Former Hunter Biden business associates Tony Bobulinski, Jason Galanis testifies before a House panel. Hunter Biden, Devon Archer are not appearing.
Here is the latest
- Chairman And Ranking Member Closing Testimony
- Businessman Became Concerned When Jim Biden Touted’ Plausible Deniability’
- Democrat Witness Warns ‘They’re Coming For’ Republican Witness
- Witness Pleads With Lawmakers to Focus on CCP Infiltration of White House
- Gaetz Points to Conviction Showing Democrat Witness Worked for Russian Oligarch
Chairman And Ranking Member Closing Testimony
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 1 hour ago
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) closed the hearing, reiterating the key points brought forward by their parties.
Mr. Raskin asserted that Democrat witness Lev Parnas had sufficiently “explained to America that the allegations at the very foundation of this inquiry were predicated on Russian propaganda and disinformation.”
He also thanked Mr. Parnas for “showing America what real intellectual honesty and personal honesty look like and how you can grow out of the deranged Trump syndrome that so many of our colleagues are still suffering from today.”
For his closing statement, Mr. Comer also thanked the witnesses, saying they “delivered testimony in front of the American people directly implicating President Biden and his family’s influence peddling [and] schemes that brought over $24 million into the Biden family and their business associates pockets.”
“I don’t think anyone believes that this is acceptable behavior for the family of the President of the United States, to receive 10s of millions of dollars from our adversaries around the world … Nobody supports that. I don’t care if you’re Democrat or Republican.”
Businessman Became Concerned When Jim Biden Touted’ Plausible Deniability’
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 4 mins ago
Witness and businessman Tony Bobulinski said that speaking to President Joe Biden’s brother, Jim Biden, was when he first came to the idea that the business deal he was involved in might not be entirely legal.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked the witness when he had the first inclination that he might need to step away from first son Hunter Biden and the Biden family.
Mr. Bobulinski said, without hesitation, that when Mr. Jim Biden used the term “plausible deniability,” was when he first became concerned.
“Listen, I’m a former naval officer, I held a security clearance … Somebody couldn’t take me to dinner for $50,” Mr. Bobulinski said.
He later went on to say that he became more convinced when he saw that the Biden family was “right front and center in the middle of a $9 billion transaction between the Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft and CEFC, a surrogate for the Chinese Communist Party.”
Witness Pleads With Lawmakers to Focus on CCP Infiltration of White House
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 29 mins ago
When asked by committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) if he would like to take less than one minute to address anything that was said during the hearing, Republican witness and businessman Tony Bobulinski said, “my biggest appeal to everyone in this room is I wish you would spend the time focusing on the fact that the Chinese Communist Party infiltrated the White House with the United States of America through the Biden family.”
The former military member and first son Hunter Biden’s business partner went on, saying, “I don’t say that lightly. It’s not a joke. I was willing to die for this country, as was my father, and both my grandfathers and my brother. This is serious, serious stuff. We should be asking how that happened.
“Take the Biden name and the Biden family completely out of it. How did the Chinese Communist Party infiltrate the White House and the United States of America? Let’s start there, focus on those facts: what they did, how they did it, why they use money, why they use private enterprises instead of military stuff … that is huge to our national security.”
Gaetz Points to Conviction Showing Democrat Witness Worked for Russian Oligarch
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 18 mins ago
Rep. Matt Gaetz questioned Democrat witness Lev Parnas about his time in prison, asserting that he was the only person in the committee hearing that has worked for a Russian oligarch.
Mr. Gaetz confirmed with Mr. Parnes that he had spent four months in prison but that he was “indicted for crimes that could have resulted in you spending 50 years in prison.”
Mr. Parnas confirmed the assertion but said that the charges were “false charges” that the judge “saw through.”
Mr. Gaetz went on to correct him, saying, “You went to trial, and you were convicted,” which the witness confirmed. Following that admonition, the witness again confirmed that his charges were related to taking money from a Russian oligarch to acquire marijuana licenses.
“It sounds like everyone here today, the only one working for a Russian oligarch was you.”
Mr. Parnas again confirmed Mr. Gaetz’s assessment, saying, “it’s public information.”
After some level of crosstalk where Mr. Parnas asserted that the truth was more complicated, Mr. Gaetz ended his comments, saying, “The truth is you have taken money from Russians to buy marijuana businesses and then and then you go into jail and come in here. To lie about Trump.”
Democrat Calls for Impeachment Vote for Joe Biden On the Spot
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 5 mins ago
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) called for Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to call for the impeachment vote for President Joe Biden, saying, “The chairman knows me, I’m just here to help him … Let’s just call for it.”
Mr. Moskowitz made the push after asserting that after 15 months of inquiry, the Republicans did not have enough evidence to impeach President Biden.
The lawmaker had some exchanges with Republicans who asserted that they would not rush the process, as they claim was done with the last president, but needed to persist in order to do their due diligence.
The Florida Democrat persisted, however, saying, “Mr. Chairman, I want to help you out … make the motion to impeach President Biden. Go ahead. I’ll second it.
“No, nothing. Okay. We got nothing. So I want it with my last couple months to show the American people that they’re never going to impeach Joe Biden, it’s never going to happen because they don’t have the evidence.”
Committee Shelves Democrat Push to Subpoena Jared Kushner
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 7 mins ago
Following accusations by several Democrats that former President Donald Trump’s family is likely guilty of “influence peddling,” in reference to the name of the hearing, Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced a motion to subpoena the former president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Mr. Raskin introduced a motion to “issue a subpoena to Jared Kushner to compel testimony related to $2 billion collected from Saudi Arabia after his service within the White House.”
Following the motion and a second, there was a motion put forward to table the motion on a subpoena. That resulted in a voice vote, after which Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) assessed that the majority of the committee voted to table the motion, and the hearing proceeded without objection.
Witness Was Never Paid From Business Deal With Hunter Biden
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 33 mins ago
Rep Pete Sessions (R-Texas) questioned Businessman Tony Bobulinski about the financial gain he had from the business he had with first son Hunter Biden.
Mr. Bobulinski confirmed that while it’s his understanding that individuals from the Biden family received millions from the detail he was involved in, he received nothing.
“Were you ever paid?” Mr. Sessions asked.
Mr. Bobulinski responded, “I was not.”
The witness did clarify that he was reimbursed $50,000 for expenses incurred for the company, such as travel expenses, he reiterated that while he understood that Mr. Hunter Biden and the president’s brother, Jim Biden, received “millions,” he received nothing.
Hunter Biden Brought ‘Relationship Capitol’
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 34 mins ago
When asked by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) about what first son Hunter Biden “brought to the table” to be included in the business deals with a company that received financial gains from Chinese companies, witness Jason Galanis asserted it was his relationships.
“What was the value that Hunter brought to the table? Mr. Perry asked.
Mr. “It was the access to the inducement to induce companies like this harvest group to participate in burden. So it was, we’ll call it, relationship capital that he brought to the table, not financial capital.”
Democrat Connects Witness Attorney to Trump Administration
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 1 hour ago
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) put questions to Jason Galanis about his legal representation, asserting that Mr. Galanis was offered legal aide by an attorney with a known connection to former President Donald Trump.
After receiving confirmation from Mr. Galanis that he was represented in the hearing by attorney Mark Paoletta, Ms. Stansbury asserted that Mr. Galanis was “ in fact a former lawyer to Donald Trump who served in the administration in the Office of Management and Budget, and was at the center of the Ukrainian pressure campaign for which Donald Trump was impeached.”
The lawmaker went on to say that Mr. Paletta was the former president’s chief Office of Management and Budget (OMB) lawyer when President Trump made the decision to withhold aid to Ukraine, asserting that the decision was made to “try to extort the Ukrainian government into investigating Joe Biden.”
“Mr. Paletta literally wrote the memo to help withhold those funds,” Ms. Stansbury said.
Hearing in Recess
2 hours ago
The hearing is now in recess due to votes on the House floor
AOC: ‘Did You Witness the President Commit a Crime?’
By Jacob Burg 2 hours ago
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) exchanged barbs with GOP witness Tony Bobulinski while asking him if he believes the current president committed a crime worthy of impeachment.
“Mr. Bobulinski … I have a quick question, simple. Is it your testimony today that you personally witnessed President Joe Biden commit a crime?”
Mr. Bobulinski responded by alleging the president committed a RICO violation and was involved in financial corruption regarding his business dealings with his son Hunter.
“Excuse me, sir. RICO is not a crime. It is a category,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez replied.
She continued, “[the] Republican majority is lost in the desert. Impeachment 101: majority party or whomever is raising impeachment must accuse the president of a high crime, a specific high crime, or misdemeanor.”
“This resolution does not outline a high crime or misdemeanor. It’s not here,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez added.
Rep. McClain: ‘You Are Who You Surround Yourself With’
By Samantha Flom 2 hours ago
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) started her line of questioning by challenging Democrats’ assertions that Hunter Biden was the only one of his associates to have done no wrong.
“I think most Americans are taught at a very young age that you are who you surround yourself with,” Ms. McClain said.
While she said that her Democrat colleagues had treated Mr. Biden as “this golden boy,” she questioned if that was something people actually believed.
“His associates, such as Jason Galanis and Devon Archer, are felons convicted of fraud, yet he is the golden child.”
The congresswoman went on to ask Tony Bobulinski why he thought his former business associate skipped the hearing.
“I don’t think he wanted to sit next to me because, obviously, I’ve emphatically stated he perjured himself in his transcribed interview with the committee, as did his uncle, Jim Biden,” Mr. Bobulinski replied.
“And for every fact he claims or wants to say, ‘I was high on drugs,’ or obfuscate, I can show a document, a text message, a recording that has … confirmed that he’s lying.”
Democrat Lawmaker Claims Witness Was ‘Dumped’ by Biden in Business Deal
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 3 hours ago
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) engaged in a heated exchange with Businessman Tony Bobulinski about his testimony that President Joe Biden was involved in the businessman and first son Hunter Biden’s business deals.
The lawmaker showed photos of email exchanges between Mr. Bobulinski and others of Mr. Hunter Biden’s business partners, including a quote that allowed for “10 percent held by H for the big guy.”
After Mr. Bobulinski confirmed that he did remember the email, Mr. Goldman asked, “Did anyone ever respond to that email?”
The businessman replied in the affirmative, saying, “Yes, they did numerous times.”
After seeming to walk back his question, Mr. Goldman said, “Sorry, excuse me, you’re right.”
He was then interrupted by Mr. Bobulinski, who asserted that this made his point that the “big guy” referenced then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Mr. Goldman said, “I will say no one responded to the big guy reference.”
Mr. Bobulinski responded, saying, “They didn’t have to respond. Because they all knew…”
After citing other previous comments by Mr. Bobulinski about the president’s interaction with himself and others involved with Mr. Hunter Biden, the lawmaker asserted that Mr. Bobulinski was in fact, jilted by President Biden, whom he had wanted involved in his deal.
At the end of his time, Mr. Goldman made the statement, “You and James Gilley wanted Joe Biden involved, and that is why Hunter Biden dumped you and did the business.”
MTG: Hunter Biden’s ‘Chairman’ Was His Dad
By Samantha Flom 3 hours ago
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked Tony Bobulinski to explain what Hunter Biden meant in a text exchange in which he referred to “my Chairman.”
Ms. Greene noted that Mr. Biden, during his deposition, had claimed he was referring to CEFC China Energy Chairman Ye Jianming, and that the rest of his associates referred to CEFC Executive Director Zhang Yu as “a different chairman.”
“Does this make any sense to you?” she asked.
“That’s a lie,” Mr. Bobulinski said. “I’ve never heard Zhang referenced as Chairman. And I had direct communications with Director Zhang over WeChat, met him in Romania, met him in Moscow, met him around the world in New York, trying to develop this business and he was never referred to as the Chairman.”
Mr. Zhang, according to Mr. Bobulinski, was the “point person” that he and the Biden family communicated with at CEFC. “And he’s the individual that Hunter Biden was shaking down at the end of July 2017 demanding that they fund the $10 million … directly to Hunter Biden’s account.”
Ms. Greene later displayed another text exchange in which Rob Walker, another former associate of Mr. Hunter Biden, explained that the “chairman” Mr. Biden had referenced was “his dad.”
“Hunter Biden lied to this committee,” Ms. Greene said.
Bobulinski: Bidens ‘Live in a World of Plausible Deniability’
By Jacob Burg 3 hours ago
In response to questioning from Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), Tony Bobulinski charged President Joe Biden and his son Hunter for operating in a “world of plausible deniability.”
He said witnesses have testified and “have given you tremendous amounts of evidence that outline [the Bidens] work to obfuscate it, create layers of obstruction,” and that is why “Rob Walker was getting sent millions of dollars instead of Hunter Biden directly.”
Mr. Bobulinski alleged that is also why “Devon Archer was receiving millions of dollars instead of going to Hunter directly.”
“You guys have a mountain of evidence that stacks high and answers that question on how they obfuscated, they live in a world of plausible deniability,” he added.
Galanis: Hunter Provided the ‘Biden Lift’
By Jacob Burg 3 hours ago
Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) asked GOP witnesses Tony Bobulinski and Jason Galanis about Hunter Biden’s alleged role in foreign business deals.
“This all comes down to eventually the one big guy who gets 10% for the big guy and so we know that all this money flowed through this to get to Hunter. And then we know of course, that 10% went to the big guy,” he said.
Mr. Cloud emphasized the general pattern of Hunter Biden “offering access to Joe Biden, Hunter gets paid and then Joe gets a share, that is basically what the general practice across many of these shell companies were.”
Mr. Bobulinksi confirmed this idea of a “general pattern” of influence from Hunter to his father.
“Congressman, as outlined, the big guys clearly Joe Biden, the details of some of those transactions I was not involved in, but that’s clearly how they operated,” he said.
Mr. Cloud then asked Mr. Galanis if Hunter Biden had “any sort of intellectual property asset value or anything of the sort” within these alleged business dealings, other than providing the “Biden brand.”
“We didn’t rely on him for any more product other than delivering the Biden lift,” Mr. Galanis said.
Committee Votes to Shelve Democrat Motion to Subpoena Witnesses’ Cell Phone
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 3 hours ago
Following the use of photographs of text messages from businessman Tony Bobulinski’s mobile device, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asked that the device in question be handed over to the committee, either voluntarily or by subpoena by the committee.
Mr. Raskin put forward a vote that the device be subpoenaed by the committee, so that lawmakers could see more than just Mr. Bobulinki’s selected photos, saying “I’m wondering whether we could get all of those texts and I would move to the committee’s subpoena Mr. Bob Lewinsky’s BlackBerry phone.”
After Mr. Raskin’s request for a vote, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) moved to table, or shelve, the motion.
A voice vote was then said by the chairman to have favored the tabling of the motion. This caused a call for a recorded vote, to have a record of who voted for and against tabling the motion to subpoena the mobile device.
The committee voted 21-16 to table the motion.
Galanis: Phone Call Between Russian Oligarchs, Joe and Hunter Biden Was Pre-Planned
By Samantha Flom 4 hours ago
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Jason Galanis to elaborate on a phone call he said he had participated in that included Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, then-Vice President Joe Biden, and Yury Luzhkov and Yelena Baturina, the former mayor and first lady of Moscow.
The call, Mr. Galanis said, was initiated by the younger Biden, who called his father to bring him into the conversation on speakerphone.
“It was a relatively short discussion, but it was a discussion about Yelena and Yuri coming to town [Washington]. That as a test flight, specifically, they talked about ‘being good to his boy.’”
“Let me ask you this,” Mr. Jordan interjected. “Did you get the impression Joe Biden was expecting the call?”
“Yes. To me, it was clearly set up ahead of time. It was an arranged call.”
At the time, Ms. Baturina had already paid $3.5 million to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a shell company owned by Mr. Hunter Biden.
Bobulinski Says he Met with President Biden and Hunter
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Al.) asked Tony Bobulinski about a meeting he allegedly had with President Joe Biden and his son by showing text messages from an old cell phone.
“I want to show you some messages between you [Mr. Bobulinski] and Hunter Biden on the screen here in May of 2017. For you first had a meeting with Joe Biden. These are messages between you and Hunter Biden, dated May 2, 2017. Do you recognize these?”
Mr. Bobulinski confirmed the messages and said he did not ask for the meeting after Mr. Palmer asked him about the meeting’s purpose.
“I didn’t ask for the meeting. So I wish Hunter Biden was sitting next to me. He could under oath describe it, but the only reason why [was] I was meeting with Joe Biden,” Mr. Bobulinski said.
“Hunter actually introduced me to Joe [Biden] because before Joe came and sat down with us, Hunter said, ‘Hey, give me five to 10 minutes. Read my father in on it.’” he added.
Former Business Partner Calls Hunter Biden a Liar
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 4 hours ago
Businessman Tony Bobulinski was asked by Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) about the direct statements by first son Hunter Biden, where he testified under oath that his father was not involved in his business deals, which Mr. Bobulinski vehemently contradicted.
“Hunter Biden repeatedly testified under oath that his father was not involved in his business in any capacity, and that there wasn’t even a connection between his father and his businesses … ‘I’ll just state for the record one more time … My father has never been involved in my business,'” Mr. Smith said, quoting the first son’s testimony.
“Mr. Bobulinski, was Hunter Biden telling the truth when he testified under oath that his father was never involved in any of his business dealings?”
The witness responded, saying, “No, it was not. Those are all blatant lies.”
When asked to expand further, Mr. Bobulinski went on to say that while some lawmakers have asserted that there is no “evidence” that President Joe Biden was involved in Mr. Hunter Biden’s business, “If Joe Biden was not involved in his son’s business dealings, why after flying all the way across the country to the Milken conference … Why would he take 45 minutes out of his night? There wasn’t a 10 a.m. meeting. It was 10: 40 in the evening.”
When asked by Mr. Smith if he knows how much money the Biden family made from the deals he was involved with concerning interests in China, Mr. Bobulinski asserted that they made “millions.”
“I think approximately eight to nine million.”
Jordan: ‘Who’s the Big Guy?’
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asked Tony Bobulinski, “Who’s the big guy?” in relation to his testimony into the president’s alleged business dealings with foreign assets.
“Joe Biden,” Mr. Bobulinksi answered. “I’m 1000% sure.”
Mr. Jordan responded by saying there are “text messages that back that up.”
Bobulinski: Bidens Received ‘Millions’ From China
By Samantha Flom 4 hours ago
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) asked Tony Bobulinski whether he knew for a fact that the Biden family received money from China.
“They did, millions of dollars. I think approximately 8 to 9 million,” Mr. Bobulinski answered.
Asked again to confirm the figure, he replied, “Yeah, I think it’s actually over 10 million, but I’ll leave those details up to you guys.”
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Rep. Robert Garcia (R-Calif.) called out key GOP witness Tony Bobulinksi for attending a 2020 debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden on behalf of the former president.
“I asked you specifically who got you into the presidential debate that was attended by you and others. And that, of course, was a huge moment in that campaign. And you could not recall in fact, you said quote, I do not recall who got me into the debate. Do you remember telling you that?” Mr. Garcia asked.
Mr. Bobulinski accused the congressman of “playing semantics” before admitting he was at the debate on behalf of President Trump.
Mr. Garcia continued by showing a photo of Mr. Bobulinksi at a Trump press conference prior to the debate.
“Who invited you to the press conference?”
Mr. Bobulinski tried to deflect by saying his attorneys set up his appearance but admitted he was at the press conference.
“It’s interesting, sir, because you show up to a pre-debate press Conference, you show up to a presidential debate, both invited to by a person running for the presidency of the United States, you know, the stakes are high,” Mr. Garcia said.
Galanis Discusses Prison Sexual Harassment
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Jason Galanis, another key GOP witness in the impeachment hearings on President Joe Biden and testifying from federal prison, said he believed that the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) retaliated against him.
“The DOJ has retaliated against me and vigorously rejected” him when he “applied for home confinement [on] February 4, 2023.”
“On June 4, [2023], this committee issued a subpoena [for an] important tip that the FBI reversed my approval on June 30, [2023] But they asked me why prosecutors strongly objected to my release.”
Because of his incarceration, Mr. Galanis says he experienced sexual harassment from prison staff.
“During this period and the period beginning in January 2023, I was sexually assaulted by a member of the prison staff with FPC present, persistently sexually harassing me for many months thereafter,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the sexual harassment continued until early August [2023], the prison correctional officers’ comments became more threatening.
“I feared for my safety [so] I decided to seek counseling from Charlotte Dixon the next day on August 10, 2023,” Mr. Galanis added.
Jason Galanis Recounted Joe Biden’s Interactions With Hunter’s Business Deals
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 4 hours ago
Testimony from Jason Galanis, who was speaking from prison, shed light on what the former business associate of first son Hunter Biden saw as the interaction between President Joe Biden and himself and other associates.
Speaking about the goal of his partnerships with Mr. Hunter Biden, Mr. Galanis said, “Our goal that is Hunter Biden, Devon Archer, and me, was to make billions, not millions,” Mr. Galanis said early in his testimony.
“The entire value out of Hunter Biden for businesses it was a family name as access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden,” Mr. Galanis went on, saying that he witnessed other businessmen showing interest in working with Mr. Hunter Biden because of his relationship with the then-Vice President.
Mr. Galanis said they were “interested in this partnership because of the game-changing value of the Biden family, including Joe Biden.
“I was present when Hunter called his father on May 4, 2014, on a cell phone, put it on speaker mode … [with] a Russian oligarch,” Mr. Galanis went on, saying that he was on a call with Mr. Hunter Biden where he took a call from his father, where he told the then-Vice President that he might “need a little help getting across the finish line.”
Mr. Galanis went on to say that the previously mentioned interactions were “not the only time I’ve heard Hunter speak with his father for business reasons.”
Parnas: Biden Impeachment ‘Russian False Information’
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Lev Parnas immediately called the impeachment inquiry a “lie” in his opening testimony.
“The American people have been lied to by Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and various cohorts of individuals in government and media positions. They create a false sense of their own interests [that] normally would undermine the strength of our nation,” Mr. Parnas said.
He outlined the way he was allegedly enlisted to help craft the narrative that President Joe Biden was peddling his family’s name and influence for financial gain.
“From November 2018 to October 2018. I was a key participant and a witness to numerous efforts to prove the job and Hunter Biden was linked to corruption in Ukraine.
“Rudy Giuliani on behalf of them, President Donald Trump tasked me with a mission to travel the globe, finding dirt on the Biden’s so then an array of networks could spread misinformation about them, thus securing the 2020 election for Donald J. Trump,” he added.
Parnas continued, saying he “found precisely zero evidence of the Biden’s corruption in Ukraine. No credible sources ever provided proof of criminal activity, not the FBI, CIA, or the NSA.”
He argued the impeachment hearings “predicate false information spread by the Kremlin.”
His efforts, he alleges, were “for the ultimate benefit of Donald Trump and thereby Putin because the team’s investigations were centered around Biden and Ukraine. I was designated the point person in every manner of the pursuit.”
“That is how I know with certainty that these Biden stories are untrue then and are true now,” Mr. Parnas added.
Bobulinski: Biden ‘Brand Being Sold’ By Family
By Jacob Burg 4 hours ago
Tony Bobulinski, a key witness for the GOP in their impeachment hearings into President Joe Biden, targeted the president in his opening testimony.
“I want to be crystal clear from my direct personal experience and what I’ve subsequently come to learn and it’s clear to me that Joe Biden was the brand being sold by the Biden family.
“His family’s foreign influence peddling operation from China to Ukraine and elsewhere sold out the foreign actors who are seeking to gain influence and access to Joe Biden and the United States government.”
He also took issue with the president’s alleged “dishonesty” over the committee’s accusations over his family’s dealings.
“I asked this big question if there’s no evidence of corruption here today, if Joe’s conduct in the conduct of his family were fully legal and proper. And why are they so dishonest about it?
“[They are] just slight misrepresentations of fact like deep untruths about the entire corrupt enterprise.”
Mr. Bobulinski also called out Hunter Biden for lying under oath.
“Hunter Biden gave his transcribed interview on February 28 … Here’s just one egregious example of Hunter’s perjury: he lied to the committee on important details concerning his money demands and threats to CEFC in text messages on July 30 [2017],” he said, referring to a now-defunct Chinese energy company that Hunter Biden did business with.
Hearing Disrupted Following Calls for Order
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 4 hours ago
The Committee hearings were disrupted when Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) asked Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to look at the committee rules, saying he believed the witness was violating said rules by calling members of the committee “liars.”
Following Mr. Bobulinski’s account of mistruths offered by President Joe Biden and Democrats on the committee, Mr. Raskin interrupted the witness testimony, saying, “Mr. Chairman … he called members of this committee liars and I just want to know whether the order and decorum requirements of house rule 11 Apply to witnesses appearing before the committee.”
Mr. Comer responded that the decorum requirements applied to members of the committee, but not witnesses.
Raskin Says Democrat Witness Has ‘Reason to Know’
By Jacob Burg 5 hours ago
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-M.D.) pushed back against Republicans’ efforts to impeach President Joe Biden and immediately referred to Democrat witness, former Rudy Guiliani associate Lev Parnas.
“He was Rudy Giuliani’s right-hand man, globe-trotting business partner and language interpreter in the mission to manufacture Ukraine and Burisma-related dirt and smears against Joe Biden.
“In 2018 and 2019 he spent all of his time traveling around the world trying to stage evidence against Joe Biden. In his letter, Parnas explains that the desperate search to find evidence of any kind of Biden corruption was a complete and total bust because there was no evidence to find.
“He wrote to tell us that not only is there no evidence in Ukraine that Joe Biden did anything improper, but more darkly, [a] manic search for a smoking gun against Biden became a mission to invent and concoct evidence out of thin air with the active help of Russian intelligence assets,” Mr. Raskin said.
He added, “Lev Parnas is ashamed of what he did to serve the interests of Russian propaganda and Putin’s allies. And he wants America to know the truth.”
Raskin Takes Aim at Republican Witnesses
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 4 hours ago
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) used his opening remarks to attempt to discredit the witnesses, including Businessman Tony Bobulinski.
Mr. Raskin called him a “bitterly disappointed wannabe Hunter business partner whose famously litigious history,” asserting that the witness met with former members of the Trump administration while “wearing a ski mask.”
Mr. Raskin also claimed that another witness, Jason Galanis, who appeared from prison via video link, “a serial fraudster and convicted con man.”
The Maryland Democrat went on to say that even if lawmakers were to believe “every single word offered by these utterly compromised and biased witnesses,” their testimony would not constitute “any wrongdoing much less an impeachable offense by President Biden.”
Raskin Calls out ‘Spectacular Failure’ of Key Witnesses Questioned over Impeachment
By Jacob Burg 5 hours ago
Ranking Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), called out Republicans in his opening statements in the March 20 impeachment hearing over President Joe Biden, calling their efforts a “spectacular failure.”
“With any luck today marks the end of perhaps the most spectacular failure in the history of congressional investigations. The effort to find a high crime or misdemeanor committed by Joe Biden and then to impeach him for it,” he said.
Mr. Raskin took issue with the witnesses questioned throughout the impeachment proceedings.
“In any of his family’s business adventures, to three expert witnesses called by the majority itself, who said nothing that they had seen in the 10s of 1000s of pages of documents, produced by the majority even remotely approach the level of a high crime and misdemeanor bank records which show exactly what all the witnesses told us that Joe Biden was not involved,” he said.
“The star witness gala turned out to be a Chinese agent and illegal arms trafficker on the run from American justice,” Mr. Raskin added.
He also called out former witness, Alex Smirnoff, who was found to be lying by the FBI.
“[T]he FBI duly recorded a completely fictional tip about a $5 million bribe to Vice President Biden peddled by Alex Smirnoff, who has been criminally indicted by a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, Special Counsel David Weiss, for felony counts of systematically lying to the FBI and constructing a false record about Joe Biden and now sits in jail in California as a flight risk while the world studies his long-standing and extensive ties to Russian intelligence.”
Comer, Smith, Jordan Biden on Biden’s Influence Peddling
Jim Jordan Says Biden Offered ‘Access to the Brand’
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 5 hours ago
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) responded to Democrat derision, saying Republicans were fully justified in their investigation into President Joe Biden, pointing to testimony from former businessmen connected with the Biden family who testified that the presence of the president was traded on for money.
“How dare Republicans investigate Joe Biden? How dare they look into the money, the business, and the brand?” Mr. Jordan said incredulously.
“Millions of dollars from foreign entities run through 20 different companies for what was it? I mean, 20 different companies for what Devon Archer told us was for access to the brand. And the brand was Joe Biden.”
Smith Calls Biden a ‘Complicit Enabler’
By Jacob Burg 5 hours ago
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Miss.), the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, called President Joe Biden an “enabler” who was “complicit” in his son’s business dealings.
“We have testimony from multiple witnesses that Joe Biden was the brand he knew what his son and brother were doing, and did nothing to stop it. That alone makes him complicit in a scheme to make money off of his public service,” Mr. Smith said.
“But he was not just complicit. He was as one of today’s witnesses has testified an enabler of this activity.”
Chairman Says Evidence Shows ‘Joe Biden is the Family’s Closer’
By Savannah Hulsey Pointer 5 hours ago
Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) asserted in his opening statement that President Joe Biden is the family “closer,” bringing money and influence to family foreign allies.
“The Biden family promises Joe’s power,” Mr. Comer said. “Joe Biden shows up, and millions of dollars come into the Bidens’s pockets. Joe Biden is the family’s closer.”
The Kentucky Republican went on to say that as far as he can tell, the members of the Biden family don’t seem to be doing discernable work and yet are still paid well. He also addressed the claims that there are only a few possible explanations for what was found during the committee’s 15-month investigation.
“There are only two explanations for this,” Mr. Comer said. “The first is that Joe Biden knows exactly what he’s doing and knows a handshake a wink and a smile is enough for him to maintain his, what Jim Biden famously calls, plausible deniability. Or Joe Biden is being led around by his family and has no idea who he’s meeting with or what message he is sending and is truly an elderly man with a poor memory.”
Comer Calls out Democrats in Biden Impeachment Hearing
By Jacob Burg 5 hours ago
Rep. James Comer (R-K.y.), the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, opened the impeachment hearing into President Joe Biden by calling out Democrats.
“We have heard Democrats desperately proclaiming that witnesses have told this committee that Joe Biden had no involvement in his family’s business dealings,” Mr. Comer said.
“Democrats have relied on these witnesses’ opening statements and have willfully turned a blind eye to the facts that have come out in these interviews once the witnesses were questioned about our record of evidence.
“Democrats now must rely on bringing in a distraction witness to talk about nonsense, and who can’t talk about any of the facts brought by today’s witnesses who work with the Bidens,” he added.
Hearing Begins
5 hours ago
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) opens the hearing, alleging that President Joe Biden used his influence to aid his family’s business with foreign entities.
“In the course of this investigation, we have learned that Joe Biden has taken action after action to further his family’s plans to get rich he shows up to meetings, gets on phone calls, shakes hands and tells people to quote, look after my family,” Mr. Comer said.
