Trial for ex-FBI informant accused of fabricating Biden bribery story delayed until after 2024 election

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The trial for Alexander Smirnov, the ex-FBI informant who has been charged with making false statements related to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden's business ties in Ukraine, has been delayed until early December, just weeks after the 2024 presidential election.

Smirnov's trial had been scheduled to begin in Los Angeles April 23, but special counsel David Weiss and Smirnov's defense attorneys filed a joint stipulation motion last week requesting additional time to prepare for the trial.

Smirnov's attorneys said a failure to grant the time would "deny them reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence."

The motion also pointed to additional time necessary to bring classified material into discovery, noting they would have to go through the Classified Procedures Act.

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

U.S. District Judge Otis Wright, who is presiding over the trial, granted the request.

Smirnov's trial is now scheduled to begin Dec. 3 at 9:30 a.m.

Weiss charged Smirnov, 43, in February after he alleged Joe Biden and Hunter Biden were paid millions in exchange for their help in firing a Ukrainian prosecutor who was at the time investigating the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings. Hunter Biden sat on the board of that company when Shokin was removed from his post.

JUDGE RULES NO BAIL RELEASE FOR FBI INFORMANT ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT BIDEN BUSINESS TIES

Prosecutors have accused Smirnov of peddling lies "that could impact U.S. elections," highlighting his alleged lies about a supposed multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the Bidens and Burisma Holdings.

Prosecutors say Smirnov falsely told his handler that Burisma executives paid Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter $5 million each around 2015.

Smirnov pleaded not guilty to making a false statement. He is being held without bail after a judge denied his request for release.

Wright ordered that Smirnov remain in detention ahead of his trial in April, concurring with prosecutors who argued he presented a high flight risk. It is unclear whether Smirnov will remain in detention until December.

Smirnov, a now-ex-FBI informant, had been described by the FBI as a "highly credible" confidential human source and worked for the bureau for years, dating back to the Obama administration. Smirnov, through his work for the FBI, had been paid "six figures," the FBI told lawmakers.

The FBI also told lawmakers that information Smirnov brought to the bureau was "used in criminal investigations and prosecutions."

Top DOJ officials also testified that Smirnov "was vetted against sources of Russian disinformation" and they found that information regarding the Bidens was "not sourced from Russian disinformation."

SENATORS DEMAND FBI AGENTS TESTIFY ABOUT 'HIGHLY CREDIBLE' SOURCE WHO ALLEGEDLY MADE UP BIDEN BRIBERY SCHEME

But according to the indictment, Smirnov gave "false derogatory information" to the FBI despite "repeated admonishments that he must provide truthful information and that he must not fabricate evidence."

The indictment says Smirnov told an FBI agent in March 2017 that he had a phone call with Burisma’s owner concerning the firm potentially acquiring a U.S. company and making an initial public offering (IPO) on a U.S-based stock exchange.

In reporting this conversation to the FBI agent, Smirnov said Hunter Biden was a board member of Burisma, though this was publicly known.

Smirnov is accused of having told the FBI for the first time In June 2020 about two meetings he had four to five years earlier, where executives associated with Burisma supposedly admitted they hired Hunter Biden to "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems."

During this meeting, the indictment alleges, Smirnov said the executives paid $5 million to each of the Bidens while Joe Biden was still in office. The indictment alleges Smirnov falsely claimed the Bidens were paid so that Hunter Biden, with his dad’s help, could take care of a criminal investigation being conducted by then-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin into Burisma.

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

The indictment alleges this information given by Smirnov in June 2020 was a fabrication. Prosecutors say Smirnov did have contact with Burisma executives in 2017, but when Joe Biden was out of public office and had no ability to influence U.S. policy and after the Ukrainian Prosecutor General had been fired in February 2016.

The indictment alleges Smirnov transformed his "routine and unextraordinary" business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later bribery allegations against Joe Biden after expressing bias against him and his presidential candidacy.

Smirnov is accused of repeating some of his false claims during an interview with FBI agents in September 2023, while changing other bits of information and promoting a new false narrative after claiming to have met with Russian officials.

If convicted, Smirnov faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley were approached by a whistleblower last summer who alleged the FBI was in possession of a document — an FD-1023 form, dated June 30, 2020 — which explicitly detailed information provided by a confidential source alleging Biden, while serving as vice president, was involved in a multimillion-dollar scheme with a foreign national in exchange for influence over policy decisions.

The source told Fox News Digital the confidential source was used by the FBI for "at least several years," dating back to the Obama administration, before the FD-1023 form, and was "found to be highly credible" by the FBI.

House Republicans demanded the FBI turn over the document, but FBI Director Christopher Wray refused a request from Comer and Grassley last summer for the public release of the form because the bureau "claimed it would jeopardize the safety of a confidential human source who they claimed was invaluable to the FBI."

Wray was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress and eventually brought the FD-1023 form to Capitol Hill for House lawmakers to review in a secure location.

Fox News Digital first reported on the contents of the document.

An FD-1023 form is used by FBI agents to record unverified reporting from confidential human sources. The form is used to document information as told to an FBI agent, but recording that information does not validate or weigh it against other information known by the FBI.

Comer said the FBI's FD-1023 form is not being used in the impeachment inquiry against the president.

White House deems House impeachment inquiry ‘over,’ President Biden formally declines to testify

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The White House formally declined an invitation by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., for President Biden to testify in connection to his son Hunter’s business dealings.

"As our Office has demonstrated, and you acknowledged in a recent fundraising email, your impeachment investigation is over," Richard Sauber, special counsel to the president, wrote in a letter to Comer on Monday. "It is past time for the House to focus on the issues that matter to the American people rather than continuing to waste time and taxpayer resources on this partisan charade."

Sauber said the House Oversight Committee’s impeachment inquiry "has succeeded only in turning up abundant evidence that, in fact, the President has done nothing wrong."

"Yet rather than acknowledge this reality, your March 28, 2024, letter contains the same litany of false allegations that have been repeatedly debunked and refuted by the very witnesses you have called before your Committee and the many documents you have obtained," the special counsel told Comer. "Your insistence on peddling these false and unsupported allegations despite ample evidence to the contrary makes one thing about your investigation abundantly clear: The facts do not matter to you."

BIDEN IMPEACHMENT EFFORT STARTING TO 'LOSE STEAM,' HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

The National Review published a full copy of the letter also obtained by The Associated Press and other outlets.

Reacting to President Biden’s refusal to testify, Comer issued a blistering statement on his X account, declaring, "The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Biden family."

"Like his son, Hunter Biden, President Biden is refusing to testify in public about the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling," Comer wrote. "This comes as no surprise since President Biden continues to lie about his relationships with his son’s business partners, even denying they exists when his son said under oath during a deposition that they did. It is unfortunate President Biden is unwilling to answer questions before the American people and refuses to answer the very simple, straightforward questions we included in the invitation. Why is it so difficult for the White House to answer those questions? The American people deserve transparency from President Biden, not more lies."

Despite providing testimony behind closed doors, Hunter Biden declined to testify in a public committee alongside former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, regarding alleged "pay-for- influence" schemes to provide access to certain offices in exchange for payments to the Biden family.

Notably, Bobulinski at the committee hearing accused Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, of lying under oath regarding the nature of their dealings with the Chinese conglomerate CEFC.

In a March 28 letter, Comer invited President Biden to "explain, under oath," what involvement he had in the Biden family businesses, claiming the committee "has accounted for over $24 million that has flowed from foreign sources to you, your family and their business associates."

FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020

The letter included questions about Biden’s interactions with specific foreign business officials.

Comer told President Biden that "you have asserted your pressuring Ukraine in 2015 to fire a government official investigating a company in which your son has a financial interest was wholly in line with U.S. policy."

The committee received bank records showing Hunter Biden was paid $1 million per year for his position on the board of the Ukrainian company Burisma until Joe Biden left office, when Hunter’s salary "was inexplicably cut in half," Comer wrote. The letter specifically asks if President Biden has interacted with executives at Burisma Holdings, which was at the center of the indictment of a former FBI informant in February who the Justice Department accused of providing false information to the FBI.

The indictment says the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, claimed that during meetings with Burisma executives, they admitted to hiring Hunter to "protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems," and later that they had specifically paid $5 million for such protection. But the DOJ goes on the claim that those events that Smirnov first reported to the FBI Agent in June 2020 were "fabrications."

Sauber, who was brought on in 2022 to oversee the president’s response to congressional investigations into the Biden family, is leaving the White House early next month to return to the private sector.

To replace him, the White House is elevating his deputy, Rachel Cotton.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Biden-appointed judge torches DOJ for defying subpoenas after prosecuting Trump advisor

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

A President Biden-appointed judge slammed the Justice Department’s apparent hypocrisy on Friday for allowing attorneys involved in the Biden family investigation to defy subpoenas — even though former Trump advisor Peter Navarro is sitting in prison for doing the same thing.

District Judge Ana Reyes ripped the DOJ at a status conference for not letting DOJ lawyers Mark Daly and Jack Morgan provide testimony as part of the House Judiciary Committee's investigation into the Biden family and the impeachment inquiry into the president.

"There’s a person in jail right now because you all brought a criminal lawsuit against him because he did not appear for a House subpoena," Reyes said during a hearing on the Judiciary Committee’s lawsuit, according to Politico, seemingly referring to Navarro.

HUNTER BIDEN CLAIMED HE DIDN'T 'STAND TO GAIN ANYTHING' IN CONTROVERSIAL BURISMA ROLE DESPITE MAKING MILLIONS

Navarro was sent to prison in March for four months, charged and convicted with contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a congressional subpoena demanding his testimony and documents relating to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Navarro said he could not cooperate with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack because Trump had invoked executive privilege, an argument that lower courts have rejected.

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon also received a four-month sentence for similar contempt of Congress charges but was allowed to stay free pending appeal.

"I think it’s quite rich you guys pursue criminal investigations and put people in jail for not showing up," but then direct current executive branch employees to take the same approach, Reyes blasted. "You all are making a bunch of arguments that you would never accept from any other litigant."

"And now you guys are flouting those subpoenas. . . . And you don’t have to show up?" Reyes continued.

She said that the DOJ’s position would delight defense attorneys up and down the country.

"I imagine that there are hundreds, if not thousands of defense attorneys . . . who would be happy to hear that DOJ’s position is, if you don’t agree with a subpoena, if you believe it’s unconstitutional or unlawful, you can unilaterally not show up," Reyes said.

HUNTER BIDEN ATTORNEY SLAMS 'ABNORMAL WAY' SPECIAL COUNSEL WEISS HANDLED CASE AFTER JUDGE DENIES DISMISSAL

Daly and Morgan, two attorneys with the Justice Department’s tax division, were subpoenaed for their "firsthand knowledge of the irregularities in DOJ’s investigation that appear to have benefited Hunter Biden," according to Courthouse News Service.

The committee says the pair were members of a team that recommended what charges to bring against Hunter Biden for suspected tax crimes in 2014 and 2015 when he served on the board of Ukrainian company Burisma.

That team initially agreed Hunter Biden should be charged but then reversed course and suggested he should not be charged.

Following the reversal, the Justice Department allowed the statute of limitations for those charges to lapse. The committee argues looking into this timeline is crucial to its investigation.

Justice Department attorney James Gilligan tried to argue that the decision to defy the subpoena came after lengthy deliberations "at a high level."

He also argued that Daly and Morgan are current government employees, whereas Navarro and Bannon were no longer part of the government when their testimony was demanded, but Reyes seemed unimpressed by that reasoning.

But her criticism wasn’t all directed at Biden’s DOJ.

Reyes scoffed at a Trump-era Office of Legal Counsel opinion contending that executive branch employees could defy such subpoenas if Justice Department lawyers were not allowed to be present.

She was also astonished that Gilligan wouldn't commit to instructing Daly and Morgan to testify if the committee were to drop its insistence that government counsel not be in the room for their depositions.

"I cannot answer that now," he said. To which Reyes responded, "Are you kidding me?"

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

CIA denies whistleblower allegation that agency ‘stonewalled’ IRS interview with Hunter Biden ‘sugar brother’

Posted on April 5, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The Central Intelligence Agency is denying whistleblower claims that it "stonewalled" an IRS interview with Hunter Biden’s "sugar brother" Kevin Morris, saying the agency "did not prevent or seek to prevent IRS or DOJ from conducting any such interview."

A whistleblower approached House Republicans last month claiming that the CIA blocked an interview with Morris conducted by the IRS as part of the federal investigation into Hunter Biden.

WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS CIA 'STONEWALLED' IRS INTERVIEW WITH HUNTER BIDEN 'SUGAR BROTHER' KEVIN MORRIS: HOUSE GOP

According to the whistleblower, in August 2021, when IRS investigators on the Hunter Biden federal investigation were preparing to interview Morris, the CIA "intervened to stop the interview."

The whistleblower alleged that the CIA summoned two Justice Department officials to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, for a briefing regarding Morris.

The whistleblower claimed that Morris "could not be a witness in the investigation."

The allegations were laid out in a letter sent to CIA Director Bill Burns last month by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.

But the CIA this week said the allegation is "false."

"Without confirming or denying the existence of any associations or communications, CIA did not prevent or seek to prevent IRS or DOJ from conducting any such interview," James Catella, the CIA’s director of the Office of Congressional Affairs, wrote in a letter to Jordan and Comer. "The allegation is false."

The CIA said that, as a general matter, and "without specific reference to the issue about which you have inquired, CIA facilitates the Department of Justice's access to national security information in the context of investigations and prosecutions in a variety of circumstances."

'SUGAR BROTHER' KEVIN MORRIS LOANED HUNTER BIDEN $6.5M FOR DEBTS AND BACK TAXES, MORE THAN PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

"For example, CIA engages with DOJ to enable prosecutors to understand national security information that may arise in the course of an investigation and to assess their discovery obligations," Catella wrote.

"CIA cooperates with law enforcement partners and does not obstruct U.S. law enforcement investigations or prosecutions," he continued. "To the extent your letter seeks information about any ongoing federal law enforcement investigation or prosecution, the Department of Justice is the responsible agency."

Morris loaned Hunter Biden approximately $6.5 million — over $1 million more than originally estimated and discussed — his attorney revealed in a letter earlier this year.

Morris, who was subpoenaed to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry, testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability. Morris and his attorney were estimating during the interview, a source told Fox News, and promised to follow-up with exact figures loaned to the first son. The attorney followed up to note Morris had given an additional $1.6 million to Hunter Biden.

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

Morris, on Oct. 13, 2021, gave Hunter Biden a loan for approximately $1.4 million. According to the letter, Hunter Biden was to repay the loan, with $500,000 paid by Oct. 1, 2026 and the remaining $417,634 by Oct. 1, 2027, plus interest.

A few days later, Morris loaned Hunter Biden $2.6 million, with directions to repay the loan by Oct. 1, 2029. That loan, according to Morris’ lawyer, "was used to pay, among other debts, Mr. Biden’s tax debt to the IRS."

On Oct. 17, 2022, Morris loaned Hunter Biden $640,355 to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027. In December 2022, Morris loaned Hunter $685,813.99, to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027.

A year later, Dec. 29, 2023, Morris loaned Hunter approximately $1.2 million to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2028, with all interest paid by October 2029.

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

Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a "four-year scheme" in which 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.

Hunter Biden seen with president at White House Easter Egg Roll as House GOP mulls criminal referrals

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden was spotted attending Monday's White House Easter Egg Roll alongside his father, President Biden, as House Republicans reportedly mull potential criminal referrals against them to the Department of Justice.

Hunter arrived at the White House on Sunday evening with his wife, Melissa Cohen, and their son, Beau, after spending the Easter weekend at Camp David with the president and First Lady Jill Biden. The five were photographed exiting Marine One at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

The family getaway came as Republicans on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees are jointly investigating alleged Biden family corruption as part of an impeachment inquiry into the president, and are reportedly floating possible criminal referrals in lieu of an impeachment vote.

SWING STATE HOUSE HOPEFUL CHANGES TUNE AFTER SCRUBBING VIOLENT CRIME DEFENSES FROM LAW FIRM WEBSITE

Reports that Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was considering criminal referrals followed the two committees' joint hearing last week that included testimony from multiple former business associates of Hunter who testified to the extent of Biden's involvement in his son's business dealings, which the White House has denied.

Although Comer hasn't specified who these criminal referrals would target, they could provide a way for Republicans to please those anxious for the Biden family to face some sort of consequences from the alleged influence-peddling scheme as the party looks unlikely to have the votes to successfully impeach the president.

NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN AFTER MOCKING EASTER ONLINE WITH DRAG, ABORTION REFERENCES

Hunter's appearance at the White House capped a multi-day schedule that included his attendance at his dad's swanky, but controversial, New York City fundraiser held last Thursday, the same day as the wake of an NYPD officer killed in the line of duty.

Last year, the White House faced flak for omitting Hunter's visits and extended stays from its visitor logs from the beginning of the Biden administration through Feb. 2023 despite claiming it was "the most transparent administration in American history."

While many of the events attended by Hunter were ceremonial and a tradition at the White House, Fox News Digital previously reported how Hunter sought to use such events for his personal financial gain during the Obama administration.

Whistleblower claims CIA ‘stonewalled’ IRS interview with Hunter Biden ‘Sugar brother’ Kevin Morris: House GOP

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

A whistleblower claimed that the CIA "stonewalled" an IRS interview with Hunter Biden’s business associate Kevin Morris, the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees revealed.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a Thursday letter to CIA Director William Burns that their panels would investigate the allegations as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

According to the whistleblower, in August 2021, when IRS investigators on the Hunter Biden federal investigation were preparing to interview Morris, the CIA "intervened to stop the interview."

'SUGAR BROTHER' KEVIN MORRIS LOANED HUNTER BIDEN $6.5M FOR DEBTS AND BACK TAXES, MORE THAN PREVIOUS ESTIMATE

The whistleblower alleged that the CIA summoned two Justice Department officials to the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, for a briefing regarding Morris.

The whistleblower claimed that Morris "could not be a witness in the investigation," according to the House Republicans.

Morris loaned Hunter Biden approximately $6.5 million — over $1 million more than originally estimated and discussed — his attorney revealed in a letter earlier this year.

Morris, who was subpoenaed to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry, testified that he loaned Hunter Biden at least $5 million and began paying his tax liability. Morris and his attorney were estimating during the interview, a source told Fox News, and promised to follow-up with exact figures loaned to the first son. The attorney followed up to note an additional $1.6 million Morris had given Hunter Biden.

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

"As part of the impeachment inquiry, the Committees are investigating, among other things, whether President Biden 'abuse[d] his power as President to impede, obstruct, or otherwise hinder investigations or the prosecution of Hunter Biden.' As background, for years, the IRS and DOJ had been investigating Hunter Biden for tax crimes," Jordan and Comer wrote. "The Committees have documented how the DOJ deviated from its standard processes to afford preferential treatment to Hunter Biden."

Jordan and Comer were referring to whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler — investigators who served on the IRS team probing Hunter Biden. They testified that DOJ officials "deviated" from the normal process and provided preferential treatment to Hunter Biden.

"Among other deviations, DOJ officials restricted what investigative steps the investigators could pursue, tipped off Hunter Biden's attorneys about investigative steps, and even prevented investigators from conducting witness interviews," the House Republicans wrote. "The whistleblowers' testimony about the preferential treatment provided to Hunter Biden has been corroborated by testimony from other witnesses and documents the Committees have received."

Jordan and Comer said the new whistleblower claims "seem to corroborate our concerns about DOJ's deviations from standard process to provide Hunter Biden with preferential treatment."

"It is unknown why or on what basis the CIA allegedly intervened to prevent investigators from interviewing Mr. Morris," they wrote. "However, these allegations track with other evidence showing how the DOJ deviated from its standard investigative practices during the investigation of Hunter Biden."

Jordan and Comer are now demanding the CIA provide all documents and communications referring or relating to the DOJ and IRS’ investigation of Hunter Biden, and all records relating to Kevin Morris — "including but not limited to efforts to interview Mr. Morris as part of the investigation of Robert Hunter Biden."

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

On Oct. 17, 2022, Morris loaned Hunter Biden $640,355 to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027. In December 2022, Morris loaned Hunter $685,813.99, to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2027.

A year later, Dec. 29, 2023, Morris loaned Hunter approximately $1.2 million to be repaid by Oct. 15, 2028, with all interest paid by October 2029.

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

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.

GOP lawmaker asks ‘Where in the world is Hunter Biden,’ after Cap Hill ghosting as AOC calls hearing a ‘joke’

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden's no-show at a congressional hearing wasn't shocking to some House Republicans who joked his whereabouts should be made into a game, but several Democrats told Fox News that President Joe Biden's son has already answered enough questions and the impeachment inquiry should end.

The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees held a joint hearing on Wednesday regarding foreign business dealings and allegations of influence peddling within Biden's family, but Hunter declined to appear. The Republican-led impeachment inquiry into Biden instead heard from the younger Biden's former business associates, Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis, along with House Democrats' witness and former Rudy Guiliani associate, Lev Parnas.

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

"It's [Hunter's] history, isn't it?" Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Kelly said. "He's always MIA."

HUNTER BIDEN'S EX-BUSINESS PARTNER TONY BOBULINSKI SLAMS HIM FOR ‘RUNNING AWAY’ FROM HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

But Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the inquiry a "joke" ahead of the hearing.

"I think the fact that Republicans' core theory here and their main source turned out to be working with Russian spies is kind of the reason to not show up to this joke," the New York Democrat said.

Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was charged in February with two counts related to "false derogatory information" regarding the Biden family's business dealings, according to court documents. Prosecutors accused Smirnov of "actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials," the detention memo states.

"Maybe we should have a game. Where in the world is Hunter Biden?" Rep. Carlos Giménez told Fox News. "He probably didn't show because he didn't want to testify, didn't want to probably lie under oath as to what his activities and his family's activities are."

BIDEN MET WITH CHAIRMAN OF CHINESE ENERGY FIRM HUNTER DID BUSINESS WITH IN 2017, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIES

"Why are people giving millions and millions and companies and adversary nations giving millions and millions of dollars to the Biden family when there's no product to sell or to buy except Joe Biden's influence?" the Florida Republican continued.

Hunter's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer last week Hunter would be absent because of a court hearing in California the next day and called Republicans' request "hasty." Hunter rejected a November subpoena but unexpectedly showed up to a January congressional committee hearing and testified behind closed doors in February.

AOC SAYS TRUMP ‘WILLING TO SELL THE COUNTRY FOR A DOLLAR’ AS LAWMAKERS REACT TO POTENTIAL PROPERTY SEIZURES

New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman told Fox News ahead of Wednesday's hearing that the president's son has already answered Republicans' questions.

"He debunked all the conspiracy theories … and made a really good point, which is that the witness who should be here on this purported hearing about influence peddling is Jared Kushner, who used his position in the government, unlike Hunter Biden, to solicit and obtain $2 billion from the Saudi Arabians," Goldman said.

HUNTER BIDEN’S FEDERAL GUN CHARGES TRIAL SLATED FOR EARLY JUNE

Kushner, former President Trump's son-in-law and an adviser during his administration, reportedly received the hefty investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund for his private equity firm after he left the White House. Comer said his committee would look into whether Kushner has a "real business" after Democrats urged further investigation during the Wednesday hearing, but noted that Hunter's businesses appeared illegitimate.

Some House Republicans accused Hunter of continuing to avoid transparency about his business dealings and his father's involvement. They also pointed to Hunter's earlier plea for public testimony.

Hunter "actually said he wanted to testify in public and then, given that opportunity, declined to do so," California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock said. "What does that say about him?"

Michigan Republican Rep. John Moolenaar said "it would be best if [Hunter] would simply be transparent and open about his business dealings and cooperate in a way that assures the American people."

Top chaotic moments from the House Oversight hearing into Biden family’s ‘influence peddling’

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Two former business associates of Hunter Biden testified publicly on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as congressional Republicans pushed forward with their impeachment inquiry against President Biden, leading to several tense and revealing moments.

Tony Bobulinski, a U.S. Navy veteran who formerly served as Hunter Biden's business partner, appeared publicly for the House Oversight Committee hearing. Jason Galanis, another Hunter Biden business associate who is serving a 14-year prison sentence, testified virtually from Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security prison for male inmates in Montgomery, Alabama.

Democrats invited Lev Parnas, who was sentenced to 20 months for violations connected to campaign finance, wire fraud and making false statements, to testify about his work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine.

GOP LAWMAKER SAYS REPUBLICANS ‘DON’T HAVE THE GUTS’ TO IMPEACH BIDEN

Bobulinski said Wednesday that Hunter Biden lied under oath while speaking to lawmakers earlier this year about his father's involvement in his business dealings.

Questioning Bobulinski, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., said, "During his deposition, Hunter Biden repeatedly testified under oath that his father was not involved in his business in any capacity and that there wasn't even a connection between his father and his businesses. Here is just one example, quote, 'I just state for the record one more time, under oath and under penalty of perjury, my father has never been involved in my business. I have never asked my father to be involved in my business. My father has never benefited from my business, and I have never asked anyone or my father to do anything for the benefit of anyone I've ever done business for.'

"Yet the Ways and Means Committee released a WhatsApp message that was provided by the IRS whistleblowers showing that Hunter Biden wrote on July 30, 2017, quote, 'I'm sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. I'm sitting here waiting for the call with my father.' Moreover, you testified that Hunter was not shy about his ability to get his father on the phone. And Devin Archer testified that there were multiple instances in which Hunter placed his dad on speaker phone.

"Mr. Bobulinski, was Hunter Biden telling the truth when he testified under oath that his father was never involved in any of his business dealings?" Smith asked.

Bobulinski responded, "No, he was not. Those are all blatant lies."

During Wednesday's hearing, Bobulinski said Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, the president's brother, committed perjury.

Bobulinski, who claimed that Hunter Biden "lied throughout his testimony" in a transcribed interview to the House Oversight Committee in February, provided what he believed to be one example of Hunter Biden's "perjury."

Hunter Biden "lied to the committee on important details concerning his money demands and threats to [the] CEFC" in text messages on July 30 and July 31 in 2017, according to Bobulinski.

"He leveraged his father’s presence next to him in that infamous text to strong-arm CEFC to pay Hunter immediately," Bobulinski said.

Additionally, Bobulinski claimed Wednesday that James Biden, the president's brother, "also lied extensively throughout his transcribed interview on Feb. 21 and perjured himself."

"An example of that, on page 100 of his transcript, Jim is asked specifically, 'Do you recall having a meeting with Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski and Joe Biden?'"

"Jim's response: 'Absolutely not,'" Bobulinski added.

Later in the hearing, Bobulinski claimed James Biden admitted to him during a 2017 meeting that the Biden family was able to conduct its business despite the president's high profile because of "plausible deniability."

Democratic and Republican members sparred during Wednesday's hearing over which party's witnesses were more credible.

Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents Washington, D.C., began by noting Galanis' conviction for financial crimes, saying he is serving a lengthy sentence at a federal prison.

She was followed by ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who also noted Galanis' convictions but also attacked Bobulinski for offering "a lot of rhetoric and a lot of hot air but absolutely no facts" that would warrant impeaching President Biden.

"Nobody on their side can even tell us what is the impeachable high crime and misdemeanor, which suggests that they are moving in the direction of criminal referrals, and they should start by looking at their own witnesses," Raskin said.

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., pushed back by reminding Norton and Raskin "the witness, Mr. Galanis, was partners with Hunter Biden."

"That's why he's here. We have their partners. You could have invited partners, but you invited this guy," Comer said, motioning toward Parnas, a former aide to Giuliani.

The members began speaking over each other before Comer moved on to Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., for his questioning.

Grothman began by noting that Parnas was also convicted of crimes and sentenced to federal prison.

FORMER HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATES TESTIFY PUBLICLY IN NEXT PHASE OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Bobulinski said Wednesday he "begged" Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and his staff to sit down with him to review the text message evidence he had on his Blackberry cellphone regarding the alleged wrongdoings by members of the Biden family.

Bobulinski's comments came after Khanna refused to question him and spoke only to Parnas.

"If you noticed, Congressman Khanna scurried out of here very quickly, and I'm actually disgusted as I sit here that he didn't address me based on the fact that I'm sitting here in front of the world trying to testify to the truth," Bobulinski said shortly after Khanna's time expired.

"I have messages I'm willing to produce to both the Democrats and the Republicans that Ro Khanna sent to me saying, 'You have always demonstrated to me that you're nothing but honest with the highest integrity individual,'" Bobulinski said. "I was begging for him to go CNN and tell the world in October 2020."

"I have extensive emails with Congressman Ro Khanna in 2021 and 2022, where I begged him and his staff to sit down with me and look at my BlackBerry phones that the Democrats are so focused on, to hire forensics experts and go through all of the factual information I had," he added. "So, the fact that he did not even address me and then scurried out of here is disgusting to me."

In a statement to Fox News Digital about the matter, Khanna said, "I have reviewed extensive information presented to the committee on this matter. I have always respected Tony's past service to our nation as I value anyone who wears the uniform, and I will continue to take my duty seriously on the committee and review all the evidence."

Regarding Bobulinski's claim that he had spoken to the California lawmaker about the evidence, a Khanna spokesperson told Fox, "Tony reached out a few times, and Rep. Khanna was always gracious because he respects Tony’s service, but made it clear that any evidence would have to be reviewed through committee procedure."

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., challenged Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to hold a vote on impeaching Biden during Wednesday's hearing, claiming they would do so if they had truly found enough evidence he committed high crimes and misdemeanors.

The exchange took place after Moskowitz asked Bobulinski if he felt Biden had committed high crimes and misdemeanors and should be impeached.

"I believe with all the evidence he's gathered, yes, he's proven that Joe Biden has committed high crimes and misdemeanors," Bobulinski said.

Moskowitz went on to ask Bobulinski if he felt Comer and Jordan had proven Biden committed high crimes and misdemeanors. "I know that he committed high crimes and misdemeanors. I was involved and saw them happen," Bobulinski responded.

"My point is that the chairman has not yet moved for that. And, so, look, chairman, we got, like, 3½ minutes here. I mean, let's just do the impeachment," Moskowitz facetiously suggested. "I mean, why continue to waste millions of dollars of taxpayers' money if we're going to impeach because you believe you've shown he's committed a high crime and misdemeanor?"

Moskowitz went on to mockingly motion for a vote, asking Jordan or Comer to second that vote, but neither did.

Jordan responded that the committees under GOP leadership don't do "snap impeachments," referencing the one Democrats undertook against President Donald Trump in 2019.

In announcing the hearing earlier this month, Comer invited Hunter Biden to testify publicly, per the first son’s repeated requests. Through his attorney, Abbe Lowell, Hunter rejected the invitation.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Former Hunter Biden associates to testify publicly in next phase of impeachment inquiry

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Former business associates of Hunter Biden are expected to testify publicly on Capitol Hill Wednesday as congressional Republicans begin the next phase of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is expected to open the hearing by explaining that throughout the impeachment inquiry, investigators have "found no credible evidence of the Bidens providing any work product" and has "identified no legitimate value or document or even one single hour of work that the Bidens have provided their business partners."

"What is apparent, after over a year of investigation, is that the Bidens do not work in any traditional sense of the word. They do not work as consultants. Or lawyers. Or advisors. The Bidens don’t sell a product or a service or a set of skills," Comer will say, according to excerpts of his opening statement obtained by Fox News Digital. "The Bidens sell Joe Biden.

Comer will say that Joe Biden "has taken action after action to further his family’s plans to get rich."

"The scam is simple. The Biden family promises they can make a foreign partner’s problems go away by engaging the U.S. government," Comer will say. "It’s done over and over again. The Biden family promises Joe’s power, Joe Biden shows up, and millions of dollars come into the Bidens’ pockets."

Comer will add: "Joe Biden is the Biden family’s closer."

Tony Bobulinski, a U.S. Navy veteran, will appear publicly for a joint hearing of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees Wednesday morning.

Jason Galanis, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence, will also testify but will do so virtually from Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security prison for male inmates in Montgomery, Alabama.

HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES

Democrats have invited Lev Parnas, a former associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, to testify publicly as well.

In announcing the hearing earlier this month, Comer invited Hunter Biden to testify publicly as well, per the first son’s repeated requests. Through his attorney Abbe Lowell, Hunter rejected the invitation.

Lowell, in a letter to the committees, called the hearing a "carnival side show."

Comer also invited Hunter Biden’s former associate, Devon Archer. Archer is not expected to attend.

Comer, though, has said he has "called Hunter Biden's bluff."

HUNTER BIDEN ADMITS HE PUT HIS FATHER ON SPEAKERPHONE, INVITED HIM TO MEETINGS, BUT DENIES 'INVOLVEMENT'

"Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," Comer said. "During our deposition and interview phase of our investigation, Hunter Biden confirmed key evidence, including evidence that his father, President Joe Biden, lied to the American people about his family’s business dealings and, in fact, attended meetings, spoke on speakerphone and had coffee with his foreign business associates who collectively funneled millions to the Bidens."

Comer had subpoenaed Hunter Biden for a deposition scheduled for early December, but the president's son defied that subpoena for a closed-door deposition, demanding a public hearing instead. Comer vowed to give Hunter Biden that public hearing after the committee had him for a deposition — like all other witnesses.

"When you're investigating a family for this level of corruption you deserve the truth, the American people deserve the truth," Comer said. "We're giving Hunter Biden a venue to testify publicly."

Hunter Biden appeared for his highly anticipated deposition last month before both the House Oversight and Judiciary committees and maintained that his father was never involved in and never benefited from his businesses.

The committee also heard testimony from James Biden, the president’s younger brother, who testified the same.

JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY CONSIDERED JOINING BOARD OF CCP-LINKED COMPANY, WITNESS TESTIFIES FROM PRISON

Hunter Biden did admit, however, that he put his father on speakerphone with his business associates and invited him to drop by his business lunches.

Archer testified before the House Oversight Committee last year that Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone at least 20 times with business associates.

Without Hunter and Archer, the hearing Wednesday will feature testimony from Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC. Bobulinski testified behind closed doors that he personally met with Joe Biden in 2017 for more than 45 minutes.

Bobulinski also testified that Joe Biden "enabled" his son Hunter to sell access to the "most dangerous adversaries" of the U.S., including the Chinese Communist Party, Russia and others.

JOE BIDEN 'ENABLED' FAMILY TO SELL ACCESS TO 'DANGEROUS ADVERSARIES,' TONY BOBULINSKI TESTIFIES

Galanis’ testimony will also focus on whether Joe Biden was involved in the businesses he worked on with Hunter Biden.

Galanis, who was interviewed by congressional investigators in prison last month, testified that Joe Biden was considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

Galanis also said that the words "lean in" were "used often by Devon and Hunter in our business dealings as a term for access to Vice President Biden’s political influence."

ERIC SCHWERIN CONFIRMS JOE BIDEN USED 'ROBINWARE456' EMAIL ALIAS WHILE SERVING AS VICE PRESIDENT

Galanis is serving a 14-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects but were instead used for his personal finances. He was sentenced in 2017.

DEVON ARCHER: HUNTER BIDEN, BURISMA EXECS ‘CALLED DC’ TO GET UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR FIRED

Democrats have blasted what they call the "hopeless impeachment investigation," with the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., telling Fox News Digital the inquiry "originated with a bunch of lies told by an indicted liar in close proximity to Russian agents."

"So who better than Lev Parnas himself — Rudy Giuliani’s right-hand man on the original mission to smear Joe Biden — to tell the story of how this campaign of lies and slander works?" Raskin said. "Lev Parnas can debunk the bogus claims at the heart of the impeachment probe and, in the process, explain how the GOP ended up in this degraded and embarrassing place."

Eric Schwerin confirms Joe Biden used ‘Robinware456’ email alias while serving as vice president

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden’s business partner Eric Schwerin told congressional investigators that he communicated with then-Vice President Joe Biden via a private e-mail alias, while maintaining that he was "not aware" of Joe Biden's involvement in his family’s business dealings.

Schwerin appeared behind closed doors for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees in January as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

Fox News Digital obtained a transcript of Schwerin’s testimony.

BIDEN WAS IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH HUNTER’S BUSINESS PARTNERS USING EMAIL ALIAS AS VP

Schwerin told the committee that he "performed a number of administrative and bookkeeping tasks for then-Vice President Joe Biden related to his household finances" between 2009 and 2017. Schwerin testified he also helped Biden’s accountants in their preparation of his taxes and his annual financial disclosure statements.

Fox News Digital first reported that Joe Biden, as vice president, used email aliases and private email addresses to communicate with Hunter Biden and his business associates hundreds of times – including with Schwerin. The communications came between 2010 and 2019, with the majority of email traffic taking place while Biden was serving as vice president.

The House Ways & Means Committee, which is co-leading the impeachment inquiry alongside the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, said 54 of those emails were "exclusively" between Joe Biden and Schwerin. The Ways & Means Committee describes Schwerin as "the architect of the Biden family’s shell companies."

During his transcribed interview, Schwerin was asked if an email address labeled "Robinware456" was associated with Joe Biden.

"Yes," Schwerin said.

"That’s Joe Biden?" a committee investigator asked.

"Correct," Schwerin testified.

Schwerin also identified an email address labeled "Hurricane5155" as Valerie Biden and "261penn" as Beau Biden.

Schwerin also said that it was his "understanding" that "Robert.L.Peters" was also an email address associated with Joe Biden.

"I believe, when I personally emailed him, it was through that ‘Robinware’ email address," Schwerin testified that the email address was a "private Gmail account" and said he would also communicate via a private Gmail account.

Meanwhile, Schwerin said he met Hunter Biden while working in the Clinton administration at the Commerce Department, and after government service, joined the first son at a law and lobbying firm.

Schwerin co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners along with Hunter Biden and other colleagues – a firm he described as a "consulting and investment firm that offered development and public policy advisory services to a wide range of clients."

HUNTER BIDEN PAID JOE BIDEN FROM ACCOUNT FOR BIZ THAT RECEIVED PAYMENTS FROM CHINA: COMER

"In the course of performing these duties, I had the ability to view transactions both into and out of Vice President Biden’s bank accounts while he was vice president," Schwerin said in his opening statement. "Based on that insight, I am not aware of any financial transactions or compensation that Vice President Biden received related to business conducted by any of his family members or their associates nor any involvement by him in their businesses. None."

Schwerin also said he "cannot recall any requests for Vice President Biden to take any official action on behalf of any of Hunter’s clients or his business deals – foreign or domestic."

"In fact, I am not aware of any role that Vice President Biden, as a public official or a private citizen, had in any of Hunter’s business activities. None," he said.

Schwerin testified that regarding his interactions with Biden, he "never asked him to take any official actions for the benefit of Hunter’s clients or any other client."

"Furthermore, I have no recollection of any promises or suggestions made by Hunter or myself to any clients or business associates that his father would take any official actions on their behalf. None," he said. "In my discussions with the Vice President concerning his personal finances, he was always crystal clear that he wanted to take the most transparent and ethical approach consistent with both the spirit and the letter of the law."

Schwerin added: "Given my awareness of his finances and the explicit directions he gave to his financial advisers, the allegation that he would engage in any improper conduct to benefit himself or his family is preposterous to me."

But Schwerin did testify that he did have "discussions" about what Joe Biden would do post-vice presidency.

"Did you ever have any conversations with Hunter Biden or anyone else about jobs for Joe Biden post-Vice Presidency?" a congressional investigator asked.

OVERSIGHT DEMS ADMIT HUNTER'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER HANDLED BIDEN’S FINANCES THROUGHOUT VP TENURE

"I don't know about jobs per se, but we did have discussions as to what – about what his dad might be doing post-Vice Presidency," Schwerin said, noting that there were "two efforts, I know, going on related to the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania."

"There was a point in which I and Hunter were a little more involved in the discussions related to the University of Delaware, and there were institutes set up and whether – how it would all be structured and things like that," he said.

Meanwhile, Schwerin testified that he was appointed to the U.S. Commission on the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad.

Schwerin said Biden, when vice president in 2009, asked him if he would be "interested in being on one of these boards or commissions."

"I understood that – my assumption was that it was something that, you know, the Vice President had signed off on, but I would think it was someone from the staff who said, we can put your name forward to Presidential Personnel, and they would, you know, give you a call about this," he said, adding that he was not appointed to the board until May 2015.