McCarthy says Biden impeachment inquiry would need House vote, in departure from Pelosi and Democrats

Posted on September 2, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Friday said an impeachment inquiry against President Biden will only move forward if there is a formal House vote.

"To open an impeachment inquiry is a serious matter, and House Republicans would not take it lightly or use it for political purposes. The American people deserve to be heard on this matter through their elected representatives," McCarthy told Breitbart News in a statement. "That’s why, if we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the People’s House and not through a declaration by one person."

McCarthy's position is a departure from how his predecessor Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., handled the first impeachment inquiry against former President Donald Trump. In 2019, Pelosi unilaterally proclaimed that the House would advance an impeachment inquiry against Trump after the controversy over his infamous phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"This week, the president has admitted to asking the president of Ukraine to take actions which would benefit him politically," Pelosi said on Sept. 24, 2019. "Therefore, today, I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry. I'm directing our six committees to proceed with their investigations under that umbrella.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADERS WANT TO LAUNCH BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY NEXT MONTH, SOURCES SAY

"The president must be held accountable," she continued. "No one is above the law."

Initially, the Trump White House refused to cooperate with the investigation, raising concerns that the whole House had not voted to launch the inquiry. It wasn't until weeks later, on Oct. 31, 2019, that the House would authorize the impeachment inquiry by a vote of 232 to 196.

A McCarthy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sources told Fox News Digital that House Republican leaders are looking to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden this month.

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McCarthy told GOP lawmakers in a members-only conference call on Monday night that an impeachment inquiry is "the natural progression from our investigations that have been going on," one Republican who has been granted anonymity to discuss the call said.

The lawmaker said Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., informed members on an earlier call that McCarthy suggested the House would vote on opening an impeachment inquiry next month.

"What Jim Jordan said was that McCarthy told him that it was…coming to the floor in September," the lawmaker said.

A source familiar with the discussions similarly told Fox News Digital that McCarthy told several conference members that Congress’ probes have enough momentum to push for an impeachment inquiry in the fall after lawmakers return from August recess.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO CAUSE OF MAUI WILDFIRES

The president and his son Hunter Biden are under scrutiny by three separate House GOP-led committees over allegations of bribery and other corruption in the latter’s foreign business dealings. They are also looking into a plea deal nearly struck between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department in a years-long investigation into the First Son’s taxes – though that deal has since fallen apart.

The House of Representatives is returning from its six-week August recess on Sept. 12, at which point the impeachment inquiry will likely take a backseat to Congress’ race to strike a deal on funding the government by Sept. 30 – otherwise risking a partial government shutdown.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

The Speaker’s Lobby: Election strategy if 2024 is a Trump vs. Biden rematch

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The campaign for President in 2024 won’t all play out in New Hampshire diners and corn fields in Iowa. That’s to say nothing of steel towns in Pennsylvania and dairy farms in Wisconsin.

Let’s presume that President Biden and former President Trump face each other in a 2020 rematch. The battle for the presidency may emerge in two forms. For Democrats who oppose former President Trump: various courtrooms in New York, Miami, Washington, DC and Atlanta. For Republicans who disapprove of President Biden, the venues are closed-door depositions, committee hearings and maybe even articles of impeachment on the House floor.

Democrats think they have the goods on former President Trump on a variety of charges in court – ranging from allegedly stealing secret documents to potentially trying to steal the election.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH IMPEACHMENT

Republicans think they have the goods on President Biden as they probe Hunter Biden, Biden family businesses and potential links to Mr. Biden himself.

It’s unclear if either of these strategies - or hopes of each side – pays dividends with the electorate. But it’s something which party loyalists on both sides watch closely. And Republicans and Democrats alike are agog that the other side isn’t as outraged at the purported transgressions as they are.

Much has been written about the legal woes facing former President Trump and what it means for the 2024 campaign. Let’s explore the Biden family investigations and consequences for next year.

Most Congressional Republicans are determined to link President Biden to some of the legal issues surrounding the president’s son. The torpedoed plea deal for Hunter Biden coupled with testimony from IRS whistleblowers, a closed-door transcript by former Hunter Biden business associate Devon Archer and empaneling of Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss fuels the outrage.

Most Republicans demanded a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. But they were aghast when Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss – architect of the now nullified plea agreement.

Weiss offered House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a series of four dates to testify about his inquiry of Hunter Biden and the plea arrangement this fall. But it’s now far from clear if Weiss will ever appear after becoming special counsel. Most special counsels speak to Congress after their inquiries are complete. As special counsel, Weiss has complete authority to decide whether to testify to Congress.

Democrats continue to stand by Weiss. They applaud his independence and argue they have no reservations with his ability to serve. They also remind people that former President Trump nominated Weiss for his post as Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney for Delaware.

"It’s just the judicial process taking place," said Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., on Fox.

However, Bera conceded that such allegations and an inquiry wasn’t good for the country.

"Let the legal process take place if there was wrongdoing," said Bera.

But Congressional Republicans won’t do that. They see an opportunity to go for the jugular with President Biden. And if nothing else, their anti-Biden Republican base compels them to move in that direction.

AUGUST IS OFTEN THE STRANGEST MONTH IN POLITICS, AND THIS YEAR IS NO DIFFERENT

"They’ve made it an industry as a family of monetizing access to high people in government," said Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y. "The evidence just continues to pile up. But it’s a web of lies and deceit as the President continues to deny this involvement."

So what shall we look for?

There’s always the possibility of Weiss’s testimony – although unlikely. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., wants Archer to testify in public soon. There’s also the possibility that Weiss’s investigation doesn’t take that long since he already probed Hunter Biden. That said, some Republicans believe the creation of a special counsel - be it Weiss or someone else - could serve as a way to stymie Congress from investigating further. And Jordan and Comer would like to hear from Garland to explain what went into the decision to appoint Weiss – especially if Weiss won’t appear.

That brings us to the push by some Republicans to begin an impeachment inquiry.

On FOX Business recently, Comer said he intended to subpoena the Biden family. That may be problematic amid Weiss’s inquest. But a House vote to launch a formal impeachment inquiry – and thus call witnesses like the Bidens – could give the House more even footing.

To wit:

Republicans want to know more about the cryptic firms tied to the Biden family.

There are more than 20 shell firms associated with the Bidens.

The cryptic names sometimes echo one another.

Rosemont Seneca Partners. Rosemont Seneca Bohai. Rosemont Seneca Thornton.

Fox asked forensic accountant Bruce Dubinsky to review the Biden family bank records released by the House Oversight panel.

Dubinsky initially focused on the sheer number of shell firms in which the Bidens were involved.

"A shell company is just that. Just a shell. It doesn’t have typically an operating business," said Dubinsky. "They’re used in nefarious ways to either launder money or hide a transaction."

In other words, the mere existence of these firms presents a red flag.

"$20 million flows through these accounts, these fake businesses," alleged Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., on Fox.

Republicans have focused in particular on Yelena Baturina, one of the wealthiest women in Russia. Records from the Oversight panel show Baturina wired Rosemont Seneca Thornton $3.5 million in 2014. $2.5 million of that then appears to have gone to Rosemont Seneca Bohai. Baturina then dined with Mr. Biden in Washington when he was vice president in 2014.

"You see $3.5 million moving, coming inbound from Russia. And then it moves in two transactions to Devon Archer and one of Hunter Biden’s companies. That dollar for dollar - that is the signature of a problem," said Dubinsky.

It’s also unclear whether these firms provided a good or service. Republicans believe the linchpin is to demonstrate the commodity was access to the President when he served as Vice President.

Of course, drawing a straight line between all of this and alleged corruption by President Biden is hard to do – even if it’s true.

But from a political standpoint, it doesn’t necessarily have to be true or go back to the president to inflict damage.

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Republicans know this encourages their base and makes good on various political promises.

Moreover, this is not necessarily a winning political strategy heading into 2024 for the GOP. It’s far from clear if the public is buying into the Republican arguments. And regardless, the ultra high-profile legal travails of former President Trump could overshadow anything House Republicans do in their investigation of the current president.

White House counsel departing as House Republican investigations heat up

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The White House has announced its top lawyer will leave next month after nearly three years of serving President Biden as House Republicans continue to investigate the president and his family.

Stuart Delery first joined Biden’s transition team in November 2020 before serving as deputy counsel. He was promoted to the top job in 2022 after Biden’s first counsel, Dana Remus, left the White House.

In a statement Thursday announcing the departure, Biden called Delery a "trusted adviser and a constant source of innovative legal thinking since Day One of my Administration."

The president added, "From his work during those early days on COVID-19 and efforts to get life-saving vaccines to the American public to the implementation of major legislative accomplishments such as the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, he has been an integral part of my team and will be missed throughout the Administration."

WHITE HOUSE IGNORES REPUBLICANS DEMANDING ANSWERS ON BIDEN'S KNOWLEDGE OF HUNTER BIDEN'S BUSINESS DEALINGS

Biden also thanked Stuart and his family for his service.

The White House did not announce who would be replacing him as counsel.

Delery’s departure comes as House Republicans have launched multiple investigations into Biden’s son Hunter and the origins of COVID-19. Other Republican lawmakers are pushing to impeach the president — a proposal that lacks mainstream support.

ELISE STEFANIK BACKS BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: 'OH, ABSOLUTELY'

In addition to these inquiries, Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents that were found in Biden’s possession at two different locations, including the garage at his Delaware home and his former Washington, D.C., office.

Biden’s personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, is handling the classified documents matter, while the White House has about two dozen aides working on the other investigations.

HUNTER BIDEN CONTRADICTS DAD'S CLAIM NOBODY IN FAMILY 'MADE MONEY FROM CHINA'

The departure also comes as White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients asked Cabinet members and senior officials to decide by the end of the summer whether they would remain in their position through 2024 and the election cycle.

An unidentified White House official told The Associated Press that Delery’s departure had been in the works for a while.

Delery was the top adviser who helped Biden craft his student loan handout executive order last year that was ultimately struck down by the Supreme Court.

The White House unsuccessfully argued the COVID-19 pandemic qualified as an emergency that gave the education secretary the legal authority to "waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision," such as student loan debt.

The nation’s highest court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the administration overstepped its constitutional authority with the proposal.

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While serving as deputy counsel, before being the chief White House lawyer, Delery played a critical role in advising Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

Delery also played a key role in helping the administration put new rules at the U.S.-Mexico border, designed to stop migrants from crossing illegally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Florida Republican introduces impeachment articles against Joe Biden

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., jumped ahead of his Republican colleagues on Friday and introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden.

While several congressional committees are building a multipronged case to remove Biden from office, Steube said it was past time to take action. He filed articles of impeachment against Biden charging that the president had been complicit in his son Hunter's alleged crimes and had worked to shield him from justice.

"It’s long past time to impeach Joe Biden," Steube said in a statement. "He has undermined the integrity of his office, brought disrepute on the Presidency, betrayed his trust as President, and acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice at the expense of America’s citizens."

Steube filed four articles alleging high crimes and misdemeanors by Biden.

DOJ, FBI, IRS INTERFERED WITH HUNTER BIDEN PROBE, ACCORDING TO WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIMONY RELEASED BY GOP

The first accuses the president of abusing the power of his office by allegedly accepting bribes, committing Hobbs Act extortion and honest services fraud related to use of his official position. These charges arise from Biden's alleged involvement with his family's business dealings, including Hunter and James Biden's (the president's brother) alleged effort to sell access to then-Vice President Biden between 2009 and 2017 in exchange for "payments and business opportunities from foreign and domestic business partners."

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky, on Wednesday released a memo purporting to show that foreign payments to the Biden family totaled more than $20 million — though Democrats say none of the evidence shows that President Biden accepted any payments or committed misconduct.

The second article charges that President Biden obstructed justice, citing IRS whistleblower testimony that "members of the Biden campaign improperly colluded with Justice Department (DOJ) officials to improperly interfere with investigations into tax crimes alleged to have been committed by Hunter Biden." Both the Justice Department and special counsel David Weiss, the U.S. attorney appointed to investigate Hunter Biden, have denied that the Biden administration impeded Weiss' work.

The third and fourth articles accuse Biden of "fraud" and paying for Hunter Biden's illegal drugs and trysts with prostitutes, respectively.

SECRET SERVICE CLOSES WHITE HOUSE COCAINE INVESTIGATION, SAYS IT IS ‘NOT ABLE’ TO IDENTIFY SUSPECT

"The evidence continues to mount by the day – the Biden Crime Family has personally profited off Joe’s government positions through bribery, threats, and fraud. Joe Biden must not be allowed to continue to sit in the White House, selling out our country," Steube said.

On the same day, Steube introduced legislation to require the Secret Service chief to write a report on the illicit use of controlled substances in the White House. The move comes after the Secret Service closed its investigation into cocaine found at the White House last month without identifying a person of interest. Steube named the bill the "Helping Understand Narcotics Traces at the Executive Residence (HUNTER) Act."

"The United States Secret Service (USSS) refers to themselves as one of the most elite law enforcement agencies in the world. It’s completely unacceptable that the USSS has failed to find who is responsible for bringing cocaine into one of the most secure buildings in the world," he said. "The American people deserve answers. My legislation demands information on the closed investigation into the cocaine found at the White House in July and focuses on how Congress can provide oversight to prevent future illicit usage of controlled substances in the White House."

Steube's articles of impeachment have jumped ahead of at least four GOP-led committee investigations pursuing avenues to impeach Biden or his top officials. The White House has ridiculed suggestions that Biden should be removed from office.

CNN'S JAKE TAPPER CHALKS UP BIDEN FAMILY MONEY REVELATIONS AS ‘SLEAZY’ BUT NOT CRIMINAL DURING COMER CLASH

"We’re not going to get into what House Republicans want to do or may not do — hypotheticals. That’s on them. That’s for them to speak to. What I can speak to is exactly what we’re doing today." press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in July.

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"The economic data is so much better than economists had expected. And so, that’s because of the work that this President has done. That’s going to be our focus. Our focus is going to be on what we can do to make Americans’ lives a little bit better, giving them that extra breathing room."

Raskin rips GOP Biden probe as ‘embarrassing’ after release of more explosive bank records

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee dismissed Chairman James Comer’s Wednesday morning release of bank records that appear to show Hunter Biden was paid upward of $20 million by Eastern European oligarchs.

The 19-page memo, which provides screenshots of redacted financial records, says millions of dollars in payments came from Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina and Kazakhstani oligarch Kenes Rakishev.

The records also suggest Joe Biden attended dinners with Baturina, Rakishev and a representative from Burisma while he was vice president.

But Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., suggested Comer, R-Ky., failed to prove any wrongdoing on President Biden’s part. Raskin pointed to the fact that the bank records do not directly name Joe Biden.

‘MONEY GUY’: THIS HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS PARTNER COULD BLOW THE LID OFF BIDEN FAMILY'S BUSINESS DEALINGS

"Committee Republicans have once again released information on financial transactions that do not involve the president. Instead, they rehash the same Hunter Biden business dealings that congressional Republicans identified at least three years ago," Raskin said.

"The evidence released since then — including the testimony of witnesses called and interviewed by the Republicans and the records reviewed as part of Chairman Comer’s probe — have all clearly established that President Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings."

HUNTER BIDEN'S LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER VISITED OBAMA WH, VP RESIDENCE MORE THAN PREVIOUSLY KNOWN

Raskin accused Republicans of deliberately distorting and obfuscating facts and dismissed their entire probe of the Biden family as "embarrassing."

"Republicans have repeatedly twisted and mischaracterized the evidence in a transparent and increasingly embarrassing attempt to justify their baseless calls for an impeachment inquiry and distract from former President Trump’s dozens of outstanding felony criminal charges in three different cases," Raskin said.

OBAMA-ERA EMAILS REVEAL HUNTER'S EXTENSIVE TIES TO NEARLY A DOZEN SENIOR-LEVEL BIDEN ADMIN AIDES

According to the bank records, Hunter Biden and his former associate Devon Archer each received $83,333 per month from Burisma, totaling $3,321,379 from 2014 to 2015.

Archer spoke with House Oversight Committee staff last week in a marathon closed-door interview, during which he said the president’s son was selling the Biden "brand" and that President Biden "brought the most value to the brand."

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Archer said he heard President Biden on the phone with Hunter Biden while the latter was with their business associates on 20 occasions over the span of a decade but did not say they directly discussed business matters.

Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report

Biden takes leisurely bike ride at Delaware vacation home as Hunter Biden scandal surges

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden embarked on a leisurely bike ride with Secret Service agents and a golf cart full of medical staffers in Delaware on Wednesday.

Biden pedaled past reporters with the White House press corps who were holding position near the trail. The ride comes as the president faces a growing scandal relating to his involvement in his son Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and elsewhere.

"How are ya?" Biden shouted to reporters in a jovial tone as he passed them by Wednesday.

Biden was followed by a single Secret Service agent on a bike. A train of other bikers and golf carts also trailed behind him, carrying other agents and medical staffers.

REPUBLICANS FLOATING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT RISK MAKING UNPOPULAR PRESIDENT A ‘MARTYR’: CRITICS

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Biden's stay in Delaware this week comes after former Hunter Biden associate Devon Archer testified in a closed door congressional meeting on Monday.

Archer spoke with House Oversight staff for roughly five hours, telling lawmakers that Biden was on the phone with Hunter's business partners at least 20 times over a 10-year period. Republicans argue the testimony shows culpability for Biden, who has said multiple times that he has never discussed nor participated in business with his son.

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

Democrats have sought to dismiss the testimony, however, arguing that Biden may have spoken on the phone with Hunter's business partners, but he did not participate in their dealings.

"Like many people, Hunter spoke with his father every day and would often put his father, occasionally would put his father on to say hello to whomever he happened to be caught at dinner with, and Mr. Archer clarified that was sometimes people that they were having, you know, they were trying to do business with, and it was sometimes friends or other social engagements," Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said on CNN this week.

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Republican critics argue Biden was assisting Hunter's deals by taking the phone calls, which reinforced Hunter's impression that he could influence his father's policy decisions.

5 key takeaways from explosive witness account of Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, Joe’s role

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden’s former business partner Devon Archer appeared Monday on Capitol Hill, detailing what members of Congress familiar with the closed-door interview described as proof President Biden "lied" about having no knowledge of his son's business dealings.

Here are five key takeaways from Archer's hours-long interview with members of the House Oversight Committee investigating the Biden family finances:

1. Archer said Biden repeatedly spoke to Hunter's business partners to sell "the brand"

Speaking with Fox News Digital following the hearing, Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Archer detailed how Hunter put his father, then-Vice President Biden, on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times. He said Archer described how Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand."

DEVON ARCHER CONFIRMS JOE BIDEN ‘LIED’ ABOUT KNOWLEDGE OF HUNTER'S BUSINESS DEALINGS, COMER SAYS

"Joe Biden was ‘the brand’ that his son sold around the world to enrich the Biden family," Comer said. "When Joe Biden was Vice President of the United States, he joined Hunter Biden’s dinners with his foreign business associates in person or by speakerphone over 20 times."

Another source also told Fox that Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand." These phone calls included a dinner in Paris with a French energy company and in China with Jonathan Li of BHR, a Chinese investment firm.

Archer said that the value of adding Hunter to Ukrainian energy company Burisma’s board was "the brand," the source said. He also stated that Burisma would have gone under if not for "the brand."

2. Archer's account appears to contradict Biden's claim to have had no knowledge of Hunter's business dealings

Biden has consistently claimed that he had no knowledge of Hunter's business dealings, saying as early as 2019 that he had "never discussed with my son or my brother or anyone else anything having to do with their business, period."

"There wasn't any hint of scandal at all when we were there. It was the same kind of strict, strict rules. That's why I never talk with my son or my brother or anyone else, even distant family about their business interest, period," he added at the time.

But Archer's testimony concerning the numerous phone calls Hunter placed to Biden connecting him with his business associates suggests otherwise.

"Why did Joe Biden lie to the American people about his family’s business dealings and his involvement?" Comer posed while speaking with Fox. "It begs the question what else he is hiding from the American people."

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

3. Hunter Biden, Burisma execs ‘called DC’ to get Ukrainian prosecutor fired

Archer said that Hunter and top executives of Burisma Holdings, CEO Mykola Zlochevsky and Vadym Pozharski, "called D.C." in December 2015 to ask the Obama administration to help fire the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the firm, a source familiar with his testimony told Fox.

Archer said Zlochevsky and Pozharski "placed constant pressure on Hunter Biden to get help from D.C." in getting Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin ousted. Shokin was investigating Burisma for corruption.

According to the source, Archer revealed that in December 2015, Hunter Biden, Zlochevsky and Pozharski "called D.C." to discuss the matter. Archer recounted how Biden, Zlochevsky and Pozharski stepped away to take make the call.

It is unclear if Hunter and the Burisma executives spoke directly to Joe Biden on the matter, who, at the time, was in charge of the administration's U.S.-Ukraine policy.

WITNESS SAYS JOE BIDEN TALKED TO HUNTER'S BUSINESS ASSOCIATES; GOP SEES SMOKING GUN, DEMS DOWNPLAY

4. Archer's appearance will add fuel to Republicans' impeachment push

Speaking with Fox News Digital following the hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Archer's testimony proving Biden "lied" meant House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's openness to a potential impeachment inquiry against the president was "the right thing to do."

Greene was not in the hearing herself, but said she was getting frequent updates from her staff.

Appearing on Fox News' "Hannity" last week, McCarthy escalated his talk about potentially impeaching Biden by saying "this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry." The speaker said evidence uncovered by the House's investigations into the president may necessitate a full inquiry to gather more evidence of alleged corruption by the Biden family.

DEVON ARCHER INTERVIEW ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’ IN BIDEN FAMILY PROBE, JORDAN SAYS

5. Democrats attempted to spin - but didn't deny - Archer's account of events

On the other side of the aisle, freshman Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., told reporters that Archer said Biden was on the phone when he was working with Hunter. But Goldman said they discussed "casual niceties" and "the weather" rather than topics of business.

"Like many people, Hunter spoke with his father every day, and would often put his father, occasionally would put his father on to say hello to whomever he happened to be caught at dinner with, and Mr. Archer clarified that was sometimes people that they were having, you know, they were trying to do business with, and it was sometimes friends or other social engagements," he said.

"As he described it, it was all casual niceties, the weather, what's going on," Goldman added. "There wasn't a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had."

Fox News' Brooke Singman, Elizabeth Elkind, Houston Keene and Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.

Democrats not ready to ditch Biden over Hunter scandal fallout, strategists say

Posted on August 1, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

They aren’t thrilled with 80-year-old President Biden as their party’s standard-bearer in the 2024 election, but Democrats appear far from ready to cut bait with the president due to his connections to his son Hunter Biden’s expanding legal scandals.

Former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer on Monday told members of the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview that the younger Biden included his father on speakerphone while meeting with business associates at least 20 times. The Republican controlled panel is investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings with foreign companies and what, if any, role his father played in those interactions.

The closed-door interview revelations will likely fuel Republican attempts to link the president to Hunter Biden’s business transactions, which could politically wound the elder Biden as he runs for re-election in 2024 to a second term in the White House.

But a Democratic lawmaker on the committee argued that Archer’s testimony does not show that then-Vice President Biden was involved in son Hunter’s business dealings.

A TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS DEVIN ARCHER INTERVIEW ‘VERY PRODUCTIVE’ IN BIDEN FAMILY PROBE

"The witness indicated that Hunter spoke to his father every day, and approximately 20 times over the course of 10 year relationship, Hunter may have put his father on the phone with any number of different people, and they never once spoke about any business dealings," Rep. Dan Goldman of New York told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"As he described it, it was all casual conversation, niceties, the weather, ‘What’s going on?’" Goldman added. And he emphasized that "there wasn’t a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had."

WHAT FORMER HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE SAID ON CAPITOL HILL

Devon Archer’s interview comes in the wake of a whistleblower’s allegations that the FBI and the Justice Department are in possession of an unverified document that claims a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. And House Speaker Kevin McCarthy recently floated that the Republican majority in the chamber could consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over the unproven claims of financial misconduct.

The president’s approval ratings have been underwater for nearly two years and polls suggest Democrats are anything but enthused with Biden seeking a second four-year term in the White House. But regardless, Democrats don't appear buying – at least right now – what the Republicans appear to be selling.

Veteran Democratic consultant and pollster Doug Schoen argued in an opinion piece this past weekend that Hunter Biden’s multiplying legal controversies "are now Joe Biden’s problems."

But Schoen, a top political adviser to then-President Bill Clinton and on Michael Bloomberg’s unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, told Fox News Digital on Monday that "from what I have seen, there still has been no direct evidence, or even testimony today from Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former partner, that President Biden was involved in their business dealings."

"At this point there is nothing to lead me to say anything about the president's likely candidacy being impacted by any developments in the Hunter Biden case," Schoen emphasized.

WHAT THE COLLAPSE OF THE HUNTER BIDEN PLEA DEAL MEANS FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN IN 2024

Asked if Democrats would look to jettison Biden as their party’s nominee if the president becomes increasing entangled in his son’s legal predicaments, Democratic strategist and communicator Chris Moyer told Fox News "no way."

Moyer, a presidential campaign veteran, scoffed at suggestions that party leaders would consider asking Biden to step aside in 2024, adding that "Republicans are always going to try to find something to drum up."

"There’s good news about the economy almost every day. That’s what’s going to matter most not just to Democrats but also to key swing voters in the general election," he argued.

Longtime political scientist Dante Scala of the University of New Hampshire emphasized that "until Democrats are confronted with incredibly solid evidence that the father himself has some wrongdoing in all this, their default is to confine the sins of Hunter Biden to Hunter Biden."

Hunter Biden’s legal saga and the mounting inquiries come as the battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is heating up, and as Biden faces long-shot Democratic presidential primary challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - the environmental lawyer and high-profile vaccine critic, and scion of arguably the nation’s most famous family political dynasty – and best-selling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, who’s making her second straight White House run. And progressive activist and professor Cornel West has launched a third-party bid for president that has some in the party nervous he might siphon votes from Biden in November 2024.

"The Hunter Biden circus is a concern for Democrats if President Biden’s opponents in the primary begin to bang the same drum as Republicans," warned longtime progressive strategist and communications consultant Michael Ceraso.

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Ceraso, a veteran of Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign and now-Transportation Secy. Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 White House bid, noted that "we have a short-term memory in politics, but Bernie benefited from the allegations stacked against Secretary Hillary Clinton. Her past propelled him to be competitive. Whether West or RFK lean in and step in line with Republicans to propel themselves in the primary is anyone’s guess. But six months of weathering Hunter-related attacks from primary challenges before advancing to the general election is not ideal for the president - especially when he needs to drum up support from voters around the policies the Democrats and his White House passed."

"Many Americans - those who are likely to elect to stay home on Election Day, or flip parties based on the candidate and their personality, and not the issues - need convincing that the president deserves a second term," Ceraso argued.

Witness says Joe Biden talked to Hunter’s business associates; GOP sees smoking gun, Dems downplay

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Hunter Biden’s former associate Devon Archer said Hunter would sometimes put then-Vice President Joe Biden on speakerphone while meeting with business partners, two lawmakers said Monday.

Archer spoke to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday in a closed-door meeting. The panel is investigating Hunter Biden and what, if any, role his father played in his foreign business dealings.

But Republicans and Democrats were split on whether Archer's comments were a sign that now-President Biden has been working closely with his son's business deals, something the White House has denied.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital that Archer’s admission proves Biden "lied" about not being involved in his son’s foreign dealings.

BIDEN'S NARRATIVE ON NEVER DISCUSSING BUSINESS DEALS WITH HUNTER CONTINUES TO CRUMBLE

Greene, who was not in the meeting but said she is getting regular updates from her staff, said that Archer "said specifically, he heard Hunter Biden speak to Joe Biden more than 20 times" and said Archer recalled the conversations were "about their business deals."

"Not about lunch or the weather or just getting dad on the phone. It's about their business deals. He also said that the Bidens were in the business of influence peddling. And that is significant. Very significant," Greene said.

"What that does is that proves Joe Biden lied…think about how significant that is. That means Kevin McCarthy calling for an impeachment inquiry is the right thing to do," she said.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CHEER ‘BIG WIN FOR THE RULE OF LAW’ AFTER HUNTER BIDEN’S ‘SWEETHEART’ DEAL COLLAPSES

"As he described it, it was all casual niceties, the weather, what's going on," Goldman added. "There wasn't a single conversation about any of the business dealings that Hunter had."

Greene, however, accused Goldman of covering up for the president and his family. She pointed out that before coming to Congress, Goldman first gained national attention as House Democrats’ lead counsel during the first impeachment of former President Trump.

"Dan Goldman is a former prosecutor on the impeachment team of President Trump, and now has basically just declared himself the de facto attorney for Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. And so he's standing out there trying to downplay this and spin this, but that's not what was said," Greene said.

HUNTER BIDEN'S PLEA DEAL WAS MEANT TO ‘PROTECT’ BIDEN'S CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT: TED CRUZ

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told reporters that he believes Archer's testimony "implicated the president" but said of the phone calls with business associates, "The substance of the conversations were pleasantries."

Archer said that Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand," a source told Fox News. These phone calls included a dinner in Paris with a French energy company and in China with Jonathan Li of BHR.

Archer testified there was value of adding Hunter Biden to Burisma’s board was "the brand," the source said. The argument was that then-Vice President Joe Biden brought the most value. Archer also stated that Burisma would have gone under if not for "the brand."

User’s Manual to Devon Archer’s closed door interview tomorrow

Posted on July 30, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

Former Burisma Board member Devon Archer appears tomorrow morning before the House Oversight Committee for a closed-door, transcribed interview.

Fox is told that Archer is expected to appear this time - even though he ducked the committee three times before and is under subpoena.

Moreover, one senior Republican close to the investigation believes the DOJ tried "an intimidation tactic" Saturday, asking a judge to set a date for Archer to report to begin serving jail time.

Archer was found guilty of defrauding Native American tribes in 2022.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO HOW HUNTER BIDEN'S LEGAL WOES COULD ACCELERATE AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Fox is told investigators intend to ask Archer about previously undisclosed bank records and the purpose of those transactions. In particular, the committee wants to know what role if any the President had in those transactions.

'IMPEACHMENT WEEK'

There are also questions as to whether legal counsel for the Bidens contacted Archer.

The committee believes Archer will tell investigators about meetings or phone calls he had with President Biden regarding potential business deals.

IMPEACH BIDEN OR MAYORKAS? WHAT IT TAKES FOR 'IMPEACHMENT' PROCEEDINGS TO SUCCEED IN THE HOUSE

Archer is slated to appear at 10 am ET. The discussion is scheduled to go for four hours, total. Two hours per side.

The Republicans will go for an hour. The Democrats for an hour. And so on.

With breaks, this likely does not conclude until 3 pm ET or so.

Fox is told to expect maybe a couple of lawmakers there. Fox is told that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio will likely attend.

Fox is also told that the committee intends to release the transcript of the transcribed interview "in three or four days."