats, including President Biden, to prepare for border security to be a top election issue in the 2024 cycle.

Standing along the Rio Grande in Hidalgo, Texas, Saturday, Cuellar emphatically told Fox News Digital the situation at the southern border will "absolutely" be on voters’ minds this year.

He traveled to the border this weekend as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation that also included Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas; Randy Weber, R-Texas; and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

'SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS': MICHAEL MCCAUL SOUNDS ALARM ON BORDER PATROL MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

"If they're looking at the same polls I've been looking at, the American public doesn't like what's happening," Cuellar said of fellow Democrats.

"I represent an area where it's almost 80% Hispanic, a lot of Democrats," he said. "So, yeah, the polls are showing that it's an important issue."

Speaking of Biden, he said, "It’s in the president’s best interest politically to come up with a solution on border security."

WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS

A Fox News poll from last month found that eight in 10 voters think the situation at the southern border is either an emergency (34%) or a major problem (45%). 

The group of lawmakers toured sections of the border Saturday and met with border and immigration officials. White House and Senate negotiators are working to cobble together a deal on border reform in exchange for GOP support for Biden’s $106 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine, Israel and other issues.

KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE 'TRIED FOR TREASON'

Cuellar insisted a show of bipartisanship like their trip was a move in the right direction.

"It's important that if the negotiations go well, and they work something out, that some of us are able to [be] bipartisan," Cuellar said.

He suggested reforms on what constitutes legal asylum was something Democrats were coming around to.

"For example, on the asylum when people come in, I support making changes. There's a lot of Democrats that don't," Cuellar explained. "Now, Democrats are saying, ‘Maybe we need to look at that.’ So, I think we're seeing now a shift where people are willing to get out of their comfort zones. If we have enough Democrats and Republicans, we can get it done."

Hunter Biden’s ‘sugar brother’ lawyer confirms he still holds stake in Chinese state-backed equity fund

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Kevin Morris, a lawyer and close friend of Hunter Biden, confirmed to lawmakers that he still holds a stake in a Chinese private equity firm that he took over from the president's son. 

Morris, who has been dubbed Hunter's "sugar brother" for loaning him millions of dollars to pay off back taxes and other bills, told lawmakers on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees last week that he still holds a 10% stake in the Chinese private equity firm Bohai Harvest RST LLC (BHR). Morris initially acquired the shares after purchasing Skaneateles LLC, a company that Hunter had previously owned, in the fall of 2021 as pressure mounted for Hunter to divest.

In a transcript reviewed by Fox News Digital, Morris invoked attorney-client privilege when asked how "it came up that he would purchase Skaneateles," but said he eyed BHR because he thought it would be a promising investment. However, during the interview, he claimed he couldn't recall "exactly what [the investments] were," but said he remembers "going through them" and thought they were "infrastructure" related.

"I did the transaction because, you know, I evaluated it as a businessman, and I thought it was something that could be a very successful investment," Morris said. "I — you know, but I did diligence on the assets. I knew what — I knew what Hunter paid for it in the beginning, and I saw, and I still see upside."

HUNTER BIDEN LAWYER TESTIFIES THAT 1ST TRUMP IMPEACHMENT CREATED 'EMERGENCY' TO FILE UNPAID TAXES

Morris, who stated he purchased Skaneateles for $157,000, was then pressed on only paying that amount for the 10% stake in the Chinese equity firm. 

"Look, I am going to do the best I can, okay? Morris responded. "I thought it ended up being 157 in cash. There was also a payment in there for — there was a $250,000 payment for a loan. I can't remember if that's part of that transaction, but if it is — that's what it does — and whatever the — I believe those two were combined for the purchase price."

Morris said he has not received any payout from BHR since he purchased Skaneateles in 2021.

Before Morris took over the BHR shares, Hunter Biden continued owning a stake in the firm after his father pledged in October 2019 to keep his family free of foreign entanglements if he was elected president.

"No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in on meetings as if they are a cabinet member, will, in fact, have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country," now-President Biden said at the time, despite Hunter reportedly living at the White House for an unknown amount of time and participating in official White House events, including state dinners and an official trip to Ireland. Other Biden family members have also visited the White House throughout his administration.

KEVIN MORRIS GAVE 'MASSIVE' FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONCERNS: COMER

During the 2020 campaign, now-White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates, who was a spokesperson for the Biden campaign at the time, took a shot at the Trump campaign in April 2020, calling the campaign's communications director Tim Murtaugh a "liar." 

"When it was announced that Hunter Biden would be quitting the board of a Chinese equity firm, lots of news outlets credulously reported it," Murtaugh tweeted, quote-tweeting a report about Hunter still being listed as a director and owning a 10% equity stake in BHR. "Six months later, records indicate that Hunter has not, in fact, quit. Will the mainstream media be following up?"

Bates, who would later be implicated in the "Russian disinformation" narrative to discredit Hunter Biden's laptop, then responded to Murtaugh while quote-tweeting a Washington Post "fact checker" sharing a screenshot of a letter dated the same day as the tweet, which appeared to show BHR CEO Jonathan Li confirming to Hunter's lawyer that Hunter was no longer an "unpaid director" as of October 2019.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House to inquire whether Bates was aware that Hunter still held his stake in BHR when he attacked the Trump campaign regarding Hunter's involvement with BHR, but he did not respond. 

In late December 2020, Hunter still owned the shares in BHR less than a month before his father took office. In November 2021, Chris Clark, who was a lawyer for Hunter at the time, told The New York Times that Hunter "no longer holds any interest, directly or indirectly, in either BHR or Skaneateles."

The Washington Free Beacon reported in 2023 that Hunter's stake in the Chinese private equity firm had moved to Morris after he had purchased Skaneateles.

Hunter previously sat on the Chinese firm's board — whose financial backers include the Bank of China — before announcing in October 2019 that he would be stepping down over mounting scrutiny of his father's presidential bid.

In December 2013, Hunter traveled with his dad on an Asia trip, which included China as a stop, and introduced him to Li in the lobby of the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying. A recent closed-door interview with Hunter's former business partner, Devon Archer, revealed that the elder Biden would have coffee with him too during the visit. Less than two weeks later, Hunter would enter into a joint-venture called BHR Partners, a Beijing-backed private equity firm controlled by Bank of China Limited.

Hunter initially invested $420,000 in BHR in October 2017 through Skaneateles. His interest in the company spiked to an estimated $894,000, according to a March 2019 email from his former business partner, Eric Schwerin.

Morris told lawmakers he did not know whether Hunter could buy back BHR in the future.

Following Morris' interview with lawmakers, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer released a statement expressing concern about the lawyer's financial support for his own client. Comer claimed that Morris' actions raised ethical concerns, noting the millions of dollars the lawyer had previously loaned to Hunter.

"Shortly after meeting Hunter Biden at a Joe Biden campaign event in 2019, Kevin Morris began paying Hunter Biden’s tax liability to insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability. Kevin Morris admitted he has ‘loaned’ the president’s son at least $5 million," Comer said. "These ‘loans’ don’t have to be repaid until after the next presidential election and the ‘loans’ may ultimately be forgiven."

"Since Kevin Morris has kept President Biden’s son financially afloat, he’s had access to the Biden White House and has spoken to President Biden," he added. "This follows a familiar pattern where Hunter Biden’s associates have access to Joe Biden himself. As we continue more interviews this month and the next, we will continue to follow the facts to understand the full scope of President Biden and his family’s corruption."

Morris said that while he did loan Hunter money, the two consulted counsel on the transactions and that he is "confident" Hunter will repay him. In addition, Morris denied ever believing the president or his administration would give him anything in return for the loans, saying his "only goal" was to help a friend and that there is no prohibition against that.

Hunter Biden lawyer testifies that 1st Trump impeachment created ’emergency’ to file unpaid taxes

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Hunter Biden’s lawyer Kevin Morris told congressional investigators that it was the first impeachment of then-President Trump in February 2020 that made it an "emergency" for the president’s son to file his tax returns, according to a transcript of his testimony reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Morris testified behind closed doors at the House Oversight Committee last week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Congressional investigators had discovered an email from Morris in February 2020 citing "political risk" amid the election cycle, when then-former Vice President Joe Biden was a candidate in the Democratic primary.

KEVIN MORRIS GAVE 'MASSIVE' FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO HUNTER BIDEN, RAISING CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONCERNS: COMER

The email, which was shown to Morris during his interview, was dated Feb. 7, 2020, and said, "emergency is off for today. Still need to file Monday — we are under considerable risk personally and politically to get the [tax] returns in."

When asked what the emergency was, Morris pointed to the Trump impeachment, in which Republicans had threatened to call Hunter Biden to testify.

"You know, I believe that, you know, remember that the Trump impeachment process was going on at this time," Morris said. "And they were waiving around the possibility of calling Hunter…right until the very end. I believe that it wrapped up. I believe that was the…thing prompting us— you know, this is about preparing his tax returns."

Morris explained that he had just started working with Hunter Biden, a client who was coming in "from addiction stuff." Morris said "taxes are the most important thing," adding that it is his "custom and practice to get the taxes straight."

"It’s a part of— that’s part of recovery, making amends," he said. "It's critical."

FLASHBACK: DEMOCRATS CLASH WITH REPUBLICANS OVER PROSPECT OF CALLING HUNTER BIDEN IN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

When pressed on whether the "political" concerns were due to Biden’s candidacy for office, Morris pushed back, saying "there’s no cardinality between these two things."

"Personally, he hadn’t filed his taxes. Okay? That’s his personal problem," Morris said of Hunter Biden. "And then, politically…look, there was an impeachment proceeding going on. His name was and face was everywhere in the world."

Morris, though, said the "political risk" had nothing to do with Joe Biden’s candidacy for the White House.

Morris testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability.

However, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer says that was a move to "insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability."

Morris also admitted to the committee that the "loans" he provided to Hunter Biden do not have to be repaid until 2025, after the next presidential election, and could be forgiven, the committee said.

Trump was acquitted on Feb. 5, 2020 on both articles of impeachment against him — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after being impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019.

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

Trump was impeached after a July 2019 phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine — specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.

Hunter Biden was quietly under federal investigation, beginning in 2018, at the time of the call — a probe prompted by suspicious foreign transactions. 

Trump's request was regarded by Democrats as a quid pro quo because millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen. Democrats also claimed Trump was meddling in the 2020 presidential election by asking a foreign leader to look into a Democratic political opponent.

Republicans had been investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings, specifically with regard to Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. House Republicans, who were in the minority at the time, made several requests to subpoena Hunter Biden for testimony and documents related to the impeachment of Trump and his business dealings that fell at the center of the proceedings. 

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly-lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

"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.

Now, as part of the impeachment inquiry, Republicans are investigating any involvement Biden had in his son’s business dealings.

Republicans obtained an FBI FD-1023 form with a confidential human source detailing allegations made by Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. Zlochevsky alleged that he was "coerced" into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get Shokin fired, amid the investigation into his firm. 

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. 

Special Counsel Weiss charged Biden with nine federal tax charges, which break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. 

Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a "four-year scheme" when the president's son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

Weiss also indicted the first son on federal gun charges in Delaware last year. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges as well. His attorneys are attempting to have that case dismissed altogether. 

Hunter Biden’s business associates to appear for closed-door testimonies with lawmakers this week

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Hunter Biden’s business associates are gearing up to testify behind closed doors at the House Oversight and Judiciary committees later this week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against his father, President Biden.

First up is Mervyn Yan, who was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last year for financial records related to his business dealings with Hunter Biden.

Yan worked with Hunter Biden through Chinese energy company CEFC and Hudson West III.

HUNTER BIDEN DEPOSITION SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH AFTER RISK OF BEING HELD IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

Yan is set to appear before both committees on Thursday for closed-door transcribed interviews.

Next is Rob Walker, who was also subpoenaed last year. He is expected to appear for his closed-door transcribed interviews before both committees on Friday.

Financial records subpoenaed by the committee revealed that members of the Biden family, including Hallie Biden and Sara Biden, received more than $1 million in payments from accounts related to Walker and his Chinese business ventures with Hunter.

FLASHBACK: COMER SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN ART DEALER, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES FOR TESTIMONY AS PART OF ONGOING PROBE

Walker worked on a joint venture called Sinohawk Holdings, which was meant to be a partnership with Chinese energy firm CEFC.

Multiple Biden family accounts, including those belonging to Hunter, Hallie Biden and an unnamed Biden, also received approximately $1.038 million from the same Walker LLC account after Bladon Enterprises, which reportedly belonged to Gabriel "Puiu" Popoviciu, a Romanian tycoon, deposited more than $3 million between November 2015 to May 2017. According to a 2017 email from Walker, which was obtained by the Senate Finance Committee, Walker viewed himself as a "surrogate" for Hunter and his uncle, Jim Biden, when "gauging [business] opportunities."

The transcribed interviews with Yan and Walker this week come after the committees announced last week that they had confirmed a new date for Hunter Biden's closed-door deposition.

FLASHBACK: HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Hunter Biden had initially defied a subpoena to appear for a deposition and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress.

The committees said Hunter Biden’s attorneys confirmed that he would appear for a deposition on Feb. 28, thus pausing all contempt of Congress proceedings.

Hunter Biden's deposition will come after his business associates share testimony with the committees.

The House Oversight and Judiciary committees plan to hear testimony from other Hunter Biden business associates like Eric Schwerin on Jan. 30, Tony Bobulinski on Feb. 5, and more.

Republicans probe DHS Secretary Mayorkas over role in housing migrants on federal lands

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FIRST ON FOX: House Republican leaders on the Natural Resources Committee are probing the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) role in placing migrants on federal lands in New York.

In a letter sent Monday to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., who chairs the panel's oversight subcommittee, cited interviews they conducted with federal officials who confirmed DHS's involvement in the decision to house migrants at Gateway National Recreation Area's Floyd Bennett Field, managed by the National Park Service (NPS).

While DHS, according to the letter, intervened to ensure Floyd Bennett Field, in New York City's Brooklyn borough, would be leased to the local government for migrant housing, the land is managed by the Department of the Interior (DOI) and NPS. In one interview, a senior DOI official told congressional investigators that they "did what DHS asked us to do" when they moved forward with the plan last year.

"The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration leasing NPS land for use as a migrant encampment, a use that is not only inconsistent with the National Park Service Organic Act, but publicly recognized as legally perilous by DOI," Westerman and Gosar wrote to Mayorkas. 

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"Moreover, the Committee is concerned with the role DHS played in the process, particularly as you described it in the letters to Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul and as described to Committee staff by DOI and NPS officials," the Republican lawmakers continued.

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In August, Mayorkas sent letters to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, hitting back at the officials over their handling of the surge of migrants in New York City, Politico reported at the time. He further noted "structural issues" with New York's handling of the crisis and implored the city and state to accept a lease DOI sent for the temporary use of Floyd Bennett Field to house migrants.

"DOI seeks to finalize that lease as soon as you are ready," Mayorkas wrote to Hochul and Adams, according to Politico.

Weeks later, on Sept. 15, DOI and the local parties executed the agreement to lease portions of Floyd Bennett Field's property. Officials then constructed temporary housing on land along the shore of Jamaica Bay.

However, the Republican leaders have pointed out that, prior to the decision to lease the property, Hochul noted the DOI had itself argued such an action would likely violate federal laws. The governor, who has called for federal assistance in dealing with her state's migrant influx, remarked one month prior that officials told her office "they do not allow for use of shelter on any of their properties."

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The Republicans have also probed how the White House Council on Environmental Quality appears to have allowed DOI to bypass the normal eco review process mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act. The 1969 law requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects and proposals on federal land before approval.

Meanwhile, the housing facility erected at Floyd Bennett Field has been heavily criticized by migrants as inhumane and, according to a Venezuelan mother of three interviewed by The City, "like a hell." Thousands of migrants at the encampment were evacuated earlier this month and sent to a New York City high school, forcing the school to cancel in-person classes.

The Natural Resources Committee's ongoing investigation comes as migrants continue to flood the southern border in record numbers and Republicans call for the Biden administration to make structural reforms to secure the border.

In December, more than 302,000 migrants were encountered attempting to cross the U.S. southern border, by far the largest single month figure ever recorded. The number also brought fiscal 2024 first-quarter numbers to 785,000 encounters, the highest number ever recorded.

DHS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

White House doubles down after Biden admits US border not secure: ‘The system is broken’

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre doubled down on President Biden's admission that the U.S. border is not secure on Monday.

Jean-Pierre nevertheless dodged when asked why Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has repeatedly testified to Congress that the border is in fact secure. The White House described the border as a "broken" system that needs further funding.

"On Friday, President Biden said that he does not believe the border is secure, which is different from what Secretary Mayorkas has testified multiple times on the Hill. Why do they have two different views of the security of the border?" a reporter asked.

"The president has been really clear that we need to move on the border," Jean-Pierre responded. "Him saying that we need to deal with border security, as we, as Mayorkas, as we all have here been doing at the White House, I think shows that we have an issue at the border and we need to deal with it, and we have to act now. There's an urgent need."

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"Mayorkas, who is tasked with making sure those resources are applied – If he is saying something different than the president about whether it's secure or not. I guess I have a hard time understanding why there is a disconnect here," the reporter pressed.

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"Look, the president has repeatedly said the immigration system is broken," Jean-Pierre responded, going on to point to immigration proposals he put forward over the past three years.

Biden's administration has sought to downplay record-high levels of illegal immigration seen in the late months of 2023. As many as 10,000 migrants were arrested daily at the southwest U.S. border in December, but the White House sought to pass it off as a seasonal surge.

There were 242,418 migrant encounters at the southern border in November – the highest November on record and the third-highest month ever.

Meanwhile, Republicans on Capitol Hill are pursuing impeachment against Mayorkas.

"This one man is the architect of destruction down here. One man has caused all this chaos, deaths from fentanyl poisoning, danger to the country with terrorists coming in and 8 million encounters with no legal status. He is the architect. He has destroyed the fabric of this nation," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.

Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report

House Republicans negotiate with president’s brother on deposition terms

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President Biden’s younger brother, James Biden, is in active negotiations to appear for a deposition before House Republicans, Fox News has learned. 

The younger Biden was subpoenaed as part of the investigation into Hunter Biden and President Biden in November. 

House Republicans leading the impeachment inquiry into President Biden believe that James has knowledge of Hunter’s business deals and whether the president was involved. 

The president’s brother was scheduled to appear for a closed-door deposition in early December, but that date came and went. Conversations continue between the House Oversight Committee and Biden’s legal team. 

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"I'm going to hold off criticism of the president's brother. He obviously has due process and we have heard from his attorney. We're trying to make that work and I feel like that'll happen soon," House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said last month.

The Washington Post reported in December that James Biden’s conversations were swept up in an FBI investigation, though he was not the target. 

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According to the Post, Biden’s conversations were recorded as part of an FBI investigation into a Mississippi attorney named Richard "Dickie" Scruggs. 

The outlet reported that the FBI secretly recorded conversations involving Biden because of his relationship with Scruggs, who went to federal prison for a bribery conviction involving a judge. 

James Biden was not the subject of the FBI probe and was never charged or accused of wrongdoing by the bureau.

James Biden’s nephew, Hunter Biden, is scheduled for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28 after a public back and forth with the committee that almost led to a contempt of Congress vote.