‘Impeachment Week’

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

You’ve heard of "infrastructure week."

The past week wasn’t quite "impeachment week" for House Republicans.

But it came close.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., went further on impeachment for President Biden than he had before.

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

"This is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed," said McCarthy on Fox. "This President has also used something we have not seen since Richard Nixon used the weaponization of government to benefit his family and deny Congress the ability to have the oversight."

This suggests the House could prospectively launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over alleged ties to his son’s business dealings.

"When more of this continues to unravel, it rises to the level of an impeachment inquiry where you would have the Congress have the power to get to all these answers," said McCarthy.

In addition, McCarthy has more than cracked the door on impeachment with President Biden and maybe even Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"I would move to an impeachment inquiry if I found that the Attorney General has not only lied to the Congress, the Senate, but to America," said McCarthy said earlier this month about Garland and how his office handled the Hunter Biden case.

But while McCarthy talks "impeachment inquiry," he’s not ready to launch an actual impeachment inquiry.

"Define what this is right now," I asked the Speaker on Tuesday.

"We’re no different from where we were yesterday," replied McCarthy. "We continue to find more information.

But just the Speaker saying "impeachment" alters the fundamental equation.

McCarthy’s impeachment language impresses the hard right.

"When he does speak to impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight," said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va.

I asked Good if the Speaker mentioning this "shifted the ground?"

"I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift," said Good.

The House must vote to launch an official impeachment inquiry. As per usual, this is about the math. It’s unclear if the House has the votes to do that. Let alone impeach the President. Or Garland. Or anyone else.
House Republicans are struggling to settle on exactly who they want to impeach.

"It's all of the above," said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. "Look at the evidence that we have."

Sometimes mentioned as impeachment candidates: FBI Director Christopher Wray and U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss. Weiss handled the Hunter Biden prosecution. Another name: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves.

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

It can be hard to keep up.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., suggested that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is the "low hanging fruit."

A senior House Republican leadership source tells Fox that potential impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is "the furthest along." Although that doesn’t mean that it’s that far along. It’s just that GOPers believe they have the strongest case against Mayorkas regarding the border.

Fox is told that this is something of a high-level "trial balloon." McCarthy wants to get a sense of what GOPers want to do. And most importantly, where the votes may lie for impeaching anyone.

Thus, the math.

A senior House GOP source says Republicans leaders will try to see "if there is one (impeachment) that could pass."

Keep in mind that House Republicans are only operating with a four seat majority. Threading the needle on anything as serious as impeachment is challenging.

"A lot of our members will make decisions on how well the argument is made," said a Republican leadership source.

The problem for the GOP is that there is a wide swath of Republican members in rock-ribbed conservative districts who would impeach Mr. Biden and many members of his cabinet "no matter what" said one GOP source. But actually executing a successful impeachment depends on the math.

There are 18 House Republicans who represent districts which President Biden carried in 2020. A vote to impeach any cabinet figure, let alone the President, could spell a political death sentence.

So, impeachment is out there – even if it isn’t.

This sounds familiar.

Rewind to late July 2019, following the House testimony of Special Counsel Robert Mueller about former President Trump.

Mueller didn’t exactly deliver the goods on Mr. Trump at what turned out to be an overhyped hearing.

So, Democrats began talking about impeachment – without acting on impeachment – as they entered the customary August Congressional recess.

In 2019, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opposed impeachment for former President Trump – until she didn’t.

But, as we often write in this space around this time of year, beware the Ides of August.

In August 2019, Pelosi observed a sea change in her caucus. A number of moderate Democratic freshmen who represented swing districts altered their views on impeachment.

Political leaders must have their finger on the pulse of their Members. This is critical. Otherwise, they look like they are being led by their members – not leading themselves. After there were more revelations about former President Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Pelosi shifted her position.

McCarthy isn’t quite there yet on impeaching anyone. But he must be mindful of where his members are – and stay in front of them. McCarthy’s statements the past two weeks were efforts to "get in front" of his members, should the votes to impeach present themselves and there is a bona fide shift in that direction.

However, Fox is told that McCarthy is internally worried about overusing impeachment and protecting the institution of the House.

But all members on his right heard was "impeachment." And that’s all the red meat they needed to take into the August recess.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., says he would vote yes on impeachment. But Comer points out a stark fact.

"The Senate’s never going to remove from office," said Comer.

Democrats delight in the GOP impeachment milieu.

"Every week we hear a new member of the Biden administration that extreme MAGA Republicans are determined to impeach," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "The extreme MAGA Republican majority has nothing to show for their time in office but the peddling of conspiracy theories, facilitating hate against communities all across the country and figuring out who was going to be at the top of the list of their impeachment fantasies."

All of this could spell trouble if the GOP base expects too much.

"This is the danger, particularly for a Speaker, who has so far been trying to tamp down the impeachment expectations," said George Washington University professor Casey Burgat. "It seems like he's getting a lot of pushback within his individual conference to say, ‘hey, we have to escalate these investigations and impeachment is now on the table’ if it wasn't before."

So this will fester in August.

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House Republicans are planning more investigations over the next month. Burisma board member Devon Archer appears for a closed-door, transcribed interview on Monday. Burisma is the Ukrainian firm associated with Hunter Biden.

It wasn’t quite impeachment week. But some Republicans would like August to become impeachment month.

White House ignores Republicans demanding answers on Biden’s knowledge of Hunter Biden’s business dealings

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republicans have gotten a cold shoulder from the White House after demanding answers about President Biden's knowledge of Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.

In a July 20 letter to White House counsel Stuart Delery, four prominent Republicans in the House — GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo. — pressed for answers after the Biden administration shifted its messaging about the president's knowledge of Hunter Biden's business interests.

The lawmakers, expressing "concern over President Biden's involvement with Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings," said in the letter, which was first reported by the New York Post, the issue raises "national security and ethics concerns."

"President Biden and official White House spokespersons have said repeatedly that the President had no knowledge of his son’s business, nor did he discuss business with his son," the Republicans wrote.

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

"However, on June 29, 2023, Ian Sams, a spokesperson for the White House Counsel’s office, released a statement saying, ‘As we have said many times before, the President was not in business with his son.’

"This statement deviates from previous White House statements and brings forward concerns that the President knew of his son’s foreign business deals."

The lawmakers also included in the letter a string of questions for the White House counsel's office and requested a response by July 27. That request, however, was ignored by the White House.

Two questions asked by the GOP lawmakers: "Is the White House now admitting President Biden knew of and was involved in Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings" and "What was President Biden's involvement in these foreign business dealings?"

The lawmakers also sought to find out whether the Justice Department has "an open investigation regarding the uncovered WhatsApp message from Hunter Biden to a CEFC China Energy official."

"No matter how many times the White House desperately tries to cover up for Joe Biden, it is an indisputable fact that the White House has changed its position on Joe Biden’s knowledge of and involvement in Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings," Stefanik told The Post.

"The Biden administration’s continued stonewalling of House Republicans’ investigations into the Biden family influence peddling scheme and Joe Biden’s involvement will not deter us. We will leave no stone unturned and use every tool at our disposal to deliver accountability."

During an appearance on FOX Business Thursday, Stefanik made similar comments when she told a "Mornings with Maria" panel she would "absolutely" support the opening of an impeachment inquiry into Biden.

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

Asked whether she would support a potential impeachment inquiry, Stefanik responded, "Oh, absolutely. I'm in conversations with Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy and all of our members. The important thing to know about an impeachment inquiry is that it ensures that the House is at the apex of its power and oversight responsibility. It means that our subpoenas have the most power possible when it comes to litigating this out in court because we know getting the facts is not going to be easy.

"We know this White House, this Department of Justice, they are trying to cover up for Hunter Biden and, ultimately, Joe Biden. What is important that you mentioned at the beginning of your statement is the White House is trying to quietly change its language. First it said that Joe Biden never spoke to his son about Hunter's business dealings. They have now changed that language to now saying Joe Biden has never been in business with Hunter Biden's business operations. That is a significant change. …

"It is only because of House Republicans that we've discovered the dozens of LLCs, which is illegal money laundering, the fact that nearly 20 Biden family members have profited illegally."

McCarthy said this week that Republican lawmakers in the House may consider an impeachment inquiry of Biden over claims of financial misconduct.

Speaking Tuesday at the Capitol, McCarthy said the questions that House Republicans are raising about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. He said an impeachment inquiry "allows Congress to get the information to be able to know the truth" about whether Biden committed any wrongdoing.

An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. Such a probe could be as lengthy or swift as the House determines, potentially stretching into campaign season.

Speaking to Fox News Digital about the subject earlier this week, McCarthy said his party will, for now, continue seeking information related to the Biden family finances unless that information began being withheld.

"What I've said is if they withhold information, the impeachment inquiry allows Congress to have the apex of power to get all the information they need. All this information people are finding out now is only because Republicans have investigated," McCarthy said.

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"The people of America have a right to know what went on. They have a president who lied to the American public and said they didn't get any money from China. We know that's true. We've had whistleblowers from the IRS come say the Biden family is treated differently and that other things were going on. And then you have a[n] informant with the FBI saying there was a bribe. We need to know the answer to this."

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Fox News' Brandon Gillespie and Charles Creitz, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Biden suggests Republicans will impeach him because inflation is down

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

President Biden on Friday suggested that Republicans will impeach him because inflation has come down so much that his opponents can no longer attack the Biden economy.

The president made those remarks in Auburn, Maine, where he delivered a stump speech arguing that "Bidenomics" is strengthening the middle class, creating jobs and bringing inflation down.

"In fact, we have the lowest rate of inflation among the world's major economies," Biden said. "While there's more work to do, earlier this week the Washington Post suggested that Republicans may have to find something else to criticize me for, now that inflation is coming down.

"Maybe they'll decide to impeach me because it's coming down, I don't know," Biden said. "I love that one. Anyway, that's another story."

DOOR MAY BE OPEN TO IMPEACHING BIDEN FOR MISDEEDS COMMITTED PRIOR TO PRESIDENCY: LEGAL EXPERTS

House Republicans have floated launching an impeachment inquiry against Biden amid newly surfaced allegations that suggest his involvement in the business dealings his son, Hunter. Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has led House Oversight Committee investigations into the Biden family's allegedly corrupt business dealings for months, seeking evidence that Biden used his former office of vice president as leverage to enrich the family.

The president has fallen directly at the center of that investigation in recent weeks as an unclassified FBI document — an FD-1023 form — was released, containing allegations that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden "coerced" the CEO of Burisma Holdings to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired.

That FD-1023 form is part of an ongoing federal investigation, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.

Biden's comments in Maine point to his strategy for a potential impeachment inquiry — to delegitimize the investigations as a last-ditch political effort by Republicans, who he will claim have run out of substantive issues to discuss ahead of the next election.

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Biden's case for re-election in 2024 rests on recent low unemployment numbers and GDP growth that he argues are the direct result of his policies. "Bidenomics" is the president's catch-all term for increased government spending, higher taxes on the wealthy and subsidies for the clean energy industry he claims will stimulate growth and create jobs. Bolstered by a strong economic report that showed GDP growth beat expectations and rose 2.4% in the second quarter of 2023, the president took credit for an improving economy.

"Yesterday, we learned the economy grew faster than expected last quarter. And this morning, we saw data showing that last month the annual rate of inflation continued to decline," Biden said Thursday. "So, inflation is now at its lowest point in two years, and wages are up after being adjusted for inflation."

The president boasted that 13 million new jobs have been created since he assumed office, including 800,000 new manufacturing jobs. He noted that unemployment has been below 4% for the longest stretch in over 50 years, and declared that all jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic have now been recovered with higher pay and more job satisfaction.

"I'm not here to declare victory on the economy. We have more work to do. We have a plan for turning things around," Biden said. "Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the American dream."

BIDEN SERVES WORD SALAD AT ‘KITCHEN TABLE’ ECONOMICS SPEECH

While recent economic indicators suggest the economy is improving, and fears of an imminent recession are fading, public opinion polling continues to indicate that Americans are giving Biden little credit. The president’s approval ratings on the economy remain deeply underwater in most surveys.

A Fox News national poll conducted last month indicated that most voters were unhappy with how things are going in the country and continued to rate economic conditions negatively. In addition, few voters believe they are gaining financial ground, according to the survey.

Fox News' Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Door may be open to impeaching Biden for misdeeds committed prior to presidency: legal experts

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Republicans have floated launching an impeachment inquiry against President Biden amid newly surfaced allegations that suggest his involvement in the business dealings his son, Hunter. But can congressional lawmakers initiate the use of that constitutional tool for alleged treason, bribery or high crimes and misdemeanors that transpired before holding the office of the presidency?

"The answer is clear," Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Fox News Digital. "No one knows."

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

Article II, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution states: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

But it doesn’t specify whether those alleged actions need to take place during the time the official holds the office.

"The crucial impeachment language in the Constitution is not limited to ‘high Crimes and Misdemeanors’ committed while ‘in office,’" senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation Hans A. von Spakovsky told Fox News Digital. "That language is not there."

Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy noted that "impeachment is a political process, not a legal one."

"When you ask lawyers these questions, what they tend to try to suggest is this is controlled by legal rules and, therefore, they propose that the abuse of power that rises to the level of ‘high Crimes and Misdemeanors’ has to occur when the person is president – it has to be an abuse of presidential power," McCarthy said. "The fact of the matter, though, is that impeachment is not controlled by legal rules but political rules."

Quoting then-House Minority Leader Gerald Ford in 1970, McCarthy said, "An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history."

"The Constitution specifically assigns to Congress the determination of whether impeachable offenses were found, and, under separation of powers, the court stays out of it," McCarthy continued. "Politically speaking, it is whatever Congress says it is."

Former Whitewater prosecutor Robert Ray agreed that "the answer to the question is ultimately up to the House to decide . . . the rule being – to paraphrase former President Ford – an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives says it is."

But Ray said he personally believes the abuse has to take place when a president is in office.

Republicans currently hold the majority in the House of Representatives. The House Oversight Committee, led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., has been investigating the Biden family’s allegedly corrupt foreign business dealings for months and whether President Biden, while serving as vice president or after, had been involved.

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

The president has fallen directly at the center of that investigation in recent weeks as an unclassified FBI document – an FD-1023 form – was released, containing allegations that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden "coerced" the CEO of Burisma Holdings to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired.

That FD-1023 form is part of an ongoing federal investigation, law enforcement sources told Fox News Digital.

Since then, Republican leaders have suggested the possibility of an impeachment inquiry, saying the American people "have a right to know" if the criminal bribery scheme allegations are true and whether Biden was tangled up in his son’s business dealings.

As for the criminal bribery allegations, McCarthy told Fox News Digital that the framers of the Constitution were "most animated" by "maladministration" but also by "the possibility that a president could be controlled by foreign powers."

"The founders were concerned if a foreign power had corrupted the president," McCarthy said. "It just seems to me that the possibility that a president could be purchased, or a person who occupies the office of the presidency could be purchased, by a corrupt foreign government is not limited to his time in power."

McCarthy added, "If I bribe you with $10 million three years before you’re president, I still own you when you’re president."

He said there is "nothing in the U.S. Constitution that says a high crime and misdemeanor has to be an abuse of power by the incumbent."

But Ray and Laurence Tribe, professor of constitutional law emeritus at Harvard University, interpret that the alleged abuse should take place while the president is in office.

"It has to be an abuse of office – there is just no question about that much," Tribe said, adding that impeachment is "about abuse of power" and warned that, in the future, we are "bound to have presidents who use the presidency for personal benefits rather than benefits of the people."

Tribe told Fox News Digital that an official "can be impeached for treason, bribery or other high crimes, but it always meant abuses of office."

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

"And you can’t abuse an office you don’t hold," he told Fox News Digital.

"If we fire this gun too often when it has too many blanks in it, I think we will lose the only tool we have to hold presidents in account while they are in office," Tribe told Fox News Digital, referring to the frequent use of impeachment.

"This isn’t even a close case," he continued. "There are a lot of close cases in history, but talking about allegations of family misdeeds where the evidence of alleged misdeeds just hasn’t turned up and where it is before someone became president is crazy."

Tribe said the discussion "discredits the impeachment process."

"And when we really need it, it’s not going to make sense," he said. "It’s like the boy who cried wolf."

Tribe said the impeachments of former President Donald Trump were "the heartland of what impeachment is all about – about abuse of power."

The House voted to impeach Trump in December 2019 on two counts, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, related to his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which he pressed Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine – specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. The president’s request came after millions in U.S. military aid to Ukraine had been frozen, which Democrats and some witnesses have cited as a quid pro quo arrangement.

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Hunter Biden at the time was, and still is, under federal criminal investigation for his tax affairs, prompted by suspicious foreign transactions.

The Senate voted for Trump's acquittal in February 2020.

Later, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on a charge of inciting an insurrection for the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, making him the first and only president to be impeached, and ultimately acquitted, twice in history.

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Tribe, though, warned Republicans of their slim majority in the House, and he suggested that threats of impeachment are being used as "some kind of game."

"You indict our guy, we impeach your guy," Tribe said, referring to DOJ indictments of Trump. "The stakes are pretty serious."

He added, "The democracy isn’t going to preserve itself if we take all the tools to protect it and play with them like they are some kind of video game."

Schiff mocked for saying GOP pushing Biden impeachment without evidence: ‘Pot/kettle’

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

Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff was blasted by conservatives on social media Wednesday after implying that Republicans want to impeach President Biden without any evidence.

"The Republican desire to impeach someone, anyone, no matter whether there’s any evidence, just shows how they have descended into chaos," Schiff, D-Calif., told FOX Business on Wednesday. He was responding to rumblings from members of the GOP that impeaching President Biden over his alleged ties to his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings and alleged pay schemes is on the table.

But Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager against President Donald Trump, was widely mocked on social media for supporting the two impeachments against Trump as well as pushing the Russian collusion narrative. All three instances, according to conservatives, were predicated on flimsy evidence.

"This coming from the man who said ‘there is collusion in plain sight’ about Trump!" former GOP Congressman Doug Collins tweeted. "What a joke!"

JOE BIDEN LAUGHS, IGNORES QUESTIONS ABOUT POTENTIAL IMPEACHMENT BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS

"Democrats impeached Trump for a PHONE CALL!!!!" conservative commentator Graham Allen tweeted. "We have evidence of bribery and we will not be silenced by KNOWN LIAR Adam Schiff."

"The pot calling the kettle black," former Trump adviser and longtime political operative Roger Stone tweeted. "Lying con artist Adam []Schiff must be prosecuted for treason. If it's Schiff flush it"

SPEAKER MCCARTHY REVEALS RED LINE FOR POSSIBLE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Schiff was censured by the House of Representatives in June for pushing unproven claims that Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. The vote, which wasn't supported by any Democrats, made Schiff the third member of the House to be censured since the turn of the century.

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Schiff's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Hunter Biden’s rejected plea deal puts Justice Department in hot seat

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

President Biden's Justice Department is facing heat over developments that transpired during Hunter Biden's first court appearance on Wednesday.

Hunter Biden's plead deal fell apart, and he pleaded "not guilty" as federal prosecutors confirmed he's still under federal investigation. The president's son was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of the plea deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge.

Critics have since set their sights on the Justice Department following the development. Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation, said that "something is rotten in the state of Delaware, and the judge sniffed it out today."

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS 'NOT GUILTY' AS PLED DEAL FALLS APART DURING DELAWARE COURT APPEARANCE

"We're thrilled her reasoning tracked with the arguments we laid out in our brief to the Court," Howell told Fox News Digital. "Hunter Biden won't be able to use this sweetheart plea deal as a get out of jail free card for any charges that may arise from the ongoing investigation into him. And that means that President Biden didn't get a pass either."

Paul Kemenar, counsel for the National Legal and Policy Center, said it's absurd that a multi-year Justice Department investigation ultimately resulted in misdemeanor charges.

"It's outrageous that after a five-year investigation of Hunter Biden, and the recent IRS whistleblowers' sworn testimony of a Justice Department coverup and obstruction, the best that the prosecutor can come up with is a couple misdemeanor charges and recommend probation as a slap on the wrist," Kamenar told Fox News Digital.

"Thankfully, Judge Norieka rejected the plea deal as we urged, but it remains to be seen if a new deal is agreed to," Kamenar added.

HUNTER BIDEN AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY TO FEDERAL TAX CHARGES

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton went even further and stated that the development should, at a minimum, lead to an impeachment inquiry targeting Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"If the DOJ had an ethical culture, this astonishing development would result in the resignations of US Attorney Weiss, Attorney General Garland and other responsible officials (such as the US Attorneys in CA and DC who helped subvert the prosecution), Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said.

"This development lends added urgency to an impeachment inquiry targeting Biden and, at least, Garland," Fitton added. "And if a special counsel isn't immediately appointed by Garland to investigate Biden, Inc., one can further presume that Garland is criminally compromised."

Hunter Biden was also expected to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate felony charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.

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

Judge Maryellen Noreika pressed federal prosecutors on the investigation and questioned whether there was the possibility for future charges, and asked prosecutors if Hunter Biden was currently under active investigation. Prosecutors said he was, but would not answer specifically what the president's son is under investigation for.

During a contentious court hearing in a federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, federal prosecutor Leo Wise confirmed to Judge Noreika of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware that the DOJ is still investigating Hunter Biden over a potential FARA violation. According to the DOJ, a willful violation of FARA could result in a five-year imprisonment and $250,000 fine, or both.

"Yes," Wise stated after Noreika asked him whether the government could bring a charge against Hunter Biden related to FARA.

Prosecutors on Wednesday, though, said Hunter Biden pleading guilty to the two misdemeanor tax offenses would not immunize him from future charges.

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Hunter Biden ultimately pleaded not guilty because Noreika could not accept the plea deal as constructed. She repeatedly expressed her concerns about the constitutionality of the diversion deal related to the felony gun charge, specifying that the main issue with the agreement was that if Hunter Biden breached the deal, the judge would need to make a finding of fact on the matter before the government could bring charges.

Will collapse of Hunter Biden plea deal help RFK Jr. in his longshot primary bid against President Biden?

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The potential collapse of Hunter Biden’s plea deal with prosecutors during a contentious court hearing in federal court in Delaware on Wednesday will likely provide Republicans with more ammunition as they aim to link President Biden to his son’s high-profile legal difficulties.

But looking ahead to the president’s 2024 re-election campaign, while Democratic strategists scoff at the notion that the younger Biden’s scandals could weaken his father’s bid for re-nomination and potentially help primary challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a veteran political analyst told Fox News that "this is not a good situation for a man who’s weak in the polls and is running for re-election."

Hunter Biden was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, as part of plea deal with federal prosecutors to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge. The younger Bien owned a handgun in 2018 – during a period where he’s admitted he was regularly using cocaine. That violates federal law, which prohibits drug users from possessing firearms.

But after the judge in the case refused to accept the plea agreement – due to questions of the constitutionality of the deal – Hunter Biden pleaded "not guilty" as federal prosecutors confirmed the president's son is still under federal investigation.

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’ AS PLEA DEAL FALLS APART DURING DELAWARE COURT APPEARANCE

Wednesday’s legal fireworks come after Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower testimony revealed allegations of Department of Justice misconduct throughout the years long investigation into the president's son, which began during former President Donald Trump’s administration.

Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealing with Ukraine when his father was serving as vice president in the Obama administration are also in the spotlight. A separate whistleblower has alleged 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 this week House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floated that the Republican majority in the chamber may consider an impeachment inquiry into the president over the unproven claims of financial misconduct.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN'S DAY IN COURT

"There’s a lot of questions and we need some answers," Republican presidential candidate and former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

Haley argued that "now there’s enough questions and enough whistleblowers to say ‘OK, should there be a congressional inquiry into looking into this and I think that’s what Speaker McCarthy’s talking about and if he decides to go through the inquiry, it would totally be warranted."

The White House has pushed back against Republicans, criticizing what it says were "unfounded, unproven, politically motivated attacks against the president and his family" made "without offering evidence for their claims or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests."

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 longshot primary challenges from Kennedy – 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.

Fox News reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for reaction to Wednesday’s legal developments but didn’t receive a response by the time this story was published.

But Kennedy, in a Fox News Channel interview this past weekend, said he backs McCarthy’s potential probe into the Bidens.

"The issues that are now coming up are worrying enough that we really need a real investigation of what happened," Kennedy told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures."

"I mean, these revelations …where you have Burisma, which is this notoriously corrupt company, that paid out apparently $10 million to Hunter and his dad, if that’s true, then it is really troubling….So I think … it needs to be investigated," Kennedy said.

RFK JR RIPS WHITE HOUSE'S ‘BAD DECISIONS,’ WON'T SAY WHETHER BIDEN IS FIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT

Whether the controversy surrounding the Bidens will boost Kennedy’s bid against Biden is under debate in New Hampshire, which will likely be ground zero for attempts by Kennedy and Williamson to try and upend the president’s renomination.

Pointing to the president’s approval ratings – which have been underwater for nearly two years – and polls suggesting Democrats are anything but enthused with the 80-year-old Biden seeking a second four-year term in the White House, New Hampshire Institute of Politics executive director Neil Levesque told Fox News that "there is a lot of chatter right now and nervous Democrats concerned about Biden running anyway, and the polls indicate that."

"So if you add on any legal difficulties that his son might have that also tarnish the president’s image, it’s not good for him. This is not a good situation for a man who’s weak in the polls and is running for re-election," Levesque argued.

And he said that "every week that goes by where Hunter Biden has more legal troubles it creates a precarious position" for the president.

But veteran political scientist Dante Scala of the University of New Hampshire disagreed, emphasizing 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."

"Until something emerges that clearly shows that the president did something wrong here, I think Democratic primary voters shrug. Especially given the alternatives. The alternative in no way is Robert F. Kennedy or Marianne Williamson," Scala argued.

Voicing what many Democratic strategists are saying in a party that appears united behind the president, New England based Democratic consultant Joe Caiazzo told Fox News that "the reason why the Republicans are going after the president on Hunter Biden is because they cannot attack him on his record of governing because he’s been a success."

"I think Democratic primary voters are focused on making sure that we win back the House and keep control of the Senate and keep President Biden in the White House in 2024," added Caiazzo, a veteran of multiple Democratic presidential campaigns.

The behavior of some controversial Republicans in Congress may also be energizing Democrats to support Biden.

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Pointing to conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who is facing plenty of criticism for prominently displaying explicit photos of Hunter Biden at recent House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing, a progressive activist in New Hampshire said when it comes to Democratic primary voters, "even if there was something on Biden, it’s lost in all the nonsense and false accusations."

Fox News' Brooke Singman and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to how Hunter Biden’s legal woes could accelerate an impeachment inquiry

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

The legal woes of Hunter Biden and today’s dropped plea deal likely accelerates the possibility of a formal impeachment inquiry by House Republicans.

Some Republicans were skeptical of launching any sort of inquiry – let alone impeaching the President.

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS 'NOT GUILTY' AS PLEA DEAL FALLS APART DURING DELAWARE COURT APPEARANCE

But issues with the plea deal did nothing but pose more questions from Republicans.

That’s why this likely spurs more serious conversation about impeachment inquiry.

HUNTER BIDEN TO APPEAR IN FEDERAL COURT, ENTER GUILTY PLEA OUT OF YEARS-LONG FEDERAL PROBE

This will be about the math.

The full House must vote to formally begin an impeachment inquiry. It’s fair to say that the House is a little closer to that now than it was before the Hunter Biden deal blew up.

LONGTIME BIDEN ALLY WAS PROSECUTOR IN US ATTORNEY WEISS' OFFICE DURING HUNTER PROBE, CALLED HIM 'A BROTHER'

Moreover, voting to ESTABLISH an impeachment inquiry gives the House WIDE LATITUDE to go after more documents, information and conduct depositions. The Hunter Biden deal situation poses more questions than answers. So more Republicans may be inclined to pursue such a plan.

Meantime, Democrats seem to be caught off guard by the change with Hunter Biden’s deal. They were prepared to just dismiss this and move on. But they can’t anymore. So far, Democrats have presented little cohesive strategy about how to deal with this turn events – and protect the president.

We could hear more about this Thursday and Friday as this is the last time until mid-September that the House will be in town.

Expect lawmakers to pepper House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) about the next steps. And also, pose questions to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) about the defense Democrats may need to mount on behalf of the president.

White House shuts down questions on collapse of Hunter Biden plea deal: ‘I don’t have anything to share’

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly shut down questions from reporters concerning the collapse of Hunter Biden's plea deal during Wednesday's daily press briefing.

Jean-Pierre began the briefing by attempting to preemptively encourage reporters not to ask questions related to Hunter's ongoing legal issues by stating he "is a private citizen and this was a personal matter for him," and directed questions to his legal representation.

It didn't work.

"Have the president and his attorneys been in touch with Hunter's legal team today? And have they been keeping tabs on the proceedings?" one reporter asked.

HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS ‘NOT GUILTY’ AS PLEA DEAL FALLS APART DURING DELAWARE COURT APPEARANCE

"Look, I don't have anything to share. I would refer you to — on this particular issue I would refer you to Hunter's representative. I would refer you to the Department of Justice. I don't have anything to share beyond on what I shared at the top of this briefing," Jean-Pierre responded.

The reporter noted it was "extremely rare" for such a high-profile plea deal to fall apart, and asked if President Biden felt federal prosecutors in the case has acted "appropriately and competently."

"This was an independent investigation that was overseen by the Department of Justice. As we've been very clear, they are independent. We give them the space to do their work. We believe in the rule of law. I just don't have anything else to share on this. I would refer you to the Department of Justice. Again, this was done independently, and I would also refer you to Hunter's representatives," Jean-Pierre answered.

Another reporter noted President Biden's steadfast support for stricter gun laws throughout his political career, and asked if he believed "someone who is charged with possessing a firearm illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," referencing Hunter.

RFK JR RIPS WHITE HOUSE'S ‘BAD DECISIONS,’ WON'T SAY WHETHER BIDEN IS FIT TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT

"I think I know where this question is going, and I'm just going to continue to say, as it relates to the case that we're seeing in Delaware, I'm just going to not speak to that. It is an independent matter," Jean-Pierre answered.

"This is up for the Department of Justice. Even with the question that you're asking me, it's up to — it's one of those legal criminal matters, and it's up to that process, that legal process. I'm just not going to speak to it here," she said.

The reporter pressed Jean-Pierre, noting Biden's previous work on gun legislation and his comments on getting "illegal firearms off of our streets." "So when someone possesses one illegally, what does the president believe should happen today?" the reporter asked.

"The president has been very clear. You just laid out where his position has been, what his policies have been, what he was able to pass into law. I'm going to be very mindful here. I'm going to be very careful because I see where this question is going," Jean-Pierre responded.

SPEAKER MCCARTHY REVEALS RED LINE FOR POSSIBLE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

"And I'm just going to refer you — as this has been an independent investigation. It's overseen by the Department of Justice. I'm going to let them speak to this as they are moving forward," she added.

Hunter Biden's plea deal fell apart during his first court appearance earlier in the day, leading to his "not guilty" pleas as federal prosecutors confirmed the president's son is still under federal investigation.

He was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax as part of a plea deal to avoid jail time on a felony gun charge.

But Judge Maryellen Noreika did not accept the plea agreement, questioning the constitutionality — specifically the diversion clause and the immunity Hunter Biden would receive.

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Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Speaker McCarthy reveals red line for possible Biden impeachment inquiry

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Latest Political News on Fox News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy revealed Republicans' red line for possible impeachment proceedings against President Biden, telling Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that his party would, for now, continue seeking information related to the Biden family finances unless that information began being withheld.

McCarthy added that if "at any time" he felt they weren't going to be able to get the information they needed to progress through the investigation, then they "would have to rise to the level of impeachment inquiry."

MCCARTHY: BIDEN CASE WILL ‘RISE TO IMPEACHMENT’ AS 16 ROMANIAN PAYMENTS ALLEGEDLY WENT TO ‘SHELL COMPANIES’

"That's not happening today. But what I'm explaining to everybody that if we don't get the information, I will go to impeachment inquiry to make sure we get all the answers," he said.

When asked whether he thought a sitting U.S. president could be impeached based off actions that occurred before they took office, McCarthy dismissed dealing in hypotheticals.

"What we're looking right now is getting an answer to the questions and seeing, did [Attorney General Merrick] Garland lie to the American public or not? We know what has been said in these meetings, and we're going to get the answers," he said.

McCarthy predicted during a Monday appearance on Fox News' "Hannity" that House Republicans would soon have enough evidence gathered to mount an impeachment inquiry against Biden as the corruption scandal enveloping him and his son Hunter continues to grow.

HOUSE CONSERVATIVES HUNGRY FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT AFTER MCCARTHY'S COMMENTS: ‘GROUND SHIFTED’

During the interview, McCarthy said that 16 of the 17 payments the Bidens allegedly received from a Romanian national went to what he described as "Biden shell companies" while Biden was vice president. According to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., the elder Biden had been "lecturing Romania on anti-corruption policies" while instead being a "walking billboard for his… family to collect money."

"When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he's never talked about [Hunter's] business. He said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now prove is not true," McCarthy said during the interview.

Biden has long denied discussion or involvement in Hunter's business deals, recently rebuffing a New York Post reporter who asked why he is reportedly referred to as the "big guy" in the FBI form – which is the same nickname purportedly used as a pseudonym in a message gleaned from previously released documentation connected to Hunter.

DOJ OFFERS HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATOR FOR TESTIMONY BEFORE THE HOUSE

McCarthy's comments have riled up members of the House Freedom Caucus, who appeared eager Tuesday for him to make good on his veiled impeachment threats, with one saying the leader's words marked a "paradigm shift."

"When he does speak to … impeachment, it carries a tremendous amount of weight. And that's why I think the ground shifted on that a little bit when he opened up the door," Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said after the group's Tuesday press conference. "I don't think there's any question that him speaking to that has caused a paradigm shift."

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Fox News' Charles Creitz and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.