GOP Senator Admits Biden Probe Lacks ‘Hard Proof’ to Support Hype

[aubiefifty 18,259]

GOP Senator Admits Biden Probe Lacks ‘Hard Proof’ to Support Hype

Justin Baragona

5–6 minutes

Fox Business

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) seemed to admit on Wednesday that the GOP doesn’t have the “hard proof” linking President Joe Biden to any criminal scheme involving his family’s business affairs, adding that people will just have to “infer what’s happening” on this issue.

Johnson’s remarks came on the same morning that House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) unveiled new details supposedly supporting his panel’s allegations about the president. However, despite Comer’s claiming that this would make “Watergate look like jaywalking” and would be “judgment day” for Biden, his report didn’t match the hype.

While Comer previously said he’d identify multiple policy decisions made by the president that were tied to his family members’ foreign financial transactions, Comer provided no evidence on Wednesday to back those claims. In fact, the latest report didn’t show any payments made directly to Biden—either as president or vice president. Comer was unable to name any specific Biden policies influenced by foreign money at his Wednesday presser, instead pointing to the president placing “China first and America last” while saying his committee would “get into more of those later.”

Along with Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Johnson has led the charge for several years on a probe of the Biden family—most especially the president’s son Hunter. During a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox Business Network’s Mornings With Maria, Johnson boasted of a “volume of evidence” the House Republicans had gathered on the Biden “crime” schemes.

White House Goes on Offense Against GOP’s Biden Attack Dog

“It makes clear the corruption within these agencies, but it also makes clear the corruption of the mainstream media who will largely ignore and minimize it,” Johnson told pro-Trump host Maria Bartiromo.

At the same time, the Wisconsin lawmaker acknowledged that it would be difficult for the committee to actually prove its case, suggesting they’d have to rely on insinuation, innuendo, and conservatives distrust of the media.

“People that commit criminal acts try not to leave a paper trail. So it's very difficult to piece this all together, particularly when you have the leftists, the progressives and the mainstream media doing everything they can to undermine your investigation,” he declared.

“On the bank records, you're not going to see [a] bribe to change this policy. You have to infer what's happening here. You have to take a look at the bulk of the evidence,” Johnson exclaimed, adding: “Again, you have to infer these things, you’re not necessarily going to get necessarily hard proof, but there is such a huge body of evidence.”

The senator went on to complain that “the media will do the exact same thing that they did” when he and Grassley first tried to link Biden to foreign financial entanglements before the 2020 election.

“They’ll just say, ‘Oh, there's no proof of a crime here.’ You can say it's circumstantial,” he grumbled. “You don't have these people writing on a piece of paper, ‘10 percent to Vice President Biden.’ They do it cryptically, '10 percent to the big guy.’ That’s how criminals operate. They do it cryptically.”

Johnson wasn’t the only Republican on Wednesday to admit there may not be any fire behind all the smoke. During a Fox News appearance on Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX)—who also sits on the oversight committee—was unable to say Republicans could connect any Biden policy to foreign money transactions.

“I think that could very well possibly happen,” was the best Fallon could muster.

A GOP Chairman’s Tricky Hypocrisy on ‘Political’ Probes

Additionally, Republicans were hit with another setback on Wednesday afternoon when the FBI refused to hand over an informant file that Grassley and Comer claim outlines “an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.”

Citing a “highly credible whistleblower,” Grassley and Comer have suggested the file would show Biden took bribes while he was vice president. Yet, in an interview with Newsmax last week, Grassley admitted their claims could be “untrue.”

The White House, meanwhile, has recently gone on offense. Prior to Comer’s press conference on Wednesday, White House spokesman Ian Sams issued a blistering statement to The Daily Beast.

“Congressman Comer has a history of playing fast and loose with the facts and spreading baseless innuendo while refusing to conduct his so-called ‘investigations’ with legitimacy,” Sams said. “He has hidden information from the public to selectively leak and promote his own hand-picked narratives as part of his overall effort to lob personal attacks at the President and his family.”

[GoAU 1,696]

Biden family received millions from foreign nationals, tried to conceal source of funds: House Oversight

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is investigating the Biden family's 'influence peddling and business schemes'
 

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee says the Biden family and its business associates created more than 20 companies and received more than $10 million from foreign nationals while Joe Biden served as vice president, and that some of these payments could indicate attempts by the Biden family to "peddle influence."

 

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released a memo ahead of his press conference Wednesday that includes new information from his investigation into the Biden family’s "influence peddling and business schemes." The memo said the Biden family appeared to take steps to "conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."

The committee has subpoenaed four different banks as part of its probe and received "thousands of records in response." Those subpoenas were "tailored to specific individuals and companies that engaged in business activities with Biden family members and their business associates," the memo said.

It said Biden family members and business associates "created a web of over 20 companies — most were limited liability companies formed during Joe Biden’s vice presidency."

The committee said those companies were formed mostly in Delaware and Washington, D.C., with the help of Hunter Biden’s business partners Rob Walker and James Gilliar.

"After assuming the vice presidency in 2009, records reveal Hunter Biden and his business associates formed at least 15 companies," the memo said. Those companies include Lion Hall Group LLC; Owasco P.C.; Robinson Walker, LLC; Skaneateles, LLC; Seneca Global Advisors, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Principal Investments LLC; Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC; Hudson West III, LLC; Hudson West V, LLC; CEFC Infrastructure Investment (US) and others.

"Bank records show the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals’ companies," the memo said, adding that the committee identified payments to Biden family members from foreign companies "while Joe Biden served as Vice President and after he left public office."

"[T]he Biden family used business associates’ companies to receive millions of dollars from foreign companies," the memo said, adding that the Biden family "received incremental payments over time to different bank accounts."

"In some instances, Biden associates would receive significant deposits from foreign sources into their bank accounts and then transfer smaller, incremental payments to Biden bank accounts," the memo said. "These complicated and seemingly unnecessary financial transactions appear to be a concerted effort to conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."

It said Chinese nationals and companies "with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party hid the source of the funds by layering domestic limited liability companies."

The committee says it is investigating "the opaque corporate structure of particular Biden-affiliated companies, those companies’ complicated connections with each other, whether these companies maintained books and records, and why certain foreign nationals sought to partner with and engage in businesses with specific Biden family members and their companies."

It said it already sees signs that the Biden family may have collected money from foreign nationals trying to influence U.S. policy. For example, the committee said it discovered that Hunter Biden, through his associate Rob Walker, received more than $1 million from a foreign company reportedly controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, the subject of a criminal probe and prosecution for corruption in Romania. Then-Vice President Biden met with Romanian leaders in 2014 and 2015 "regarding corruption in the country."

"The committee is concerned about the Biden family’s pattern of courting business in regions of the world in which the then Vice President had an outsize role and influenced U.S. policy," the memo said. "The Biden family and associates’ activities in Romania bear clear indica of a scheme to peddle influence from 2015-2017."

 

The committee said it found that in addition to Hunter Biden, James Gilliar and Rob Walker receiving foreign funds, James Biden, Hallie Biden and "other Bidens" also received "foreign payments."

The memo included a breakdown of the transactions from Chinese and Romanian nationals and companies.

Specifically, with regard to China, the memo points to two people — Ye Jianming and Gongwen Dong — and warned that particular Chinese business venture posed "potential threats to American national security." Both people were connected to Hunter Biden’s joint-venture with Chinese energy company CEFC.

The memo said Ye had "close ties to the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party and was reportedly deputy secretary-general for an international outreach arm of the People’s Liberation Army." Ye was later detained by the CCP in 2018.

"The Bidens received millions of dollars from their Chinese partnership," the memo said. "When Ye was detained by the Chinese, Hunter Biden then attempted to distance himself from the relationship by claiming he had never been paid by CEFC. This was false."

The memo said Hunter’s company, Hudson West V, received a $24 million wire from Ye. CEFC later wired $100,000 to Hunter’s Owasco, P.C. 

A Senate report from 2020 said that on Aug. 8, 2017, CEFC wired nearly $5 million to the bank account for Hudson West III, a firm that Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates.

Fox News Digital first reported in 2020 that Hunter Biden had requested that keys be made for his new "office mates," listing his father, Jill Biden and his uncle, Jim Biden, for space he planned to share with Gongwen.

"The Biden family and associates’ activities in coordination with Chinese nationals and their corporate entities appear to be an attempt to engage in financial deception," the memo said, adding that "multiple Biden family members received money from the Chinese after it passed through the Robinson Walker, LLC account."

"Additionally, Hunter Biden received money directly into his company’s account from a Chinese-controlled entity," the memo adds.

"The Committee will continue to engage in the accommodations process with those who have not cooperated with our investigation," the memo said. "The Committee plans to gather additional bank records in the near future and continue following the money trail."

"The Committee is committed to rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse that exist at the highest level of the federal government," it added.

The White House has slammed the committee’s investigation as "evidence-free" and "politically motivated." The White House has also maintained that President Biden has never been involved in his son’s business dealings.

 

 

The Biden lies continue to unravel:  the computer wasn’t Hunters - disproved

Biden wasn’t involved in Hunter business dealing - and the “didn’t even talk about business - complete lie debunked by emails and the WH visitor logs   
 

Yet you continue to ignore the facts building on this  

What is even stranger is there isn’t a single CNN story on this on their front page today - not even pretending to be impartial…. I never expected them to jump right into this reporting but to fault to even acknowledge this is a story is deeply troubling   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aubiefifty 18,259]

i said it before and i will say it again if he IS guilty get him.

[homersapien 12,244]

I'd be interested to see those records of payment to the "Biden family".

Not Joe, not Hunter, not Jill but the "family". Payments made to the "family". 

In the words of Steve Bannon - this is just more of "flooding the zone with s***".  

[AU9377 6,037]

Sooooooooooooo many could be maybesss

[aubiefifty 18,259]

On 5/10/2023 at 8:58 PM, GoAU said:

Biden family received millions from foreign nationals, tried to conceal source of funds: House Oversight

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is investigating the Biden family's 'influence peddling and business schemes'
 

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee says the Biden family and its business associates created more than 20 companies and received more than $10 million from foreign nationals while Joe Biden served as vice president, and that some of these payments could indicate attempts by the Biden family to "peddle influence."

 

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., released a memo ahead of his press conference Wednesday that includes new information from his investigation into the Biden family’s "influence peddling and business schemes." The memo said the Biden family appeared to take steps to "conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."

The committee has subpoenaed four different banks as part of its probe and received "thousands of records in response." Those subpoenas were "tailored to specific individuals and companies that engaged in business activities with Biden family members and their business associates," the memo said.

It said Biden family members and business associates "created a web of over 20 companies — most were limited liability companies formed during Joe Biden’s vice presidency."

The committee said those companies were formed mostly in Delaware and Washington, D.C., with the help of Hunter Biden’s business partners Rob Walker and James Gilliar.

"After assuming the vice presidency in 2009, records reveal Hunter Biden and his business associates formed at least 15 companies," the memo said. Those companies include Lion Hall Group LLC; Owasco P.C.; Robinson Walker, LLC; Skaneateles, LLC; Seneca Global Advisors, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC; Rosemont Seneca Principal Investments LLC; Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC; Hudson West III, LLC; Hudson West V, LLC; CEFC Infrastructure Investment (US) and others.

"Bank records show the Biden family, their business associates, and their companies received over $10 million from foreign nationals’ companies," the memo said, adding that the committee identified payments to Biden family members from foreign companies "while Joe Biden served as Vice President and after he left public office."

"[T]he Biden family used business associates’ companies to receive millions of dollars from foreign companies," the memo said, adding that the Biden family "received incremental payments over time to different bank accounts."

"In some instances, Biden associates would receive significant deposits from foreign sources into their bank accounts and then transfer smaller, incremental payments to Biden bank accounts," the memo said. "These complicated and seemingly unnecessary financial transactions appear to be a concerted effort to conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies."

It said Chinese nationals and companies "with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party hid the source of the funds by layering domestic limited liability companies."

The committee says it is investigating "the opaque corporate structure of particular Biden-affiliated companies, those companies’ complicated connections with each other, whether these companies maintained books and records, and why certain foreign nationals sought to partner with and engage in businesses with specific Biden family members and their companies."

It said it already sees signs that the Biden family may have collected money from foreign nationals trying to influence U.S. policy. For example, the committee said it discovered that Hunter Biden, through his associate Rob Walker, received more than $1 million from a foreign company reportedly controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, the subject of a criminal probe and prosecution for corruption in Romania. Then-Vice President Biden met with Romanian leaders in 2014 and 2015 "regarding corruption in the country."

"The committee is concerned about the Biden family’s pattern of courting business in regions of the world in which the then Vice President had an outsize role and influenced U.S. policy," the memo said. "The Biden family and associates’ activities in Romania bear clear indica of a scheme to peddle influence from 2015-2017."

 

The committee said it found that in addition to Hunter Biden, James Gilliar and Rob Walker receiving foreign funds, James Biden, Hallie Biden and "other Bidens" also received "foreign payments."

The memo included a breakdown of the transactions from Chinese and Romanian nationals and companies.

Specifically, with regard to China, the memo points to two people — Ye Jianming and Gongwen Dong — and warned that particular Chinese business venture posed "potential threats to American national security." Both people were connected to Hunter Biden’s joint-venture with Chinese energy company CEFC.

The memo said Ye had "close ties to the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party and was reportedly deputy secretary-general for an international outreach arm of the People’s Liberation Army." Ye was later detained by the CCP in 2018.

"The Bidens received millions of dollars from their Chinese partnership," the memo said. "When Ye was detained by the Chinese, Hunter Biden then attempted to distance himself from the relationship by claiming he had never been paid by CEFC. This was false."

The memo said Hunter’s company, Hudson West V, received a $24 million wire from Ye. CEFC later wired $100,000 to Hunter’s Owasco, P.C. 

A Senate report from 2020 said that on Aug. 8, 2017, CEFC wired nearly $5 million to the bank account for Hudson West III, a firm that Hunter Biden opened with Chinese associates.

Fox News Digital first reported in 2020 that Hunter Biden had requested that keys be made for his new "office mates," listing his father, Jill Biden and his uncle, Jim Biden, for space he planned to share with Gongwen.

"The Biden family and associates’ activities in coordination with Chinese nationals and their corporate entities appear to be an attempt to engage in financial deception," the memo said, adding that "multiple Biden family members received money from the Chinese after it passed through the Robinson Walker, LLC account."

"Additionally, Hunter Biden received money directly into his company’s account from a Chinese-controlled entity," the memo adds.

"The Committee will continue to engage in the accommodations process with those who have not cooperated with our investigation," the memo said. "The Committee plans to gather additional bank records in the near future and continue following the money trail."

"The Committee is committed to rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse that exist at the highest level of the federal government," it added.

The White House has slammed the committee’s investigation as "evidence-free" and "politically motivated." The White House has also maintained that President Biden has never been involved in his son’s business dealings.

 

 

The Biden lies continue to unravel:  the computer wasn’t Hunters - disproved

Biden wasn’t involved in Hunter business dealing - and the “didn’t even talk about business - complete lie debunked by emails and the WH visitor logs   
 

Yet you continue to ignore the facts building on this  

What is even stranger is there isn’t a single CNN story on this on their front page today - not even pretending to be impartial…. I never expected them to jump right into this reporting but to fault to even acknowledge this is a story is deeply troubling   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

impartial? dude cnn just hosted the turd known as trump. they claim they did it to be fair and balanced and not the money from rating. i care little for cnn. also repubs have come out and said it is a nothing burger and how many times have they investigated hunter? i read several months ago he had been investigated for the last six years. so i do not believe it until i see proof and not hearsay. but again, if he is guilty get him. but be honest. do you feel that way about trump? most of your side does not you guys have just not slowly almost stopped taking up for him other than rapes and assaults and that sort of thing.

[aubiefifty 18,259]

it is all political bullsh*t. the right turned a blind eye to damn every crooked thing he did. even jan 6. you guys voted for trump and you own it.