Johnson and Schumer spar over elusive solution to Friday’s shutdown cliff

Posted on (Updated by By Caitlin Emma

Government funding talks devolved into public finger pointing Sunday evening, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused House Republicans of needing to "sort themselves out" and Speaker Mike Johnson cited "new Democrat demands" for snagging endgame negotiations.

Top lawmakers and appropriators had hoped to unveil the text of a small spending package over the weekend, possibly alongside another short-term funding patch to buy more time for talks on fiscal 2024 bills, beyond the March 1 and March 8 shutdown deadlines. But any hope of reaching an agreement is now slipping into the week, risking a funding lapse at midnight on Friday for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Transportation and others.

Schumer and Johnson, along with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are expected to meet Tuesday with President Joe Biden to discuss government funding and stalled emergency money for Ukraine, Israel and other issues.

Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues on Sunday that it is his "sincere hope" that Johnson "will step up to once again buck the extremists in his caucus and do the right thing."

"While we had hoped to have legislation ready this weekend that would give ample time for members to review the text, it is clear now that House Republicans need more time to sort themselves out," he said. "With the uncertainty of how the House will pass the appropriations bills and avoid a shutdown this week, I ask all Senators to keep their schedules flexible, so we can work to ensure a pointless and harmful lapse in funding doesn’t occur."

Johnson called Schumer's letter "counterproductive rhetoric," insisting that House Republicans continue to "work in good faith" and "hope to reach an outcome as soon as possible."

Many of the remaining sticking points "come from new Democrat demands that were not previously included in the Senate bills," Johnson said in a statement. "At a time of divided government, Senate Democrats are attempting at this late stage to spend on priorities that are farther left than what their chamber agreed upon."

In the run-up to the shutdown cliff, appropriations staff has been working around the clock in hopes of clinching a deal on some or all of the first four bills set to expire, including the Agriculture-FDA, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD measures.

Johnson is facing tremendous pressure from his right flank to secure policy wins across the bills on topics ranging from abortion to guns. During a conference call with Republicans on Friday night, he said he couldn't rule out the possibility of a partial government shutdown at week's end.

Negotiators in recent days have sparred over cuts to agriculture programs and limits on how USDA spends money, for example. Both sides have also warred over a policy rider that would ban mail delivery of abortion pills, a heated impasse over nutrition funding for low-income mothers and babies, as well as a pilot program proposed by Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) that would restrict SNAP food aid purchases.

The timeline for any legislative action is exceedingly tight. The House, which has been expected to move first on any bills, won't be in session until Wednesday. The Senate, set to deal with impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, returns from recess on Monday.

Aside from funding regular government operations, congressional leaders continue to spar over foreign military aid. On the heels of his trip with several other Senate Democrats to Ukraine, Schumer challenged Johnson to visit the country "and witness what we witnessed, because I believe it is virtually impossible for anyone with decency and goodwill to turn their back on Ukraine if they saw the horrors of that war with their own eyes."

The Senate's national security supplemental, which would deliver tens of billions of dollars in emergency aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, would pass the House if Johnson allowed a vote, Schumer wrote. "Now is the time for action. Speaker Johnson cannot let politics or blind obeisance to Donald Trump get in the way."

Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.

Posted in Uncategorized

Burning down the House: February has been an unmitigated disaster for Republicans

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Ah… Watch out!

You might get what you’re after.

Cool babies.

Strange. But I’m not a stranger.

I’m an ordinary guy.

Burning down the house. —Talking Heads. "Burning Down the House." 1983

David Byrne’s hypnotic, octave plunge between the lyrics "watch" and "out" is a sonic caveat.

THE SPEAKER’S LOBBY: WANTS AND NEEDS, AND THE LOOMING IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF BIDEN'S BORDER CHIEF

Those are the very first lines of the Talking Heads ‘80s anthem "Burning Down the House." The listener is forewarned. A tumultuous musical adventure lies ahead. The pending libretto is gnarly gibberish. Words which fit together — but don’t make any sense. A near homage to "I Am the Walrus" by the Beatles.

Like Byrne’s lyrics, what’s going on these days in the U.S. House of Representatives, doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Watch out. The House is seemingly out of control right now. Political arsonists are striking matches and pouring gasoline all over the place.

Republicans hold the majority. But they’ve been burning down their own House.

"Things have not been functioning well at all and that needs to change," beseeched Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn.

Chaos grips the House.

That’s saying something, considering this is an institution which practically mastered dysfunction.

"We can’t get anything done," lamented Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill.

Lawmakers are exasperated.

"My Republican friends are barely hanging onto this majority by their fingernails," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee.

My house…

Is out of the ordinary.

That’s right.

Don’t want to hurt nobody.

SENATE VOTED IN FAVOR OF $95 BILLION INTERNATIONAL SPENDING BILL, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER AROUND THE CORNER

House Republicans have blocked their own bills — drawn up with the blessing of GOP leaders — from hitting the House floor a staggering six times in the past eight months. The House usually requires the lawmakers approve a "rule" to allocate debate time and dictate whether amendments are in order. Only then can legislation come to the floor. 

The majority usually votes yes, greenlighting the debate. The minority customarily opposes the rule. But Republicans have torched their own rule six times. That’s a startling figure. Previous majorities only defeated two rules in the previous 23 years.

Republicans have struggled for 13 months now with their narrow majority. It started with the 15-round Speaker’s race in January of last year — an exercise not witnessed since 1858.

"We only had a two-vote margin at the end (of our majority)," said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

But Pelosi could empathize with the contemporary struggles of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

"I don’t think people understand how hard it is," said Pelosi "Respect members on both sides of the aisle. Build consensus. Prioritize your issues. Don’t put people out on a limb on things that aren’t important."

T. S. Eliot wrote that "April is the cruelest month" in his seminal poem, "The Waste Land."

Back on Capitol Hill, Johnson, might argue with Elliot about the brutality of April.

February has been an unmitigated disaster for House Republicans. More things have gone wrong for the GOP than points scored in the NBA All-Star Game.

To wit:

Republicans torched two of their own "rules." They failed during their first attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — before impeaching him by just a solitary vote after the GOP took a mulligan. Johnson even put a bill on the floor to aid Israel — which promptly failed. That was an unforced error. Conventional wisdom is that Johnson shouldn’t have pressed on the Israel bill — especially since the defeat came moments after the failed impeachment vote. And Republicans even saw their meager majority dwindle even further. 

Former Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. won a special election in New York to succeed expelled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. The GOP majority will shrink from 219 Republicans to 213 Democrats when the House swears-in Suozzi on Wednesday. That means Johnson can only lose two votes on any given roll call and still pass a measure — sans Democratic assistance.

On the morning after Suozzi’s victory, Ryan Schmelz of Fox News Radio asked Johnson how he’d "handle a narrow majority."

"Just as we do every day. We just do a lot of member discussion," replied Johnson.

It’s about the math. But how they’ve done things "every day" hasn’t provided a victory.

This is why some Republicans are taking aim at Johnson. They’ve regretted the House ditching former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. That’s why McCarthy allies are particularly infuriated at how bad things have been in the House of late.

"Whatever the cards were for McCarthy are the same cards that are being dealt to Speaker Johnson," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. "All it did was take a crowbar to it and make it worse."

Some Republicans criticized the leadership for indecision and making late play calls.

"They’ve got to start thinking strategically over the long-term. Not just what’s in front of us," said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.

Some lawmakers are certainly making long-term strategic decisions. They’re getting out.

So far, five committee chairs have announced their retirements: Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Tex., Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., special China committee Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wisc., Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn.

Green said he wouldn’t seek re-election shortly after the House impeached Mayorkas. Green will serve as the lead impeachment manager (or prosecutor) as the House presents its case to the Senate. Green saw that as an opportunity to go out on top.

"My point being, you go out for the win, right? And I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do," said Green.

A recent poll by Monmouth University found that only 17 percent of people surveyed approve of the job Congress is doing. But not everyone believes political paralysis is bad.

"Let me just tell you something about the people I represent," said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex. "They don't want this body to keep passing more laws and spending more money for the sake of it."

This is the "burning down the House" problem which bedevils lawmakers. Especially as two government funding deadlines loom.

We talked about February and April earlier. So expect March to enter like a lion.

As David Byrne sang, some conservatives are "fighting fire with fire." And they’re not getting what they’re after, either.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

So not only burning down the House. But perhaps shutting down the government, too.

Tim Scott rips ‘two-tiered standard’ between treatment of Trump, Biden on border executive action: video

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX — Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott slammed what he called a "two-tiered standard" concerning President Biden mulling executive action to handle the border crisis, and how former President Trump was treated during his presidency when he attempted to do the same thing.

"Well, there's no question that there's a two-tiered standard in our national media. The way they cover President Trump versus the way that they use kid gloves to cover Joe Biden. There's no question about that," Scott said during a Thursday interview with Fox News Digital when asked about reports that Biden is weighing executive action to crack down on asylum-seeking.

"More important, however, is that when we had President Trump in office, we actually had a basically sealed southern border. Crossings were around a thousand a day. Under President Biden in December, we had 10,000 crossings on average per day," he added. "That contrast should be what the media is covering."

TRUMP VP AUDITIONS: SCOTT RAMASWAMY HIT TRAIL IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON BEHALF OF FORMER PRESIDENT

An administration source told Fox earlier this week that Biden is considering executive action to restrict the ability of migrants to claim asylum amid historic numbers of border crossings facing the country, but that it’s one of "several" plans being looked at.

An administration official also stressed that there have been no final decisions on what actions, if any, could be taken and that exploring policy options does not mean they will come to pass.

One of the options reportedly on the table is use of 212(f) of the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows the president to restrict certain categories of foreigners who are deemed "detrimental to the interests of the United States." Trump attempted to use it but was blocked by a federal court, a ruling later upheld by the Supreme Court.

HISPANIC HOUSE DEMS ACCUSE BIDEN OF LEAVING THEM IN DARK ON POSSIBLE EXECUTIVE ACTION AT BORDER

The former president also faced sharp criticism from Democrats and members of the liberal media for attempting to use executive action on immigration, including being called "xenophobic" and "racist."

Biden has yet to face the same widespread level of criticism, although some of the more progressive Democrats have lashed out at the idea of Biden reverting to the previous administration's approach.

"Democrats CANNOT solve immigration problems by adopting Trump-like policies," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., wrote in a post on X, while Rep. Jesús García, D-Ill., claimed, "President Biden would be making a grave mistake if he moves forward with this policy."

DEMOCRAT IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE UNDER FIRE FOR PAST AMNESTY, SANCTUARY CITY ‘SUPPORT’ AS BORDER CRISIS SPIRALS

The possible executive action by Biden comes just under two weeks after the House of Representatives narrowly voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis.

During a gaggle with reporters after casting his vote in the South Carolina primary earlier in the day, Scott told Fox that he "certainly" supported Mayorkas' impeachment, and he praised the House for having the "courage" to take such action. However, he admitted the task likely wouldn't go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

"The best way to eliminate Mayorkas being the secretary is to actually fire Joe Biden," he said. "If we really want to change the trajectory of the country as it relates to immigration — illegal immigration — we have to do so by having someone, a commander-in-chief, who respects our borders, who wants to close our borders."

Fox News' Adam Shaw and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Abbreviated Pundit Roundup: How the ‘need for chaos’ keeps Trump in the running

Posted on by Greg Dworkin

Brian Beutler/”Off Message” on Substack:

Will Democrats Really Shrug Off The GOP's Latest, Biggest Betrayal?

Republicans teamed up with Russian intelligence to smear Joe Biden; they inflicted serious political damage on him over YEARS; Democrats can't let bygones be bygones

To recap quickly: Last week, David Weiss, the Trump-appointed prosecutor who has investigated, charged, and jerked around Hunter Biden, indicted Alexander Smirnov, the one witness who claimed to have evidence that the younger Biden really was trotting the globe soliciting bribes on behalf of his father. Turns out, Smirnov made it all up!

That development, taken in isolation and at face value, was a huge, embarrassing blow to Weiss and to congressional Republicans, who have plastered Smirnov’s allegations all over the media and used them to justify a decision they’d already made, at Donald Trump’s behest, to impeach Joe Biden.

But that wasn’t the end of it. DOJ then took the surprising step of trying to keep Smirnov confined before trial, and when a judge got in the way, prosecutors revealed that Smirnov’s lies stemmed from his work as a Russian intelligence agent. It’s not just that Republicans (in DOJ and on Capitol Hill) tried to frame Biden based on lies. It’s that the lies were part of a familiar Russian operation, encouraged and abetted by Trump himself for nearly a decade now, to slime his opponents ahead of elections.

Today it’s the 2024 election, but Smirnov first seeded his lies ahead of the 2020 election, when DOJ was controlled by Trump, and his corrupt attorney general Bill Barr.

Somehow Smirnov’s Russian intelligence contacts eluded all of these Republicans for four years. Unless of course they didn’t.

Smirnov, via a California judge, is back in custody. This, after a Nevada judge temporarily freed him.

A bit of advice:

Please do not report that the Republicans support IVF without noting their actual records, or asking them if that means they do not think embryos are people.

— Christina Reynolds (@creynoldsnc) February 23, 2024

Like clockwork, leading GOP candidates in #AZSEN, #OHSEN, #PASEN, and #MTSEN all sticking to the NRSC’s message and releasing statements supporting IVF treatments pic.twitter.com/Z1jqTs9x8F

— Kirk A. Bado (@kirk_bado) February 23, 2024

Running for election makes you do interesting things. But once you win …?

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch:

The Hunter Biden story has done a total 180 but the MSM is in denial

The real story is that the ludicrous Republican impeachment investigation has now been exposed as a Russian intelligence op. This, even as Republicans do Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bidding by blocking support for Ukraine and only a few short years after Trump aides welcomed Russian moves to help the Trump campaign in 2016.

But the political reporters at our most esteemed newsrooms who went to great lengths to portray the Biden impeachment investigation as a serious inquiry seem unable to change gears.

I’m not surprised. It  would require them to admit they were wrong. They don’t do that.

FSB is the proud successor to the KGB, which ran similar operations in West Germany in the Cold War. https://t.co/2tRPy35nUO

— Cas Mudde (@CasMudde) February 23, 2024

POLITICO:

Biden impeachment effort on the brink of collapse

A wide swath of House Republicans are acknowledging they likely won’t have the votes, especially given their struggle to recommend booting Alejandro Mayorkas.

The House GOP’s push to impeach Joe Biden appears close to stalling out for good.

First, the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas scraped through on the narrowest of margins — and took two tries, raising serious doubts about Republicans’ appetite for an even bigger impeachment fight. Then, a high-profile informant making bribery allegations against the Biden family was not only indicted, but has now linked some of his information to Russian intelligence.

See also Axios: House Republicans see Biden impeachment slipping out of reach

Some musings about what SCOTUS could be up to when it comes to Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim:

4. Possibility 2 is that the Court has voted to go all the way to the merits—to issue a brief ruling by the full Court that *affirms* the D.C. Circuit's rejection of former President Trump's immunity. Such a disposition would also take a little time to craft/get everyone behind.

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 23, 2024

7. In other words, although there are several explanations for why it's taking the Court this long, the most likely ones are all *bad* for Trump. None of this is a guarantee, of course; one of the *problems* with the shadow docket is how much we're left to guess. But that's mine.

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 23, 2024

Derek Thompson/The Atlantic:

The Americans Who Need Chaos

They’re embracing nihilism and upending politics.

The researchers came up with a term to describe the motivation behind these all-purpose conspiracy mongers. They called it the “need for chaos,” which they defined as “a mindset to gain status” by destroying the established order. In their study, nearly a third of respondents demonstrated a need for chaos, Petersen said. And for about 5 percent of voters, old-fashioned party allegiances to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party melted away and were replaced by a desire to see the entire political elite destroyed—even without a plan to build something better in the ashes.

“These [need-for-chaos] individuals are not idealists seeking to tear down the established order so that they can build a better society for everyone,” the authors wrote in their conclusion. “Rather, they indiscriminately share hostile political rumors as a way to unleash chaos and mobilize individuals against the established order that fails to accord them the respect that they feel they personally deserve.” To sum up their worldview, Petersen quoted a famous line from the film The Dark Knight: “Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Alabama IVF ruling puts spotlight on state plans for tax breaks and child support for fetuses https://t.co/K52CV0FwVF

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2024

Conor Sen/Bloomberg:

Boy, This Economy Is Hard to Read. Mea Culpa.

I’m now sorry that I described recent signs of recovery as akin to a “dead cat bounce” that would eventually be swamped by high interest rates.

The catalyst is the growing confidence among consumers and businesses alike, ironically driven by the slowdown in inflation the Fed has been working to engineer. Monetary policy remains tight — look no further than the struggles in the automobile and commercial property sectors or affordability challenges for homebuyers — but, for now, there are too many industries showing signs of resilience or acceleration to believe that the central bank’s stance will cause the labor market or economy to unravel.

No Labels' spoiler bid has suddenly entered full meltdown mode. No serious candidates are interested. The group's public justifications are increasingly ludicrous. Time to pull the plug. We have lots of new reporting and info in this piece. 1/ Link:https://t.co/huQpANZIlH

— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) February 23, 2024

Daniel Nichanian/Bolts magazine:

Judges Play Musical Chairs on Arkansas’ Highest Court

Four members of the state supreme court are trying to jump to different seats on the bench, a situation that could empower the conservative governor by granting her more appointments.

The only two candidates not already on the court face tough odds, crushed by their opponents’ name recognition and fundraising. Each told Bolts that they’re concerned about the prospect of the governor shaping the court’s membership when justices are supposed to be chosen by voters.

Many states select justices via elections, but then stretch the spirit of that approach. Justices in other states routinely resign before their term is up, enabling governors to name a replacement; in Minnesota, for instance, all current justices owe their seat to an appointment despite the state’s election system. As Bolts has reported, a loophole in Georgia law has even allowed state justices and other officials to maneuver to outright cancel some judicial elections.

In Arkansas, the reasons for this situation are very different across the two elections. One of the two open supreme court races this year is to replace Chief Justice John Dan Kemp, who is retiring rather than seek a new term. Three of the court’s associate justices—Karen Baker, Barbara Webb, and Rhonda Wood—are running for the open chief justice position, which is akin to seeking a promotion, since the chief justice has broad responsibilities over supervising the state’s judicial system.

Ryan Burge/”Graphs About Religion” on Substack:

Has Christian Nationalism Intensified or Faded?

Comparing Survey Data from 2007 and 2021

It's all happened so fast that it's hard to get our arms around a pretty basic question in the discussion about Christian Nationalism - are those sentiments increasing or decreasing in the general public? Well, now I can answer that with a great deal of specificity.

If one is looking for the empirical foundations of the Christian Nationalism debate, it’s in a series of statements that were posed to respondents in the Baylor Religion Survey back in 2007 - Wave II. They are as follows:

  1. The federal government should advocate Christian values
  2. The federal government should allow prayer in public schools
  3. The federal government should allow the display of religious symbols in public spaces
  4. The federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation
  5. The federal government should enforce strict separation of church and state
  6. The success of the United States is part of God’s plan.

Response options ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The middle option is undecided. I know that there's a lively debate about defining Christian Nationalism and whether these questions are tapping that concept accurately. I am going to sidestep that discussion entirely here. The authors I mentioned above are much more well-versed in those debates than I am. My focus here is narrow - I just want to see how responses to those questions have changed over time….

I think it's fair to say that the results point to the fact that Christian Nationalism is fading in the general population. That's evident in a number of these statements. For instance, in 2007, 55% of folks said that the government should advocate Christian values. In 2021, that share had dropped to just 38%. That's substantial.

My argument would be that extremism makes things less popular with the general public. Same with scandals, same with overreaching.

One presidential candidate makes the killing of Alexey @Navalny about himself, the other goes and meets with the grieving family and promises support for their cause. But yes, they're basically the same. https://t.co/pv37l9GrKO

— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) February 22, 2024

Cliff Schecter on Lindsey Graham:

YouTube Video

ICYMI: Trump’s dire VP shortlist, and Sinema’s uncertain future

Posted on by Jen Hayden

Republicans proceed with impeachment effort to spread Russian disinformation

Because who needs facts?

Trump daughter-in-law: ‘We get ahead and succeed by merit and merit alone'

Sure, if you count the added benefit of generational wealth.

Time's almost up for Sinema to run again—if she even wants to

The future is looking uncertain for Miss Independent.

Cartoon: Worst president ever

Watch what happens when you stir up a hornet’s nest.

Trump's shortlist of VP candidates is all about who will go the lowest

From Byron Donalds to Ron DeSantis, it’s a list of the worst of the worst.impr

Every warning of post-Roe America is coming true, and there’s worse ahead

Republicans want to roll back women’s and pregnant people’s rights to somewhere around the Bronze Age.

VP wannabe Kristi Noem thinks it's just great that Trump 'broke politics'

Noem takes kissing the ring to a whole new level.

Ron DeSantis hired an anti-vaxxer, and now Florida kids are paying the cost

Florida’s surgeon general is giving more questionable guidance.

GOP congresswoman who used IVF wants to ban IVF

So it’s okay for her to use it, but not her constituents?

Trump's lawyers call for dismissal of classified documents case, citing presidential immunity

Because presidential immunity worked so well for him last time …  

Click here to see more cartoons.

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Fox News Politics: A very special prosecutor indeed

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What's Happening? 

- Trump pushes for dismissal of classified docs case

- Biden allegedly considered taking board seat on CCP linked company

- Schumer goes to Ukraine amid funding battle

Nathan Wade appears to have made far more visits to the neighborhood of Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis than previously admitted in court. 

A Friday filing from the attorney of former President Trump claims to show at least 35 visits by Wade to Willis' neighborhood before he was hired as a key special prosecutor on the Trump case.

Wade testified last week that he did not visit Willis' condo more than 10 times before being hired in November 2021. Willis and Wade maintain that their relationship began in early 2022. But his phone appeared to be near Willis' address at late hours on some nights before he was hired, according to cell phone data.

FROM BEHIND BARS: Joe Biden allegedly considered joining board of CCP-linked company, witness testifies from prison ...Read more

'STAGED Q&A SESSIONS': Biden's reliance on notecards to answer questions at fundraisers worries some donors …Read more

FEEBLE FAILURE: Biden admits 'broken' immigration system in meeting with governors as migrants mass-released in California …Read more

RELIEF AT THE PUMP: Biden admin scraps eco friendly fuel rules as gas prices remain high ...Read more

'PLAYBOOK OF CRUELTY': Democrats go after Biden for considering asylum restrictions amidst the border crisis …Read more

'ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY': Biden brags Supreme Court 'didn't stop' him from canceling student loans …Read more

MEAN JOE: Biden's GOP-Strom Thurmond comparisons anger conservative social media users …Read more

SCHUMER PLEDGES SUPPORT: Schumer visits Ukraine, says he will 'make clear' to House Speaker Johnson 'what is at stake' …Read more

LOSING FAITH: Republicans losing faith in Johnson to score conservative wins in government shutdown fight …Read more

OFF TO JAIL: House investigators heading to prison to interview ex-Hunter Biden biz associate amid impeachment inquiry …Read more

GIRL POWER: Haley says US will have 'female president' — either herself or Kamala Harris …Read more

'IT'S CRAZY': Trump says it's 'crazy' how Christians, people of faith can vote for Democrats …Read more

'PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY': Trump’s lawyers push for dismissal of classified documents case …Read more

ON DECK: Kristi Noem offers 5 requirements to serve as Trump's VP …Read more

GOOGLE BIAS: Google executive's posts about 'White privilege,' 'systemic racism' resurface after team's botched AI launch …Read more

WOKE LESSONS: New York school gives children 'Black Lives Matter' coloring book that promotes trans affirmation …Read more

BAD OPTICS?: Migrants mass-released in San Diego as Newsom heads to White House …Read more

'FRENEMIES': Calif judge torches Biden admin for 'colluding' with left-wing immigration group on asylum rule …Read more

CRACKING DOWN: Florida legislature passes bill to ban left lane driving …Read more

'CAN'T BELIEVE IT': San Francisco hardware store requires customers to shop with an employee escort to stop 'rampant shoplifting' …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

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

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

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."

Former FBI informant accused of lying about Bidens’ business dealings to be transferred to California

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

An ex-FBI informant accused of lying about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden's alleged business dealings with a Ukrainian energy company will be transferred to California, where he is expected to face a judge.  

Alexander Smirnov, 43, has been ordered transferred to California where he will appear in court at 9 a.m. Monday local time. He was released by a Nevada judge earlier this week. 

HUNTER BIDEN WAS PAID $100K A MONTH THROUGH CHINESE FIRM VENTURE, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIED

A California judge ordered him arrested again on Thursday after federal prosecutors argued Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, was a flight risk. 

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors said Smirnov peddled lies "that could impact U.S. elections" while asking a judge to keep him locked up ahead of trial on charges alleging he lied to the FBI about a phony multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the Bidens and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

Prosecutors say Smirnov falsely told his handler that Burisma executives paid Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, $5 million each around 2015. The claim became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

FBI REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING CONTROVERSIAL DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WHO SCHMOOZED WITH BIDEN LAST MONTH

However, federal prosecutors said Smirnov had only routine business dealings with the company starting in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after he "expressed bias" against then-presidential candidate Biden. Special Counsel David Weiss said Smirnov's untruths were made in an effort to impact the 2024 presidential election.

He is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. The charges were filed in Los Angeles. 

Smirnov was arrested Thursday at the law offices of his attorneys in downtown Las Vegas. Fox News Digital has reached out to Smirnov's lawyers. 

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.