Category: fox-news/world/world-regions/china

China pushing US fentanyl crisis, House panel report reveals

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The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has subsidized the manufacturing and export of materials used to make fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, according to a new House report.

The bipartisan report found that under the leadership of the CCP, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) gives tax rebates and grants to companies that make certain fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors used by drug traffickers as long as they are sold outside of China.

"Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country," said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. "It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic."

The report found that the Chinese government holds ownership interest in several companies tied to drug trafficking, and even thwarted investigations into illicit manufacturers by warning the targets of an investigation when U.S. law enforcement sent a formal request for assistance. 

GRIEVING MOTHER OF FENTANYL VICTIM CALLS FOR MAYORKAS' IMPEACHMENT: ‘MY DAUGHTER WAS MURDERED’

The committee also said the PRC has failed to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers, and found no evidence of new criminal enforcement actions by Beijing.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the top Democrat on the committee, said Chinese companies are also currently selling synthetic opioids on their websites, and pointed to a screenshot of one such solicitation that committee staff found just Monday night in advance of the hearing.

MEXICO FACES DIRE MEDICAL FENTANYL SHORTAGE DESPITE BEING WORLD' TOP ILLEGAL PRODUCER

"There are hundreds of these website posts — hundreds," Krishnamoorthi said. "This is completely unacceptable."

Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi called for forming a task force to combat the global illicit fentanyl supply chain and advised for more sanctions against those involved in drug trafficking.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Bipartisan senators push back as key Dem signals doom for TikTok bill

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Senators on both sides of the aisle are pushing back after Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., poured cold water on hopes a House-passed bill that would require social media app TikTok to divest from China would ever reach the Senate floor.

"I'm not surprised at all. This is exactly what I predicted would happen," Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters. He was reacting to recent comments from Cantwell, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

After the House bill passed with an overwhelming majority in the House of Representatives last month, it was referred to the Commerce Committee in the Senate rather than being expedited in the same fashion. This puts the measure under Cantwell's purview as chairwoman, and she is charged with scheduling markups and potential hearings. 

PENCE WORRIES TIKTOK BILL COULD GET LOST IN 'FOG OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS,’ URGES SENATE VOTE

The Washington Democrat had already signaled what some feared would be a long process, indicating her interest in holding several public hearings regarding the TikTok bill. However, she reportedly shared new detailed criticisms of the bill with reporters Monday, suggesting it would not hold up to judicial scrutiny. 

Cantwell claimed the measure "could be better," Punchbowl News reported. "You also can’t, as a Congress, just decide one day, ‘Ah!’ And pass a law. Well, you can, I just don’t know if it’ll hold up in court.

"Let’s get something that can be upheld."

She notably has her own proposal regarding TikTok, called the GUARD Act, which she said would allow the executive branch, specifically the Department of Commerce, to regulate apps owned by foreign adversaries, such as TikTok. The measure would not force divestment from China. 

MCCONNELL SAYS TIKTOK BILL DESERVES 'URGENT ATTENTION' AMID CHINA SECURITY THREAT CONCERNS

Asked by Fox News Digital if she still planned to hold hearings on the House-passed measure, Cantwell said, "We're trying to figure out our schedule for that. So, we'll let you know soon."

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, criticized the suggestion, telling Fox News Digital, "It's the right thing for national security, and looking for excuses is embarrassing."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, further claimed the bill was designed to be taken to court and prompt a quick decision. 

"It's anticipating court action and making sure that it's done very quickly," he said. 

Citing his conversations with the Department of Justice and the legal advice provided by it, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said the approach "taken in the House bill [is] threading the needle appropriately," pushing back on Cantwell's remark. 

GOP PLANS TO GRIND SENATE TO A HALT IF DEMOCRATS TABLE MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

"I think it's clearly constitutional and passes all the tests of legal sufficiency," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital. "Selling assets is a common remedy that's used by the Justice Department in antitrust suits and is applied to a variety of other kinds of situations."

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reiterated that he wants to see a vote on "a bill that separates TikTok and the Chinese government connection."

Representatives for Cantwell did not provide comment in response to the criticisms. 

Hawley suggested again that lobbying from Big Tech was likely behind stalling on the TikTok measure, telling reporters, "TikTok does not want that bill to move across the Senate floor.

"And, therefore, it's highly unlikely to move across the Senate floor." 

DEM SENATORS VOICE CONCERNS OVER ISRAEL WAR STATUS AS BIDEN ATTEMPTS ‘CHALLENGING’ BALANCE WITH PROGRESSIVES

Several reports last month from Politico revealed that several former Cantwell staffers now lobby lawmakers on behalf of the social media app, which prompted both questions and criticism given her position charting the bill's trajectory through the Commerce Committee. 

TikTok did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

However, Hawley said he isn't willing to accept the TikTok bill never reaching the chamber floor for a vote. 

He claimed that if the Commerce Committee tries "to bottle it up," he might seek to bring the TikTok bill to the floor by asking "for unanimous consent to set a vote and have a debate."

GOP SENATORS CONVINCE SPEAKER JOHNSON TO DELAY MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE DELIVERY

Asked if he thinks the measure would ever be brought to the floor, Warner told Fox News Digital, "I believe we need to work on something that is a national security threat and has been overwhelmingly supported."

Fetterman expressed optimism, saying he believes a vote on forcing TikTok to divest will eventually happen. 

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., noted it would be a decision for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as the leader of the upper chamber. 

Schumer didn't answer Fox News Digital when asked if he plans to ever bring the House-passed bill to the floor.

"I can tell you that it's important that we either have them divest or we're probably going to have to find a process in which they are eliminated from the platforms," Rounds said. 

Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner Tony Bobulinski slams him for ‘running away’ from House Oversight Committee

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Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, has criticized the president’s son for "running away" from the American people after he declined to appear for a congressional hearing next week.

Hunter Biden declined an invite from Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., to attend the House Oversight Committee hearing on March 20, when committee members of both parties will get a chance to ask about alleged influence peddling and the Biden family's business dealings, his lawyer said in a letter Wednesday.

"One week from today – on Wednesday, March 20 – I will testify publicly before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability," Bobulinski responded in a statement to Fox News Digital. "I was disappointed to see the news today that Hunter is running away from his chance to tell the American people the truth. He’s been adamant in wanting to go before the American people, and Oversight is now giving him that opportunity."

Bobulinski added: "Now is the time to step up, Hunter, as you have said you want to do. Don’t cower in the face of accountability and in this fight for truth and democracy!"

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

Bobulinski previously testified that President Biden "enabled" Hunter to sell access to America's "most dangerous adversaries," including China and Russia. 

In his statement, Biden’s former business partner called for "truth and transparency" to prevail.

"Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, along with countless members of Congress, keep claiming that they are 'fighting for our Democracy.' Why don't we as a nation agree to fight for the truth!" Bobulinski said. "Nearly three-quarters of the American people believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and I can’t blame them. Truth and transparency would help expose the rot at the center of our political system and begin to fix what ails us."

"I am excited and happy to have the opportunity to once again share the facts with the American people. I am deeply committed to getting the full truth before the nation," he said, calling for the witnesses in the hearing, including himself, to be subject to a polygraph with "real time results to be viewed by the American people."

HUNTER BIDEN REFUSES TO ATTEND HOUSE HEARING WITH FORMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATES

"What better way to ensure that the truth is being told by every witness, including Joe, Hunter and Jim Biden in any future potential hearings?" he asked.

Bobulinski also openly offered to appear before the committee for an additional hearing whenever it is convenient for Hunter Biden.

"If by chance March 20th really doesn't work due to your multiple criminal indictments, please name the date and time and I will be happy to join you at a second hearing for the American people," he wrote. 

In addition to Hunter Biden and Bobulinski, the House Oversight Committee invited Devon Archer and Jason Galanis to testify at the 10 a.m. hearing on March 20.

On Wednesday, Biden attorney Abbe Lowell criticized the hearing as a "carnival side show." 

"To begin, even if that hearing was a legitimate exercise of congressional authority, neither Mr. Biden nor I can attend because of a court hearing the very next day in California," Lowell said in a letter sent to Comer. "The scheduling conflict is the least of the issues, however."

"Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended," Lowell wrote. 

"Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show," the attorney concluded.

Comer responded Wednesday, saying his committee has "called Hunter Biden's bluff." 

"Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come," Comer said.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Republicans to spearhead oversight hearing on growing Chinese threat to US agriculture

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FIRST ON FOX: A top House panel is planning an oversight hearing to examine the threat China poses to the U.S. agriculture industry as part of broader efforts to curb foreign influence in the key strategic sector.

The hearing — titled "The Danger China Poses to American Agriculture" — will be hosted by the House Agriculture Committee on March 20 and will cover a range of issues related to China's involvement in the domestic agriculture sector. Notably, the hearing will include testimony from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has enacted aggressive limitations on foreign ownership of agricultural lands in her state.

"It’s no secret that China poses significant threats to our way of life, agriculture is no exception," Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., said in a written statement to Fox News Digital.

"We’ve seen China steal our intellectual property, hack our cyber infrastructure, and buy up American farmland," Thompson continued. "We will look to every available legislative vehicle, including the farm bill, to stop China in its tracks and strengthen our food and national security."

REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT BARRING CHINA, RUSSIA FROM BUYING US LAND

According to the committee, the hearing will focus on various ways Chinese entities seek to influence the agricultural industry. In addition to China's growing ownership of productive lands in the U.S., it will examine the intellectual property theft of patented seeds and how cyberattacks harm the industry.

Noem will testify during the hearing's first panel alongside other officials, including Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. A second expert panel will include testimony from Kip Tom, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

FORMER CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA WARNS CHINA MAY USE MICHIGAN EV PLANT FOR ESPIONAGE

Last week, Noem signed legislation prohibiting six foreign governments — China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela — and associated entities from owning agricultural land in South Dakota. Her office explained at the time that the bill was one of her "top priorities."

"China is aggressively purchasing land and purchasing property close to our strategic national areas that will house our greatest weapons, and we are going to ensure that, in South Dakota, that never happens," Noem remarked at a bill signing event on March 4.

The House Agriculture Committee's hearing comes shortly after the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a sprawling report earlier this year showing that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has failed to consistently share timely data on foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land as required under the 1978 Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act.

The USDA's most recent data suggests that, as of 2021, foreign investment in U.S. agricultural land grew to approximately 40 million acres. Additionally, Chinese agricultural investment in the U.S. increased tenfold between 2009 and 2016 alone. However, data on Chinese ownership since 2016 has yet to be released.

REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT PROTECTING FEDERAL LANDS FROM FOREIGN INVESTORS, CLIMATE ACTIVISTS

Additionally, in recent months, certain Chinese projects have received local and federal scrutiny. For example, officials in Grand Forks, North Dakota, rejected a Chinese company's proposed corn mill over concerns about its proximity to a U.S. Air Force base in February 2023, and locals have pushed back against Chinese green energy firm Gotion High-Tech's purchase of 270 acres of land in Michigan months later.

The Government Accountability Office conducted its review after Thompson and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., led a letter alongside nearly 130 fellow House Republicans requesting such a probe in October 2022.

"Growing foreign ownership of U.S. farmland, particularly by China, poses a direct threat to our food security and national security," Thompson and Comer said in a joint statement in January.

The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Joe Biden allegedly considered joining board of CCP-linked company, witness testifies from prison

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EXCLUSIVE: Joe Biden was allegedly considering joining the board of a joint venture created by Hunter Biden and his business associates with ties to the Chinese Communist Party after he left the vice presidency.

Joe Biden's involvement would bring "political access in the United States and around the world," a former business associate of the first son testified from prison Friday.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained Jason Galanis’ opening statement delivered Friday morning to congressional investigators from an Alabama prison as part of the impeachment inquiry against President Biden.

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

HOUSE INVESTIGATORS HEADING TO PRISON TO INTERVIEW EX-HUNTER BIDEN BIZ ASSOCIATE AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Galanis said he worked with Devon Archer and Hunter Biden between 2012 and 2015. Their business together, he said, included the acquisition of Burnham & Co, a division of Drexel Burnham Lambert, combined with "other businesses in insurance and wealth management." Galanis testified the three "owned and acquired with total audited assets of over $17 billion."

"Our objective was to build a diversified private equity platform, which would be anchored by a globally known Wall Street brand together with a globally known political name," Galanis testified. "Our goal — that is, Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and me — was to make billions, not millions." 

Galanis testified that "the entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden.

"Because of this access, I agreed to contribute equity ownership to them — Hunter and Devon — for no out-of-pocket cost from them in exchange for their ‘relationship capital,’" he told investigators.

Hunter Biden served as vice chairman of the Burnham group "and brought strategic relationships to the venture, including from Kazakhstan, Russia and China."

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

"Burnham was the focal point for integrating a ‘Biden family office’ into a large-scale financial company with international influence," he explained, adding that they acquired some of Hunter Biden’s companies like RSP Investments and Rosemont Seneca Advisors.

Galanis testified that, in 2014, he "agreed with Hunter and Devon that the Burnham & Company enterprise would be significantly enhanced by forming a partnership with Harvest Fund Management, a $300 billion Chinese financial services company closely connected to the Chinese Communist Party." Harvest, at that time, had already agreed to be a founding partner of BHR Partners, he explained.

Fox News Digital has previously reported that Joe Biden met with Jonathan Li, who worked for BHR Partners, in China in 2013.

Galanis explained that Henry Zhao, the director of Harvest, was a contact of Hunter Biden’s.

HUNTER BIDEN WAS PAID $100K THROUGH JOINT VENTURE WITH CHINESE ENERGY FIRM, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIED

"Mr. Zhao was interested in this partnership because of the game-changing value-add of the Biden family, including Joe Biden, who was to be a member of the Burnham-Harvest team post-vice presidency, providing political access in the United States and around the world," Galanis testified.

Galanis pointed to a draft email dated Aug. 23, 2014, from Hunter Biden, which states: "Please also remind Henry [Zhao] of our conversation about a board seat for a certain relation of mine. Devon and I golfed with that relation earlier last week and we discussed this very idea again and as always he remains very very keen on the opportunity." 

Fox News Digital obtained that draft email.

Galanis testified that email was "struck from the final version" but "was drafted with an understanding of what had transpired regarding this effort."

Galanis said the email was forwarded to him by Devon Archer with the words: "FYI … example of lean in on Henry from Hunter … this is email drafted for him to send to Henry."

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

"As Devon Archer is mentioned as a direct party to the conversation with the vice president on the golf course, it is clear from his email that Devon believed this was an accurate representation of that conversation," Galanis said in his opening statement.

"I am certain that the phrase ‘a certain relation of mine’ refers to Vice President Biden, and Devon told me about this conversation on the golf course shortly after it happened," Galanis testified. "And it was one of many conversations that I understood the vice president had expressing his willingness to join Harvest board after his vice presidency."

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

The draft email does not specifically mention Joe Biden’s name or refer to the "certain relation" as Hunter Biden’s father. However, there is an infamous photo of Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden and Devon Archer on the golf course. That photo was taken in mid-August 2014, which would have been a week or so prior to the draft email. News reports indicate the vice president was in the Hamptons at the time.

Galanis went on to testify that Zhao "regularly sought reassurance about what he termed the ‘intangible goods’ that Vice President Biden serving on the Harvest board would bring to the business plan."

"He wanted assurances so that he would not ‘lose face,’" Galanis said. "In my opinion, there was no other reason for this massive Chinese enterprise to have been interested in doing business with Burnham other than the Biden name."

Zhao also worked with Hunter Biden in a separate joint venture with Chinese energy company CEFC.

Zhao is the recipient of a now-infamous text message Hunter Biden sent after requesting a $10 million wire for the joint-venture, SinoHawk Holdings.

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

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

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

Ultimately, Joe Biden did not take a seat on the board of the joint venture. 

Meanwhile, Galanis testified that he recalls "being with Hunter Biden and Devon Archer at the Peninsula Bar in New York, where Hunter took a call from his father. He told his father things were going well with Henry and Harvest and that he might need a little help getting it across the finish line." 

"Hunter did not put the call on speaker as we were at this bar, but I am certain that Hunter was discussing our business efforts on the Burnham-Harvest partnership and that the vice president was aware of these efforts," Galanis testified, adding that was "not the only time I heard Hunter call his father regarding business matters."

Archer last year testified before the House Oversight Committee that Hunter put his father, who was vice president at the time, on speakerphone while meeting with business partners at least 20 times, and he said Joe Biden was put on the phone to sell "the brand."

Galanis testified that call was "not the only time" he heard Hunter "call his father regarding business matters," pointing to a separate call in which Hunter Biden put his father "on speaker." Galanis said Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina and her husband, the former mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, were present for the call, which took place May 4, 2014. 

Fox News Digital has previously reported that Joe Biden attended dinners in 2014 at Cafe Milano in Georgetown in 2014 and 2015 with Baturina and others.

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

"Hunter called his father, said hello and ‘hold on, Pops,’ then put the call on speakerphone and said, ‘I am here with our friends I told you were coming to town, and we wanted to say hello,’" Galanis recalled. "The vice president said hello and some pleasantries of ‘Hope you had safe travels,’ and then seemed like he wanted to bring the call to an end by saying, ‘OK then, you be good to my boy.’"

Galanis said Hunter responded by saying, "Everything is good, and we are moving ahead."

"The vice president said something about ‘being helpful,’ and Hunter ended the call by saying that he was going to call his father later," Galanis testified. "I recall being stunned by this call — to actually hear the vice president of the United States speaking on the phone." 

Galanis testified that "it was clear" to him that "this was a pre-arranged call with his father meant to impress the Russian investors that Hunter had access to his father and all the power and prestige of his position." 

Days later, on May 9, 2014, Archer sent Galanis an email, obtained by Fox News Digital, which revealed Baturina was "committed to a ‘hard order’ of $10-20 million in a Burnham investment banking client."

Galanis acknowledged that "in an effort" to build Burnham, he "engaged in unlawful conduct" and "betrayed" the trust of union members’ pension fund money.

"I pleaded guilty. I have had eight years in federal custody to reflect on my actions, and I am profoundly sorry for my role," he said.

Archer was also indicted in the scheme, but Hunter Biden was not. Galanis testified he believed the federal "prosecution strategy was intended to protect Hunter Biden and, ultimately, Vice President Biden." 

Galanis has applied for and been denied home confinement. Galanis said that beginning in January 2023, he was "sexually assaulted" by a member of prison staff at FPC Pensacola. He testified that he was hoping home confinement "would remove me from the danger." 

"I believe that based on the events I have described, much of which is memorialized in writing, I have been the victim of a pattern of retribution by the Department of Justice in order to prevent my home confinement, which would have allowed full and free access to congressional investigators," he said.

Galanis said that from his experiences in the justice system, he believes he is putting himself "at grave risk within the BOP for providing information on these matters concerning the president and his son."

Chinese illegal immigration on pace to break records at US southern border

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A dramatic increase in Chinese illegal immigration is on track to break records at the southern border, with apprehensions from the communist country in one sector alone already eclipsing fiscal 2021 in just a few days.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News that between Saturday and Monday there were 452 Chinese nationals apprehended by Border Patrol in the San Diego Sector alone.

That’s more than the 450 apprehended in fiscal 2021 altogether across the entire southwest border.

The number of Chinese nationals has been increasing since fiscal 2021. In fiscal 2022, numbers increased to more than 2,000 border-wide. In fiscal 2023, that number then surged to more than 24,314.

CHINESE MIGRANTS POURING ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER SPARK NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS

So far in fiscal 2024, which began in October, there have been more than 18,750 encounters by the end of January, meaning that the fiscal year is already on track to exceed last year’s numbers. There were nearly 6,000 encounters in December alone.

The increase in migration from China is an indicator of how global the U.S. border crisis has become. Officials previously said they have encountered migrants from more than 150 countries. Fox News witnessed migrants from countries including Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ecuador and China crossing into the U.S. at San Diego this week.

Chinese nationals have quickly become the fastest-growing demographic entering the country illegally. Some officials and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns that single adults entering from the geopolitical rival could pose a national security threat.

Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents all rank-and-file Border Patrol agents nationwide, told Fox News last week that the majority of the Chinese border crossers are single adult males of military age.

INFLUX OF ILLEGAL CHINESE MIGRANTS THREATENS US TERRITORY; ISLAND MUST SHOW 'STRENGTH OF THE NATION'

"That is a very scary prospect. We know that China does not like us, we know that we are in the crosshairs of China," Judd said.

"And they are exporting so many people to our country, and you have to really fear about that."

"There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets," a group of Republican senators warned last year.

The Republican-held House impeached DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for his handling of the migrant crisis. The articles of impeachment now go to the Senate for a trial.

Overall, there have been more than 961,000 migrant encounters this fiscal year after a record-setting 2.4 million in fiscal 2023. December saw a record 301,000 encounters, followed by a sharp drop to 176,000 in January.

Fox News' Aubrie Spady and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

WH officials confirm date, location for Biden’s US meeting with Chinese President Xi

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White House officials have confirmed that President Biden will be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this month in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries.

Biden and Xi are scheduled to meet in San Francisco's Bay Area on Nov. 15, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

"President Biden will meet with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on November 15," the press secretary announced Friday. "The Leaders will discuss issues in the U.S.-PRC bilateral relationship, the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues."

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

Jean-Pierre continued, "Building on their last meeting in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, the Leaders will also discuss how the United States and the PRC can continue to responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community."


 

Hunter Biden’s ex-partner Bobulinski calls on Bidens to join him for testimony after claim he lied to FBI

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden’s ex-business associate, Tony Bobulinski, suggested he and the Biden family appear together for public testimony before Congress after lawyers for the president's son alleged Bobulinski lied to the FBI about the nature of his business relationship.

Fox News obtained a copy of a 10-page letter Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, sent to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, claiming Bobulinski lied to the FBI during an interview Oct. 23, 2020, about his business dealings with the president’s son.

Lowell called for Graves to investigate Bobulinski for "false" statements regarding his work. Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC.

An attorney for Bobulinski provided Fox News Digital a statement on behalf of his client, denying Lowell’s allegations.

BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT 'NEVER HEARD BACK': SOURCE

"All of the allegations contained in Mr. Lowell’s 10-page letter to U.S. Attorney Graves are patently false, and I look forward to exposing these lies and laying out the facts in a public forum in short order," Bobulinski said in the statement. 

"The sad thing for our country is that Hunter, Jim and Joe Biden along with Abbe Lowell know they are all false and are trying to weaponize the DOJ against me.

"If Hunter Biden and the Biden family are so determined to ensure that the full truth is put before the American people, Hunter, Jim, Joe and I should all appear together before Congress, publicly and under oath," he continued. "They can name the date, time and place, and I would certainly be willing to do that for the American people."

Lowell, in the letter, claimed Bobulinski "lied about the business discussions among the partners involved" in the joint venture.

"The materials reveal the extraordinary lengths Mr. Bobulinski and other individuals were willing to go to implicate Mr. Biden or members of his family in some false and meritless allegations of wrongdoing," Lowell wrote. 

"Even in an era in which people peddle knowing lies with the goal of their falsehoods being repeated and disseminated for their political advantage, these statements by Mr. Bobulinski cannot and must not go unchecked."

Lowell also alleged Bobulinski was never in Miami in 2017 for initial discussions with Hunter Biden, CEFC chairman Ye Jianming and other associates.

EXCLUSIVE: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

Lowell references an infamous May 13, 2017, email that includes a breakdown of the "financial capitalization of the joint venture with CEFC."

The email, first reported by Fox News Digital in October 2020, shows a proposed equity split with references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

Bobulinski has repeatedly said "the big guy" was Joe Biden. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who claimed politics influenced the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden, also said "the big guy" was known to be Joe Biden.

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

Lowell, in the letter, claimed Bobulinski was "making things up" and claimed Bobulinski "has no basis in fact by which to assert that there was a reference to the ‘big guy’ or that it was not his own musing or that it was a reference to Vice President Joe Biden."

Lowell said Bobulinski’s "false statements are obviously made to greatly exaggerate Mr. Bobulinski’s short-lived business relationship" with Hunter Biden "in order to create a false narrative that Mr. Biden and Jim Biden were somehow involved in off-the-books business with CEFC Chairman Ye while Joseph Biden was still Vice President."

Lowell said Bobulinski’s "lie" is the "same false narrative that serves as the improper and illusory basis of an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans and the justification for Mr. Bobulinski’s testimony."

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

The House Oversight Committee, which is jointly leading the investigation with the House Judiciary and House Ways & Means Committees, reacted to Lowell’s request on "X," formerly Twitter, Friday afternoon.

"Hunter Biden and his legal team are once again attacking anyone who speaks out against the Bidens," the Oversight Committee wrote. "This time, their target is Tony Bobulinski, a potential witness in our investigation.

"We will not tolerate witness intimidation. The truth will come out soon enough despite the Biden team’s threatening tactics. We will give Hunter the opportunity to clear the air and speak with us soon."

Gallagher rolls out ‘DADDY Act’ to block family of executive branch officials from foreign business work

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: House China Committee Chairman Mike Gallagher is introducing a bill that would block immediate family members of officials within the executive branch of the U.S. government from working for certain foreign companies.

The bill, called the "Deterring Attempts at Dirty Deals by Youngsters Act" or the "DADDY Act," would apply to family members of the president, vice president and cabinet officials, to ensure that immediate family members — like a son, daughter, sister, brother, or in-law — cannot take roles sitting on the boards of foreign companies while their family member holds the office.

The bill would cover immediate family members of the president of the United States; vice president; secretary of State; secretary of the Treasury; secretary of Defense; attorney general; secretary of the Interior; secretary of Agriculture; secretary of Commerce; secretary of Labor; secretary of Health and Human Services; secretary of Transportation; secretary of Energy; secretary of Education; secretary of Veterans Affairs; secretary of Homeland Security; and the director of National Intelligence.

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

Immediate family is described in the bill as a spouse, child, mother, father, sibling, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, and brother-in-law; as well as adopted and step relatives.

Gallagher’s bill comes amid the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, and House Republicans’ investigations into the Biden family’s overseas business dealings.

The House Oversight Committee said this week that, through bank records, it has uncovered that the Biden family and their business associates raked in more than $24 million from foreign countries in 2014, 2015, and 2016 — when Joe Biden served as Vice President — through 2019 when he announced his presidential campaign.

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

Lawmakers have focused in on Hunter Biden’s business deals in China, Ukraine and other foreign nations, as well as his lucrative role on the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings while his father served as vice president in the Obama administration and ran Ukraine policy. His former business associates have testified to Congress that Hunter Biden was "selling Joe Biden as ‘the brand’ around the world."

"Hunter Biden is the ultimate swamp creature," Gallagher told Fox News Digital. "His shameless degree of influence peddling and profiteering is exactly what’s wrong with Washington, and it’s shocking this kind of behavior isn’t illegal already."

"This bill helps end this kind of corruption and ensures any family member of an executive branch official can’t profit off their family’s position in government," Gallagher said.

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

The bill’s focus would be on companies in countries that are adversarial to the United States. It would allow exemptions for companies in NATO countries, members of the Five Eyes Alliance — meaning Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as Japan, South Korea or Israel.

If passed, violations of the law would be punishable by a fine of up to $250,000, up to five years in prison, or both.

The bill comes after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed personal and business bank records belonging to Hunter Biden and the president's brother, James Biden, as part of the House impeachment inquiry.

"Bank records don’t lie, and coupled with witness testimony, they reveal that Joe Biden abused his public office for his family’s financial gain," Comer said Thursday night, adding that the financial records that his committee has obtained to date "reveal a pattern where the Bidens sold access to Joe Biden around the world to enrich the Biden family."