Category: fox-news/politics/executive/white-house

Biden to celebrate 81st birthday by honoring White House Thanksgiving tradition

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President Biden is set to celebrate his 81st birthday at the White House on Monday by honoring a Thanksgiving tradition.

Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, will join first lady Jill Biden Monday afternoon for the presidential pardons of Liberty and Bell, two Thanksgiving turkeys that will be spared from becoming someone’s dinner. Later, the Bidens will continue holiday festivities by accepting the delivery of the official White House Christmas tree – an 18-and-a-half foot Fraser fir from Fleetwood, North Carolina.

The event marks the unofficial start of the holiday season in the nation's capital and will be held on the South Lawn this year instead of the Rose Garden.

From there, Biden will eat his Thanksgiving turkey with his family on Nantucket, a Massachusetts island, continuing a long family tradition. 

MCCARTHY MAKES STUNNING ADMISSION ON BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY: THE FACTS HAVE LED 'EVEN CLOSER'

Liberty and Bell will be spared in a tradition that dates back to 1947, when the National Turkey Federation, which represents turkey farmers and producers, first presented a National Thanksgiving Turkey to President Harry Truman.

Back then, and in preceding Thanksgivings, a turkey was given to the first family for their consumption on the holiday, but by the late 1980s, the tradition had evolved into an often humorous ceremony in which the birds are pardoned.

"We think that’s a great way to kick off the holiday season and really, really a fun honor," Steve Lykken, chairman of the National Turkey Federation and president of the Jennie-O Turkey Store, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

SPEAKER JOHNSON: BIDEN ENGAGING IN ‘COVER-UP’ OF ROLE IN HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS, IMPEACHMENT PROBE CONTINUES

Lykken introduced Liberty and Bell on Sunday at the Willard Intercontinental, a luxury hotel close to the White House. They were checked into a suite there on Saturday following their dayslong road trip from Minnesota.

The male turkeys, both about 20 weeks old and about 42 pounds, were hatched in July in Willmar, Minnesota. After Biden pardons his third pair of turkeys on Monday, Liberty and Bell will be returned to their home state to be cared for by the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resources Sciences.

"They were raised like all of our turkeys, protected, of course, from weather extremes and predators, free to walk about with constant access to water and feed," Lykken said Sunday.

Markus Platzer, the Willard's general manager, called the turkeys "very special guests of ours" and said the hotel's involvement is its "highlight of the year." The Willard has housed turkeys for such events for more than 15 years, he said.

"There are so many bad things going on globally that this is something where everybody, you know, brings a smile [to] the face of the people, at least for a few minutes," Platzer said Sunday.

On Sunday, he and the first lady served an early Thanksgiving meal to hundreds of service members from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, the largest installation of its kind in the world.

More than 200 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving, Lykken said.

Biden was born on Nov. 20, 1942.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Speaker Johnson calls for ‘key witnesses’ to testify under oath in Biden impeachment inquiry

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EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., suggested that the impeachment inquiry of President Biden would be moving into the next "appropriate step," which includes gathering key witness testimony.

Johnson got an update on the impeachment inquiry earlier on Wednesday from the three House GOP committee chairmen who are leading the probe: Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo.

"At this stage, our impeachment inquiry has already shown the corrupt conduct of the president’s family and that he and White House officials have repeatedly lied about his knowledge and involvement in his family’s business activities," Johnson told Fox News Digital afterward.

SPEAKER JOHNSON: BIDEN ENGAGING IN ‘COVER-UP’ OF ROLE IN HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS, IMPEACHMENT PROBE CONTINUES

"It has also exposed the tens of millions of dollars from foreign adversaries being paid to shell companies controlled by the president’s son, brother and their business associates," he added.

Johnson said the impeachment inquiry is moving ahead with his support.

"Now, the appropriate step is to place key witnesses under oath and question them under the penalty of perjury to fill gaps in the record," Johnson said.

HOUSE GOP TO PRESENT EVIDENCE AGAINST BIDEN IN FIRST IMPEACHMENT HEARING

"I commend the good work of Chairmen Comer, Jordan and Smith. As we move forward toward an inflection point in this critical investigation, they have my full and unwavering support."

House Republicans have accused Biden and his family of bribery and influence peddling, including with foreign actors. The president’s allies have dismissed the allegations as political attacks.

Last week, Comer subpoenaed both the president's son and brother, Hunter Biden and James Biden, as well as several associates, including the gallery owner who hosted Hunter's foray into the professional art world, Georges Bergès.

Johnson, who was a constitutional lawyer before being elected to Congress, has taken a careful and meticulous approach to the possibility of impeaching the president.

COMER SUBPOENAS PERSONAL, BUSINESS BANK RECORDS FOR HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN AS PART OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

He’s made no secret of his own opinions, including as a member of the Judiciary Committee before becoming speaker, but Johnson has urged Republicans to follow due process to build a case.

Johnson said at a press conference this month that House Republicans were "coming to a point of decision" on impeachment "very soon."

"We have to follow due process, and we have to follow the law," he said. "That means following our obligation on the Constitution and doing appropriate investigations in the right way at the right pace, so that the evidence comes in and we follow the evidence where it leads."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Johnson's Wednesday statement.

Comer, Jordan subpoena former White House counsel for testimony related to Biden’s classified docs

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FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan subpoenaed former White House Counsel Dana Remus to appear for a deposition and requested transcribed interviews from several other officials with knowledge of President Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, Fox News Digital has learned.

Comer and Jordan subpoenaed Remus Monday. 

Comer first requested she appear for a transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee in May. That request came after the panel obtained information that they said "contradicts important details from the White House’s and President Biden’s personal attorney’s statements about the discovery of documents at the Penn Biden Center, including the location and security of the classified documents."

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

Comer has described Remus as a "central figure in the early stages of coordinating the packing and moving of boxes that were later found to contain classified materials." Comer, in May. Said Remus could be a witness "with potentially unique knowledge" about the matter.

Comer and Jordan also requested an interview with Annie Tomasini, a senior Biden aide and director of Oval Office Operations who took "inventory" of Biden's documents at the Penn Biden Center over a year before they were said to be found. Tomasini is a close friend of the Biden family, and Hunter Biden.

They also requested an interview with Anthony Bernal, a senior advisor in First Lady Jill Biden’s office and Ashley Williams, a special assistant to the president and deputy director of Oval Office Operations; and Katharine 

House Republicans identified Remus, Bernal, Williams, Tomasini and an unknown staffer, in addition to Kathy Chung, a top aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, as individuals who made multiple visits to the Penn Biden Center and were involved with the retrieval of boxes of documents and materials ahead of early November 2022, which was when Biden's personal attorneys "unexpectedly discovered Obama-Biden documents" in a locked closet at the Biden think tank.

BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

Biden attorneys claim that classified documents were first discovered at the Penn Biden Center on Nov. 2, 2022, but Comer has pointed to contact between Remus and Cheung dating back to May 2022.

Comer has questioned Remus’ timing of first contacting Chung, flagging that the first contact on May 24, 2022, was "notably" the same day the Justice Department had dated a subpoena return date for former President Donald Trump to turn over any classified records being held at Mar-a-Lago.

Remus left the Biden administration last year and joined Covington & Burling LLP as a partner.

"Facts continue to emerge showing that the White House’s narrative of President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents doesn’t add up," Comer, R-Ky., said. "It is imperative to learn whether President Biden retained sensitive documents related to any countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings that brought in millions for the Biden family." 

HOUSE OVERSIGHT DEMANDS EX-WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL DANA REMUS TESTIFY AS PART OF BIDEN CLASSIFIED RECORDS PROBE

"The Oversight Committee looks forward to hearing directly from Dana Remus and other central figures to further our investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and determine whether our national security has been compromised," Comer continued. 

And Jordan, R-Ohio said the subpoenas and interview requests is part of the House's effort to hold the Justice Department and the president accountable.

"President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, including the apparently unauthorized possession of classified material at a Washington, D.C. private office and in the garage of his Delaware residence, raise serious concerns about his mishandling of sensitive intelligence information and his Department of Justice’s double standard of justice," Jordan said. "Today’s subpoena and transcribed interview requests represent another step in holding President Biden and the DOJ accountable." 

Comer, Jordan and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., are leading the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. 

"This is just the latest example of President Biden's willingness to skirt the law in order to hide the truth," Smith told Fox News Digital. "If the President himself was illegally holding classified material for some purpose, the American people deserve to know what that purpose is--and whether it constitutes an abuse of office." 

Smith added that the Biden administration "hasn't hesitated to scrutinize political opponents' use of classified materials, and he should be held to the same standard." 

WEISS SAYS HE 'WASN'T GRANTED' SPECIAL ATTORNEY AUTHORITY IN HUNTER BIDEN PROBE DESPITE REQUEST: TRANSCRIPT

Meanwhile, the subpoenas also come after Comer, last month, demanded answers from Special Counsel Robert Hur, who is investigating Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, on whether the sensitive, classified documents Biden retained were related to specific countries— countries that were involved in his family’s lucrative foreign business deals.

Comer is investigating the Biden family’s foreign business dealings as part of the House impeachment inquiry, as well as Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Comer also requested from Hur a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings.

Biden sat down for an interview with Hur last month.

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

"As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can, consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation," White House spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams said after the president's interview with the special counsel. 

Hur’s investigation comes after a batch of records from President Biden's time as vice president, including a "small number of documents with classified markings," were discovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president's personal attorneys on Nov. 2, 2022. 

Additional classified records were discovered at President Biden’s Wilmington home in January. After that discovery, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel to investigate the matter.

Republicans demand answers after top Biden official invited CCP leaders to sensitive national security site

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FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of 18 House Republicans led by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., are pressing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm over her agency's invitation for foreign adversaries to inspect a sensitive U.S. nuclear testing site.

In a letter sent Thursday morning, Stefanik and the other Republicans blasted Granholm for recently offering China and Russia "unprecedented access" to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Nevada National Security Site. Bloomberg reported in September that the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration invited Chinese and Russian officials to tour the site to prove the U.S. is upholding a three-decade moratorium against testing nuclear weapons.

"I am leading my colleagues in demanding that President Biden revoke this misguided invitation to our adversaries in Beijing and Moscow that grants them unprecedented access and insight into our nuclear weapons," Stefanik told Fox News Digital. "Inviting Communist China and Russia to have a front row seat for our sensitive nuclear weapons tests will give them invaluable information on how to defeat our nuclear capabilities and improve their own."

"At a time when our adversaries are growing their nuclear stockpiles to undermine America’s leadership allowing them access to one of our nuclear test sites will only advance this pursuit and lead to our own destruction," she continued.

NON-BINARY EX-BIDEN OFFICIAL SAM BRINTON WAS ON SECRET TAXPAYER-FUNDED TRIP AT TIME OF LUGGAGE THEFT

The National Nuclear Security Administration invited its Chinese and Russian counterparts to tour the Nevada site — where sensitive nuclear experimentation is conducted — during the latest International Atomic Energy Agency summit, according to Bloomberg. Corey Hinderstein, a senior National Nuclear Security Administration official, said China and Russia didn't immediately respond to the invitation.

GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: 'SHE LIED, UNDER OATH'

The invitation came months after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended his nation's participation in the only remaining nuclear arms control pact with America. And last week Putin signed a law withdrawing Russia from its ratification of a global treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in a move quickly condemned by the State Department and which is evidence of deteriorating relations between the two sides.

Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., who was one of the co-signers of Stefanik's letter to Granholm on Thursday, said allowing foreign adversaries to observe U.S. nuclear testing activities "allows them to derive our methods and procedures and this destroys deterrence."

"As Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, one of my priorities has been to strengthen and protect our nuclear arsenal," he told Fox News Digital. "In the world today, nothing could jeopardize our national security more than losing this advantage. I was stunned to hear recent reports of Biden administration officials inviting citizens from our two greatest adversaries to observe U.S. nuclear weapons tests."

"Russia and China should not have insider access to our testing. Both countries have had ample opportunity to be more open about their nuclear weapons development and deployments and refuse to do so. The amendment I introduced on this matter will halt the Biden administration's latest lapse in judgment," the Colorado lawmaker continued.

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Late last month, Lamborn introduced a bill to block foreign nationals from witnessing U.S. nuclear weapons testing at national labs. The bill was attached to the Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act which the House passed on Oct. 26.

The letter Thursday also comes as China continues to expand its own nuclear capabilities and armament. Stefanik, Lamborn and the other GOP lawmakers noted the Department of Defense has warned China’s nuclear expansion is exceeding previous U.S. projections.

"The PRC is now projected to have over 1,000 warheads by the end of this decade," General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told lawmakers during an Armed Services Committee hearing in March.

In their letter, the Republicans told Granholm that China now has no reason to halt the aggressive expansion of its nuclear development "if they are given this access while offering nothing in return." They further noted that China has refused to engage in discussions on its nuclear expansion and DOE's actions threaten to "embolden their efforts to continue growing their arsenal."

"The notion of granting America’s adversaries’ access to our military sites — and enabling them to gain information about U.S. nuclear capabilities — is deeply alarming and fundamentally absurd," Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., another letter co-signer, told Fox News Digital. 

"I am proud to join my colleagues in demanding the Biden administration explain why they are inviting Russian and Chinese Communist Party officials to access our most sensitive laboratories and testing facilities." 

In addition to Stefanik, Lamborn and Wittman, fellow GOP Reps. Joe Wilson, James Moylan, Bill Posey, Pat Fallon, Chris Smith, Ashley Hinson, Carlos Gimenez, Scott DesJarlais, John Moolenaar, Lance Gooden, Brett Guthrie, Dale Strong, Julia Letlow, Robert Aderholt and Brad Wenstrup also co-signed the letter.

The DOE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Speaker Johnson: Biden engaging in ‘cover-up’ of role in Hunter business dealings, impeachment probe continues

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EXCLUSIVE: House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Biden is engaged in an "ongoing cover-up" and has "lied repeatedly" about his involvement in and knowledge of Hunter Biden’s business dealings, while telling Fox News Digital that the impeachment inquiry against him will continue "methodically" and without a "predetermined" outcome.

Johnson, R-La., was elected speaker of the House of Representatives this week. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., launched the impeachment inquiry against Biden in September.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Friday evening, the speaker said the inquiry will continue under his leadership.

"We are the rule of law team, and so we have to respect and regard due process and do this in a way that the founders would have intended," he said. "Impeachment is an awesome power that Congress has, and it is not intended to be, nor should it be, used as a political tool to be wielded lightly."

COMER DEMANDS WHITE HOUSE PROVIDE RECORDS TO PROVE $200K PAYMENT TO BIDEN FROM BROTHER WAS A LOAN

Johnson added, "We take this very seriously."

The speaker said House Republicans will continue investigating, "collecting evidence and following the truth and that evidence wherever it leads."

"We’ve not predetermined the outcome of this. We’ve not pre-judged it," he said. "But I think everyone can see how it is unfolding," he added. 

Johnson, a constitutional lawyer and former member of the House Judiciary Committee and House Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has been involved in the impeachment investigation first-hand.

The inquiry is led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, and Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith.

"They’ve just really done exceptional work uncovering the evidence," Johnson said. "They’ve done a great job, and they’ve been very methodical here."

Johnson said impeachment was "designed by the framers of the Constitution to be a very careful and sensitive thing that has to be handled legally and appropriately, and that’s what has been done by our chairmen." 

Legal experts have been torn on whether Congress can initiate impeachment proceedings for alleged treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors that transpired before holding the office of the presidency. 

FBI RECEIVED 'CRIMINAL INFORMATION' FROM OVER 40 CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES ON JOE BIDEN, HUNTER, JAMES: GRASSLEY

The scope of the impeachment inquiry covers the span the time of Biden’s vice presidency to the present, including his time out of office.

When asked for his theory on the matter, Johnson said: "I think I can argue the case that it should extend that far, but I’m not sure that we will have to in this case."

"We have an ongoing cover-up of the important facts as Joseph Biden is sitting in the Oval Office," Johnson said. "We know that he stared right into the camera as the president and lied repeatedly—I mean, multiple times—he lied directly multiple times about his involvement and knowledge of his son’s business dealings. We all know that now." 

He added: "He is, you know, as the sitting president, he has been involved in covering it up."

DOJ ORDERED HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS TO 'REMOVE ANY REFERENCE' TO JOE BIDEN IN FARA PROBE WARRANT: HOUSE GOP

Johnson said he believes there is "an overwhelming amount of evidence, and that seems to indicate that he was involved and that they did know about this, and that the family did benefit from it." 

"I think we might be arguing about high crimes and misdemeanors, but I’m not so certain bribery is not involved in some way here, either," Johnson said. "And of course, bribery is specifically listed in the Constitution, and so we have an obligation to pursue it." 

He added, "There’s a lot of smoke here, and we’re going to find out very soon how big the fire is."

Johnson, pointing to the records being collected by House Republicans in the ongoing inquiry, said "Bank records don’t lie." 

"We have receipts now, we're connecting the dots, and I think this will continue in earnest," he said.

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

Comer, R-Ky., has collected bank records belonging to the Biden family, and is continuing to do so. His panel is currently collecting subpoenaed personal and business records belonging to Hunter Biden and James Biden.

Comer so far has said his panel has uncovered that the Biden family and their business associates brought in more than $24 million between 2014 and 2019 by "selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world.

The White House maintains that President Biden was never in business with his son and had previously insisted he never discussed business with his son or his family. White House officials have blasted the impeachment inquiry against the president as an "evidence-free" political stunt. 

Johnson told Fox News Digital that there are "a lot of Americans who are really anxious to have accountability."

"But I want to assure everyone that we are working through the process in the appropriate and constitutional manner," he said. "And I think we’re well-positioned to bring accountability to the American people—they deserve it."

Meanwhile, Johnson had a "pleasant meeting" with President Biden at the White House this week.

"He was engaging and personable," Johnson said. "This is not a personal thing that I have with him. I have to do my job, and he has to do his, and my job is to bring accountability to people, and so, I don’t make any apology for that."

Johnson was on the impeachment defense team for former President Trump in 2020.

"I saw firsthand how the Democrats took a sledgehammer to hundreds of years of precedent," he said. "And we were decrying that all along the way and pointing out that they were opening a Pandora's box and really just diminishing the institution for, kind of, a political vendetta against President Trump."

When asked how he would respond to Democrats casting the continued impeachment inquiry against Biden as political, Johnson quoted John Adams.

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

"I don't expect anything different from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle with regard to this but as John Adams said, ‘facts are stubborn things,’ and we are going to present the facts and we're going to follow the truth," Johnson said. "And so it doesn't matter what the mainstream media narrative is or what the Democrats say—we’re going to lay the facts bare for the American people to draw their own conclusions, and I think they'll draw the right ones."

As for a timeline, Johnson said he doesn’t have one.

"And I haven't prejudged anything," he said. "If I had, I would be guilty of everything that I've pointed out Democrats have done wrong, but I do believe that we're going to draw a lot of this to conclusion soon.

And I'm anxious to do that because I think the American people are owed that."

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Beyond investigating Biden’s ties to his family’s business dealings, House Republicans are also probing the alleged obstruction of the Justice Department’s years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden. The allegations stem from IRS whistleblowers who allege politics influenced prosecutorial steps throughout the probe.

Comer demands White House provide records to prove $200K payment to Biden from brother was a loan

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FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding the White House provide documentation "clarifying the nature" of a $200,000 payment from James Biden to Joe Biden in 2018, Fox News Digital has learned.

Comer, R-Ky., last week, said his panel had uncovered evidence that Joe Biden, in 2018, received a "$200,000 direct payment" in the form of a "personal check" from his brother James Biden and sister-in-law Sara Biden. The check was labeled "loan repayment." 

The White House last week said the committee found that as a private citizen, the president loaned his brother his own money when his brother needed it, and after reviewing bank records, there is a record that he was repaid. 

COMER RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT $200K 'DIRECT PAYMENT' FROM JAMES BIDEN TO JOE BIDEN IN 2018

But on Thursday, Comer penned a letter to White House Counsel Edward Siskel requesting documentation on the payment.

"The White House has claimed Joe Biden loaned James Biden $200,000, and this check was repayment," Comer wrote. "Records obtained by the committee do show numerous large incoming transactions into the personal accounts of James and Sara Biden from various entities." 

Comer, in September, had subpoenaed the personal and business financial records belonging to both James Biden and Hunter Biden.

"Some of these transaction records may have obscured the identity of the true payer, but no records in the committee’s possession state that Joe Biden made a large loan payment to his brother," Comer wrote.

"If Joe Biden did personally loan James Biden an amount that was later repaid by the $200,000 check, please provide the loan documents, including the loan payment, loan agreement, and any other supporting loan documentation," Comer wrote.

Comer flagged that the Internal Revenue Code has "specific requirements for delineating and reporting ‘below-market [rate] loans’ from gifts."

FBI RECEIVED 'CRIMINAL INFORMATION' FROM OVER 40 CONFIDENTIAL SOURCES ON JOE BIDEN, HUNTER, JAMES: GRASSLEY

"While there are some exceptions, for example loans of $10,000 or less, the payment in question would not appear exempt from such requirements if it is a loan," Comer said. "Indeed, there appears to have been no interest paid on the ‘loan’ based upon the White House’s own representations."

Comer said the "current lack of documentation" leaves "reason to doubt claims that this transaction was repayment for a legal loan."

Comer requested documentation "clarifying the nature of this payment and whether all applicable documentation and IRS filings were properly made."

"Whether it was a loan or not, James Biden’s March 1, 2018, check to Joe Biden aptly demonstrates one way he personally benefited from his family’s shady influence peddling os his name and their access to him," Comer said. "Even if the transaction in question was part of a loan agreement, we are troubled that Joe Biden’s ability to recoup funds depend on his brother’s cashing-in on the Biden brand."

Comer has been leading an investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings since January and whether President Biden was involved in those ventures or "personally benefited" from them.

Comer first made public the revelation of the $200,000 "loan repayment" from James to Joe Biden last week in a video posted to "X," formerly known as Twitter.

In the video, Comer explains that in 2018, James Biden "received $600,000 in loans from Americore – a financially distressed and failing rural hospital operator." 

"According to bankruptcy court documents, James Biden received these loans based upon representations that his last name Biden, could open doors; and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections," Comer said.

"On March 1, 2018, Americore wired a $200,000 loan into James and Sara Biden’s personal bank account – not their business bank account," he continued. "And then, on the very same day, James Biden wrote a $200,000 check from this same personal bank account to Joe Biden."

Comer said James Biden "wrote this check to Joe Biden as a ‘loan repayment.’"

"Americore – a distressed company – loaned money to James Biden who then sent it to Joe Biden," Comer said.

Comer also demanded Biden answer whether he knew that the same day he received the $200,000 check, "James Biden had just received a loan for the exact same amount from business dealings with a company that was in financial distress and failing."

The White House, last week, blasted the investigation altogether, calling it a "self-debunking wild goose chase that’s only turning up evidence that President Biden did nothing wrong." 

"After rummaging through thousands of pages of a private citizen’s bank records, they have again turned up zero evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden – and that’s because there is none," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said. "President Biden didn’t do anything wrong." 

Comer's claims come amid his months-long investigation. Comer, alongside House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., is leading the House impeachment inquiry against Biden. 

So far, during his committee's investigation, Comer said he has found that Biden family members, their business associates and their "related companies" received "significant payments from individuals and companies in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Romania."

Comer said the House Oversight Committee has learned throughout its investigation that the Biden family and their business associates brought in more than $24 million between 2014 and 2019 by "selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world."

FBI received ‘criminal information’ from over 40 confidential sources on Joe Biden, Hunter, James: Grassley

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EXCLUSIVE: The FBI maintained more than 40 confidential human sources on various criminal matters related to the Biden family, including Joe Biden, dating back to his time as vice president, according to information obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley.

The confidential human sources "provided criminal information to the FBI relating to Joe Biden, James Biden, and Hunter Biden." Those confidential human sources were managed by multiple FBI field offices across the nation—including the FBI’s Seattle Field Office.

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

But Grassley learned that an FBI task force within the Washington Field Office sought to, and in some cases, successfully, shut down reporting and information from those sources by falsely discrediting the information as foreign disinformation. That effort "caused investigative activity to cease."

However, despite those efforts by the FBI task force, Grassley said in at least one instance, a confidential human source and its information had been vetted by multiple U.S. attorney’s offices, which found "no hits to known sources of Russian disinformation."

The revelations were laid out in a letter Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray late Tuesday night. The letter was exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Based on the information provided to my office over a period of years by multiple credible whistleblowers, there appears to be an effort within the Justice Department and FBI to shut down investigative activity relating to the Biden family," Grassley wrote to Garland and Wray. "Such decisions point to significant political bias infecting the decision-making of not only the Attorney General and FBI Director, but also line agents and prosecutors."

He added: "Our Republic cannot survive such a political infection and you have an obligation to this country to clear the air."

Grassley has been investigating for years information, records, and allegations from multiple Justice Department whistleblowers that indicate "there is—and has been—an effort among certain Justice Department and FBI officials to improperly delay and stop full and complete investigative activity into the Biden family, including but not limited to FD-1023s referencing the Biden family."

An FD-1023 is an FBI-generated form used to document confidential human source reporting.

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

"An essential question that must be answered is this: did the FBI investigate the information or shut it down?" Grassley wrote, noting that if those sources were "improperly shut down, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the FBI."

One critical FD-1023 in question was first reported on by Fox News Digital earlier this year. That form included reporting from a "highly-credible" confidential human source who alleged a criminal bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, and the founder and CEO of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, Mykola Zlochevsky.

The form details multiple meetings and conversations the source had with a top executive of Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. Hunter Biden, at the time, sat on the board of Burisma.

The source told the FBI that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly "coerced" Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company, Viktor Shokin, fired.

The White House has denied the allegations.

But that form and those allegations are "part of an ongoing investigative matter," which Grassley says indicates "its investigative credibility and authenticity."

In the letter transmitted to the DOJ and FBI late Tuesday, Grassley revealed that in December 2019, the FBI Washington Field Office closed a "205B" Kleptocracy case into Zlochevsky. That probe had been opened in January 2016 by a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act squad based out of that same field office—a squad that included agents from FBI headquarters.

EXCLUSIVE: PERSON ALLEGING BIDEN CRIMINAL BRIBERY SCHEME IS 'HIGHLY CREDIBLE' FBI SOURCE USED SINCE OBAMA ADMIN: SOURCE

At the time of the closing of the probe, in December 2019, Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Burisma was heavily under the microscope amid the first impeachment of former President Trump. The impeachment proceedings were based on a request from Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine and why the prosecutor investigating Burisma had been fired.

Months later, in February 2020, Grassley said a meeting took place at the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, which involved discussion about investigative matters relating to the Hunter Biden investigation and related inquiries. By March 2020, a "guardian" assessment was opened in that office to analyze information about the Bidens provided by then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

During the course of that assessment, DOJ and FBI officials located an FD-1023 from March 1, 2017, relating to the kleptocracy investigation of Zlochevsky. That document included a reference to Hunter Biden being on the board of Burisma, which "the handling agent deemed at the time non-relevant information to the ongoing criminal financial case." 

"When that FD-1023 was discovered, Justice Department and FBI officials asked the handler for the Confidential Human Source to re-interview that CHS," Grassley said.

Eventually, that re-interview took place, Grassley said, and the aforementioned FD-1023 alleging a criminal scheme between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter Biden, and Zlochevsky, was created in June 2020.

But federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh were "limited in their investigative abilities." Grassley said because it was merely an "assessment." Prosecutors were not able to issue subpoenas and search warrants, but instead, only able to conduct "database checks."

"My office has been informed that the FBI agents and DOJ officials working the Pittsburgh Assessment had to pause their work for weeks at a time because the assessment had to be re-approved every 30 days by multiple DOJ and FBI officials," Grassley wrote in the letter.

DOJ KNEW HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WAS 'NOT MANIPULATED,' CONTAINED 'RELIABLE EVIDENCE' IN 2019: WHISTLEBLOWER

Several months later, in August 2020, FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten opened an assessment, which was used by the Foreign Influence Task Force, to seek out confidential human source information at FBI field offices across the country relating to the Biden family. Grassley said he then worked to "falsely discredit them as foreign disinformation."

The task force "attempted to shut down" the investigative steps on the FD-1023 in question, saying it "was subject to foreign disinformation." 

"It should be emphasized that the basis for trying to shut down the Biden family 1023 has been described to my office as highly suspect and is contradicted by other documents my office has been told exist within the Foreign Influence Task Force, FBI Seattle Field Office, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and FBI HQ holdings," Grassley wrote.

During that same time period, in August 2020, that task force traveled to Capitol Hill and "improperly briefed" Grassley and Johnson on their investigation into the Biden family after "pressure from congressional Democrats."

"That improper briefing was used by Democrat’s and the partisan media to falsely claim our investigation, which was based on Obama/Biden administration records, was impacted by foreign disinformation," Grassley wrote.

The Pittsburgh assessment was ultimately closed weeks later, in Sept. 2020, and a final report of its findings was transmitted by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Scott Brady to the main Justice Department—specifically directed to Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Rich Donoghue.

DOJ ORDERED HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS TO 'REMOVE ANY REFERENCE' TO JOE BIDEN IN FARA PROBE WARRANT: HOUSE GOP

The subject line of that report, dated Sept. 21, 2020, was: "VETTING."

In that report, Brady noted that investigators "had limited ability to verify all information," due to their lack of authorization for a grand jury. Investigators were unable to issue subpoenas for relevant documents or for interviews. The report, though, included a recommendation that "additional investigative activity be done." 

Brady’s office, did, however, coordinate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in 2020 on the Biden FD-1023. Both U.S. attorneys offices "found no hits to known sources of Russian disinformation" related to the FD-1023 in question.

The report was eventually transmitted to now-Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018. That probe was launched initially as a money laundering investigation and a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) case. That investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, on a call in early October 2020, it became clear that FBI agents in Delaware "were in possession of email evidence that contradicted denials made by Joe Biden that he was never aware of or involved in Hunter Biden’s business arrangements."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf was briefed in late October 2020 on the contents of the FD-1023 in question, but Grassley said she "prevented investigators from seeking information about Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s criminal arrangements." IRS whistleblowers involved in the investigation have also made that allegation.

Grassley also noted that in October 2020, an "avenue of derogatory Hunter Biden reporting was ordered closed" at the direction of Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Thibault— a move that whistleblowers said was made "in furtherance of Auten’s assessment."

Grassley said publicly released portions of Thibault’s interview with the House Judiciary Committee confirmed those allegations and reveals that an FBI headquarters and "Baltimore element wanted the Hunter Biden reporting closed which Thibault followed through on." 

DOJ REVEALS HUNTER BIDEN STILL UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR POTENTIAL FARA VIOLATIONS

Weeks later, after the 2020 presidential election, Grassley and Johnson made public their final report out of their probe, detailing their findings based on hundreds of Treasury Department Suspicious Activity Reports, interviews, and thousands of pages of government records dating back to the Obama administration.

"Our findings indicated potential criminal activity, to include money laundering, with respect to members of the Biden family and their business associates as well as strong financial connections to questionable foreign nationals and foreign government-linked corporate entities," Grassley wrote.

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

Since, Grassley has been in touch with Weiss’ team, and has provided hundreds of pages of bank records "connecting the Biden family to Chinese-government linked entities."

Grassley demanded the FBI and DOJ provide answers to his letter by Nov. 17.

Comer demands answers on whether Biden classified records mention countries related to family business deals

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is demanding answers from Special Counsel Robert Hur on whether the sensitive, classified documents President Biden retained were related to specific countries— countries that were involved in his family’s lucrative foreign business deals.

Comer, R-Ky., is investigating the Biden family’s foreign business dealings as part of the House impeachment inquiry, as well as Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Comer, in a letter to Hur, who is investigating Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, said his committee has "developed significant evidence regarding President Biden’s retention of classified materials at Penn Biden Center."

BIDEN INTERVIEWED BY SPECIAL COUNSEL ABOUT CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

"As detailed in the Oversight Committee’s bank memoranda and Impeachment Inquiry Memorandum, evidence suggests President Biden may have used certain members of his family — particularly his son, Hunter Biden — to accumulate millions of dollars from foreign individuals and entities for the benefit of his family and himself," Comer wrote to Hur. "Indeed, the Biden family received millions of dollars from foreign sources while President Biden served in public office and afterwards."

Comer added, "If any of the classified documents mishandled by President Biden involved countries or individuals that had financial dealings with Biden family members or their related companies, the Committee needs access to that information to evaluate whether our national security has been compromised."

Comer noted that Biden family members, their business associates and their "related companies" received "significant payments from individuals and companies in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Romania." He also referred to "other evidence recently released by the Ways & Means Committee identified over 20 different countries with ties to the Biden family’s influence peddling schemes."

DOJ ORDERED HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS TO 'REMOVE ANY REFERENCE' TO JOE BIDEN IN FARA PROBE WARRANT: HOUSE GOP

Comer said the House Oversight Committee has learned throughout its investigation that the Biden family and their business associates brought in more than $24 million between 2014 and 2019 by "selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world."

"The Committee is concerned that President Biden may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business," Comer wrote.

Meanwhile, Comer also questioned Hur on information to help the committee to "understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys placed any limitations or scoping restrictions during the interview that would have precluded a line of inquiry regarding evidence (emails, text messages, or witness statements) directly linking Joe Biden to troublesome foreign payments."

"President Biden’s retention of certain classified documents begs the question as to why he kept these particular materials," Comer wrote. "Of the many classified documents he reviewed over his lengthy career, why did President Biden keep these specific documents in his home and office?"

He added, "The sensitive nature of the information contained in the documents may answer that question for the Committee, which is why we seek to review those materials."

HUNTER BIDEN'S $250K WIRE FROM CHINA LABELED AS A 'PERSONAL INVESTMENT'

Comer requested that Hur determine a "mutually agreed upon secured location" and provide information without redactions to the committee, including "any terms, agreements or scoping limitations" related to his office’s review of the president.

Comer also requested a list of the countries named in any documents with classification markings recovered from Penn Biden Center, Biden’s residence, including the garage, in Wilmington, Delaware, or elsewhere; and a list of all individuals named in those documents with classification markings; and all documents found with classified markings.

Comer is also asking if Hur was "permitted" to ask about evidence obtained by the U.S. Attorneys’s Office for the district of Delaware — which has been investigating Hunter Biden — and on any information released by IRS whistleblowers related to the Biden family’s business dealings.

Comer also asked for the copy of the report and agents’ notes following the special counsel’s interview of the president and any interview with former White House counsel Dana Remus.

Comer’s letter comes just days after President Biden was interviewed by Hur.

The White House Counsel’s Office confirmed the voluntary interview took place earlier this month at the White House over the course of two days — last Sunday and Monday and concluded Monday.

HUNTER BIDEN RECEIVED $250K WIRES ORIGINATING IN BEIJING WITH BENEFICIARY ADDRESS LISTED AS JOE BIDEN'S HOME

"As we have said from the beginning, the president and the White House are cooperating with this investigation, and as it has been appropriate, we have provided relevant updates publicly, being as transparent as we can, consistent with protecting and preserving the integrity of the investigation," White House spokesperson for investigations Ian Sams said. 

Hur’s investigation comes after a batch of records from President Biden's time as vice president, including a "small number of documents with classified markings," were discovered at the Penn Biden Center by the president's personal attorneys on Nov. 2, 2022. 

Additional classified records were discovered at President Biden’s Wilmington home in January. After that discovery, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel to investigate the matter.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team negotiated with lawyers for then-President Trump for an interview, but Trump never sat for one. His lawyers instead submitted answers to written questions.

President George W. Bush sat for a 70-minute interview as part of an investigation into the leak of the identity of a CIA operative. President Clinton in 1998 underwent more than four hours of questioning from independent counsel Kenneth Starr before a federal grand jury.

CEO of bankrupt electric vehicle company still on top White House advisory council

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Gareth Joyce, the CEO and a board member of California-based electric bus maker Proterra, continues to serve on a top White House council advising President Biden on trade policy even after his company filed for bankruptcy.

Joyce has served on the White House Export Council, the principal national advisory committee on international trade which advises Biden on "government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance," since February. According to the Commerce Department's International Trade Administration, Joyce remains a member of the council.

However, in August, Joyce's company Proterra filed a voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as a result of negative financial performance. He explained at the time that Proterra, despite its bankruptcy filing, had created a foundation setting the stage for "decarbonization across the commercial vehicle industry as a whole."

"While our best-in-class EV and battery technologies have set an industry standard, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds, that have impacted our ability to efficiently scale all of our opportunities simultaneously," Joyce said on Aug. 7. "As commercial vehicles accelerate toward electrification, we look forward to sharpening our focus as a leading EV battery technology supplier for the benefit of our many stakeholders"

GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: 'SHE LIED, UNDER OATH'

Joyce's continued role advising the White House — which has lauded him for his work "accelerating the transition of transit and other commercial vehicles to zero emission solutions" — recently sparked criticism from Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who called for his removal.

"It is unclear why Joyce, having overseen the failure of Proterra, should continue to advise you on issues of such great importance to our nation’s economic security and wellbeing," Barrasso wrote to Biden in a letter Thursday. "It appears that by retaining Joyce, you are continuing to play political favorites with a company your administration has systematically promoted time and again since you took office."

REPUBLICANS UNLEASH OVERSIGHT INTO BIDEN'S GLOBAL WARMING GOVERNMENT WORK PROGRAM

Proterra, meanwhile, has been boosted by Biden on multiple occasions since he took office in January 2021.

On April 20, 2021, Biden hosted a virtual White House event to spotlight Proterra's business. During the event, Proterra executives took the president on a virtual tour of the company's South Carolina manufacturing facility where its buses are assembled.

"I want you all to know I used to be a bus driver," Biden remarked at the conclusion of the event. "You think I'm kidding, I'm not. I worked my way through law school driving a school bus."

"I'm going to come down and see you in person. So, I look forward to seeing y'all," he concluded.

OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS PERMITTING PLUMMETS TO 2-DECADE LOW UNDER BIDEN

Biden also touted his support for billions of dollars in federal funding to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission transit buses and school buses during the tour. He has set a goal for all buses made in America to be zero-emissions by 2030.

The president has since touted Proterra as an American electric vehicle success story in multiple speeches about his green energy goals.

In addition, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has faced widespread criticism for her ownership stake in Proterra. 

Granholm had served on Proterra’s board before her confirmation to lead the Department of Energy and continued holding shares of the company for months after her confirmation.

"Mr. President, it is evident that the promotion and favoritism towards Proterra Inc. have resulted in significant losses for taxpayers and investors, including those in my home state of Wyoming," Barrasso continued in his letter to Biden on Thursday.

"The bankruptcy of Proterra, despite the administration's support, raises serious questions about the reasoning behind these endorsements," the Wyoming Republican wrote. "The American people deserve accountability and transparency in matters of public policy and the businesses the President of the United States and his cabinet officials choose to promote."

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.

Most Americans believe Biden acted ‘illegally or unethically’ in Hunter business dealings: poll

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A majority of Americans believe that President Biden has acted either illegally or unethically in how he has handled the controversial business dealings of his son, Hunter.

Only 30% of American adults believe Biden has "note done anything wrong" when it comes to the business dealings of his son, according to the results of an AP-NORC poll released this week, while 68% believe the president has acted either illegal or unethical. 

Thirty-five percent of respondents indicated thy felt the president had done something illegal, while 33% said they believed Biden has done something unethical.

Broken down by party, 40% of Democrats believe Biden has done something illegal or unethical in his handling of his son's business dealings, with 58% indicating that the president has done nothing wrong. Of those that believe Biden has done something wrong, 8% said the president acted illegally and 32% said that he has acted unethically. Meanwhile, 96% of Republicans believe Biden has done something wrong, with 65% responding the president has done something illegal and 35% indicating they believe he has acted unethically.

TOP BIDEN AIDE WITH CLOSE TIES TO HUNTER WAS FIRST WH STAFFER TO HANDLE CLASSIFIED DOCS, NEW TIMELINE REVEALS

The poll comes as Republicans have launched an impeachment inquiry into Biden over his handling of Hunter Biden's business dealings, though most respondents to the poll indicated they do not approve of the GOP move. Only a third (33%) said that they either strong or somewhat approve of the impeachment inquiry into Biden, with 39% indicating that either strongly or somewhat disapprove. Another 26% of respondents did not indicate whether they approved or disapproved.

Republicans were more likely than Democrats to say they approve of the inquiry, with 67% saying they either strongly or somewhat approve compared to 11% who disapprove. Meanwhile, only 7% of Democrats approve of the inquiry compared to 73% who disapprove.

But a large percentage of the public has heard little or nothing about the inquiry, with only 54% of respondents indicating they are familiar with the current process. Of those who have heard about it, 49% of those respondents disapprove of the impeachment inquiry.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS FLOATED SEX TRAFFICKING CHARGES AGAINST HUNTER BIDEN, DOC SHOWS

Americans are split on which party is better suited to root out government corruption, with 19% saying their preference would be Republicans compared to 28% who indicated Democrats. Another 14% said both parties are equally trustworthy to root out corruption, while 38% said neither party should be trusted.

The AP-NORC poll, which was conducted between October 5-9 and sampled 1,163 adults nationwide, has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points.

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