Below is my column in The Hill on the continued media blackout on evidence of influence peddling and corrupt practices by the Biden family. The coverage of the recent disclosure of dozens of LLCs and bank accounts used to funnel up to $10 million to Biden family members captured the growing concerns over a de facto state media in the United States. Under the current approach to journalism, it is the New York Times that receives a Pulitzer for a now debunked Russian collusion story rather than the New York Post for a now proven Hunter Biden laptop story.
Here is the column:
This week, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) tried to do the impossible. After he and his colleagues presented a labyrinth of LLC shell companies and accounts used to funnel as much as $10 million to Biden family members, Donalds tried to induce the press to show some interest in the massive corruption scandal. “For those in the press, this is easy pickings & Pulitzer-level stuff right here,” he pleaded.
The response was virtually immediate. Despite showing nine Biden family members allegedly receiving funds from corrupt figures in Romania, China and other countries, The New Republic quickly ran a story headlined “Republicans Finally Admit They Have No Incriminating Evidence on Joe Biden.”
For many of us, it was otherworldly. A decade ago, when then-Vice President Joe Biden was denouncing corruption in Romania and Ukraine and promising action by the United States, massive payments were flowing to his son Hunter Biden and a variety of family members, including Biden grandchildren.
Last year, I wrote a column about how the media were preparing a difficult “scandal implosion” to protect the Bidens and themselves from the backlash from disclosures of this influence peddling operation.
The brilliance of the Biden team was that it invested the media in this scandal at the outset by burying the laptop story as “Russian disinformation” before the election. That was, of course, false, but it took two years for most major media outlets to admit that the laptop was authentic.
But the media then ignored what was on that “authentic laptop.” Hundreds of emails detailed potentially criminal conduct and raw influence peddling in foreign countries.
When media outlets such as the New York Post confirmed the emails, the media then insisted that there was no corroboration of the influence peddling payments and no clear proof of criminal conduct. It entirely ignored the obvious corruption itself.
Now that the House has released corroboration in actual money transfers linking many in the Biden family, the media is insisting that this is no scandal because there is no direct proof of payments to Joe Biden.
Putting aside that this is only the fourth month of an investigation, the media’s demand of a direct payment to President Biden is laughably absurd. The payments were going to his family, but he was the object of the influence peddling.
The House has shown millions of dollars going to at least nine Bidens like dividends from a family business. As a long-time critic of influence peddling among both Republicans and Democrats, I have never seen the equal of the Bidens.
The whole purpose of influence peddling is to use family members as shields for corrupt officials. Instead of making a direct payment to a politician, which could be seen as a bribe, you can give millions to his or her spouse or children.
Moreover, these emails include references to Joe Biden getting a 10 percent cut of one Chinese deal. It also shows Biden associates warning not to use Joe Biden’s name but to employ code names like “the Big Guy.” At the same time, the president and the first lady are referenced as benefiting from offices and receiving payments from Hunter.
Indeed, Hunter complains that his father is taking half of everything that he is raking in.
None of that matters. The New York Times ran a piece headlined, “House Republican Report Finds No Evidence of Wrongdoing by President Biden.” That is putting aside evidence against all the family members around Joe Biden. It also ignored that other evidence clearly shows Biden lied about his family not receiving Chinese funds or that he never had any knowledge of his son’s business dealings.
The fact is that the Times may indeed be trying for another Pulitzer Prize. The newspaper previously won a Pulitzer for the now debunked Russian collusion story. It was later revealed that this story was based on a dossier funded by the Clinton campaign and placed in the media by Clinton officials. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward warned the co-winner The Washington Post that the story was unreliable but was ignored. The Pulitzer Committee refused to withdraw the award.
What Donalds fails to appreciate is that this is sometimes how Pulitzers are made. Roughly 100 years ago, New York Times reporter Walter Duranty won the Pulitzer for his coverage of the Soviet Union despite serving as an apologist for Joe Stalin. Duranty refused to report on actual conditions from mass killing to starvation in the “worker’s paradise.”
Thus, when the Soviets were starving to death as many as 10 million Ukrainians, the Times ran a Duranty story with the headline “Russians Hungry but Not Starving.” He not only spinned Stalin labor camps that killed millions but also attacked reporters who sought to uncover the truth.
Years later, Ukraine and various groups demanded that Duranty’s prize be rescinded, but the Committee insisted that there was no “clear and convincing evidence of deliberate deception.”
What is most impressive about this week is that all but a few outlets seem to be angling for the next Duranty Pulitzer.
In discussing modern Russian propaganda, researchers at the Rand Corporation described it as having “two distinctive features: high numbers of channels and messages and a shameless willingness to disseminate partial truths or outright fictions.”
Sound familiar?
Today we are seeing a much more dangerous phenomenon. The coverage this week has all the markings of a state media. The consistent spin. The almost universal lack of details. The absurd distinctions.
It is the blindside of our First Amendment, which addresses the classic use of state authority to coerce and control media. It does not address a circumstance in which most of the media will maintain an official line by consent rather than coercion.
The media simply fails to see the story. Of course, it can always look to the president for enlightenment. Just before his son received a massive transfer of money from one of the most corrupt figures in Romania, Biden explained to that country why corruption must remain everyone’s focus. “Corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy,” he said. “Corruption is just another form of tyranny.”
It is just a shame that no one wants to cover it.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanTurley.
SPOT ON, Prof. Turley.. Brilliant Review! A ‘digital’ Handshake, Sir.. for ‘calling a spade a spade…’ It is beyond Breath-taking to absorb what an amazingly clever criminal the ‘Big Guy’ is – making his son the POC and Bagman for a vast under-the-table network of operations with Foreign Govt. sources, complete with financial distributions to his whole family.. through a hierarchical maze of LLC’s… Are these ‘media outlets’ so blind as to not see the underlying Fraud/Treason here..? ..selling out one’s Country, e.g., the US High Tech that Peter Schweizer’s research shows was provided to the CCP military under the table….. They impeached Donald Trump for making a phone call to the Ukraine to get to the bottom of some of this corruption… is it not time to impeach the epicenter of all of this, the ‘Big Guy…?!’
Uncle Joe’s bookkeeper knows everything.
Professor Turley,
The NYP article you cite for Joe Biden “lying” about his family receiving funds indicates that the funds were transferred to Hallie in 2017. Joe was not VP in 2017. Furthermore, even if the allegations are true, the payments were not made from a “Chinese company.” Robinson Walker LLC is not a Chinese limited company. Please be more precise because you are spreading the NYP’s inaccurate information.
Essentially, even if true, the Biden family (not Joe) made money from a domestic company! OMG, stop the presses!
“Joe was not VP in 2017”
Most of the deals were set up while Joe was VP.
What is your point? Why is that relevant?
>”Why is that relevant?”
See Ukraine.
yea, deferred payment for services is not unique. All the payments and SAR’s stopped after early 2017, Just a coincedence.
Remember Clinton’s wife’s windfall profits trading cattle futures? Simple scam. Payment needs to be made to corrruptocrat. Competing positions are taken in the market, in the name of bribe taker. Losers were paid off by donor, winnings to the corruptocrat.
Joe was VP until 11:55 AM on Jan 20, 2017.
We’re payments made in January 2017?
Any portion of criminality that occurs while Joe Biden was VP is good enough.
What criminal statute are you citing? The memo sure didn’t cite one.
Show me where it says accepting money personally while VP is only criminal if the payments were received during the term of office.
“accepting money personally while VP” is not illegal. The VP gets a salary from the US federal government. You will have to be more specific with this request.
You have to cite a statute that you believe Joe violated before we can discuss its applicability to the facts. That’s how… arguments work, dude. I am not a mind reader.
Anonymous 5-15-23 at 11:05 am: You need to do your research before opening your mouth — the LLC (as are all the LLCs) is simply a temporary stop or washing station between the Chinese source and the Biden source…
That may be the case. But it does not mean he lied. Are you aware of the definition of the pesky 3 letter word?
I wonder if Anonymous and Svelaz are real people, bots or what? They certainly aren’t AI as that hints at some kind of intelligence. If the media was doing its job, Brandon would be front and center at a corruption investigation.
Dead armadillo, we are real. Yeeep. Media IS doing its job. They are aware that republicans investigations on Hunter Biden are BS. That’s the problem. Turley is upset that the media is not paying it enough attention because HE thinks it’s important. The media is only showing its independence on what it chooses to report on. Fox News does the same thing when it comes to Trump’’s legal problems. They ignore it. Does Turley complain? Nope. Does that mean they are in collusion with the Republican “deep state”? LOL! No. Turley is just tryin to drum up support for an obviously BS story that everyone else knows is BS. Turley doesn’t seem to understand that there are smart people in media. Much smarter than him.
Much smarter than he.
Not as normal people understand the term. Neither one has ever had an original thought is its life.
in, not is.
Absence of Trust – This is why viewership/readership in legacy media has fallen to all-time lows. Oh, they know that’s why no one’s watching/reading. The problem is: they simply don’t care.
Not only do the Republicans not have incriminating evidence on Joe Biden, they also don’t have evidence of Biden family members having broken laws in this, with the potential exception of Hunter Biden, who is being investigated.
For better or worse, most influence peddling is legal.
“the laptop was authentic.”
The laptop is in FBI custody. Some emails on the copied hard drive have been authenticated, but most have not, and the copied hard drive was corrupted: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/
Turley complains about others not covering it, while he presents no evidence of illegal activity himself.
Turley throws it against the wall, knowing they have yet to produce evidence, because it feeds the “age of rage”.
“The laptop is in FBI custody. Some emails on the copied hard drive have been authenticated, but most have not,”
This is the same response over and over provided by ATS. This might be someone else copying ATSs silly work product proven to be meaningless.
What information produced from the laptop has been found to be from Russian Disinformation? What information has been falsified? The answer to both is none. You are playing the fools game.
Can you imagine this argument in court?
“We don’t need to authenticate each photo into evidence, your Honor, because the defense hasn’t proven the photos are fake!”
Come on, man. Why is that the standard? Until each piece of evidence is authenticated, it is categorically false to state: “the laptop was authentic.”
What you are saying is silly.
What is taken off the laptop has not been proven to be Russian disinformation or similar disinformation. So far none of it has been. The burden on you is to prove the *data being used* is false. I don’t care about the data no one knows about. I care about the data that involves criminality.
You are making foolish arguments.
Why is the burden not on the party that is submitting the documents as evidence of anything?
That makes absolutely no sense. News articles cannot and should not be based on any unverified information, full stop. Any outlet that “reports” news based on unverified emails is a rag, regardless of whether it is a left-wing or right-wing site. Yellow journalism!
You don’t know the answer? How stupid can you get.
Will the sun rise tomorrow? Yes.
Now prove it and when you do, you will be that much smarter.
….so you chose to respond not with substance but with an ad hom attack.
I guess you resort to this when you have no substantive response?
We have no “news” without fact-based reporting. You cannot have fact-based reporting without…. verified facts. This isn’t that hard.
Essentially, your argument is akin to justifying an Onion article as “news” until someone can prove its sources are fiction. Or, the NYP claiming the Jets won the Super Bowl, until someone proves that it didn’t happen. That is not how “news” should work. Do you really think that is the way the news should be reported?
I responded to logic.
“Will the sun rise tomorrow? Yes.
Now prove it and when you do, you will be that much smarter.”
In today’s world the laptop held and investigated by the FBI, with all sorts of third party proof is not Russian disinformation or any other type of disinformation. Nothing from the laptop that has been used is not from Hunter’s laptop. Most of that stuff is proven by third parties, photographic evidence, etc.
You play to the stupid crowd that believes one can never prove anything. Your rhetoric is insulting to every decent person on the blog.
“I responded to logic.
“Will the sun rise tomorrow? Yes.
Now prove it and when you do, you will be that much smarter.”
Wow, you’re stupid. I mean really, really stupid.
It is obvious, you didn’t understand the reference. We will put you on the list for a brain transplant.
“The laptop is in FBI custody.” – All the more reason to suspect skullduggery.
“Some emails on the copied hard drive have been authenticated, but most have not, and the copied hard drive was corrupted”
Months ago, the NYTimes and other outlets finally admitted that the laptop was legit, after two years of lying about it. 51 corrupt ‘intelligence officials’ signed off on a letter orchestrated by Anthony Blinken attesting that the Laptop From Hell had ‘all the earmarks of Russian disinformation’, so that Biden would have something to counter Trump’s accusations in the upcoming presidential debate.
The Twitter Files revealed that government officials and the Biden campaign pressured Twitter to block the NY Post’s story on the Laptop From Hell, while the NYTimes ran the phoney ‘Russian Disinformation’ story….
All in all, there was an orchestrated attempt to squealch evidence of Biden corruption and swing the election to Biden. Therefore, Biden is an illegitimate president — there was a silent coup in the US in November of 2020.
Hear!! Hear!!! Whimsicalmama!!
Fake news! Please provide the citation in which the NYT “finally admitted that the laptop was legit.”
No outlet has actually authenticated all of its contents. Please refrain from spreading inaccurate information.
Morell testified that Blinken did NOT “orchestrate” the letter:
Q: When he called you, did he direct, suggest, or insinuate in any way that you should write a letter or statement on this topic?
Morell: My memory is that he did not, right. My memory is that he asked me what I thought.
After talking with Blinken, Morell decided on his own to generate the letter. And you can’t quote a single claim from the actual letter that’s false.
Trump-appointed US Attorney David Weiss has been investigating Hunter Biden and any related crimes for over 4 years.
The NYT cannot “admit” that the laptop is legit because they have no access to the laptop. What they have access to are corrupted hard drive copies that include some authenticated emails and a lot of stuff that has not been authenticated.
“Hard drive was corrupted”, is meaningless. What information on the hard drive is wrong?
It’s not meaningless to point out that the hard drive copy was corrupted.
The Mueller Investigation went on for a year and 10 months. Have patience.
Professor,
How is any of this different from our previous administration? Were you similarly upset by Ivanka Trump’s bogus Chinese trademarks? About Trump’s DC hotel receiving exorbitant rates for rooms given to foreign officials?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/business/ivanka-trump-china-trademarks.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2022/11/14/foreign-officials-spent-750000-at-trumps-dc-hotel-while-lobbying-us-government-lawmakers-say/?sh=e3d6d701f5a4
You never expressed the same level of outrage about those. How is any of this different?
In fact, a quick search of “influence peddling” on your blog clarifies that you never even used this term with respect to Trump. How can that be reconciled?
+100
Quit telling us your IQ.
“You are of average intelligence.” Sick burn, dude.
(You do realize IQ is normalized to have a median and mean of 100, right?)
Average people never impressed me.
Simple answer, Trump is the second coming of christ thus can do nothing illegal by definition;
Read your own links. Those copyrights were filed years before Trump came down the golden escalator.
Not only is this inaccurate, it is irrelevant.
From the article: “Ms. Trump applied for six of the trademarks in March 2017.” Who was President in March 2017?
It is also irrelevant. The copyright approval process was expedited while her father was the President.
To make the analogy to Hunter Biden, do you absolve Hunter Biden from all his activity simply because CEFC was formed in 2002 (and rebranded to CEFC China Energy in 2006), before his father was VP? Does the Hunter Biden story not matter because Joe had no role in the US government when Ye met Hunter Biden in May 2017? Please try to keep your arguments consistent!
What about the media blackout on the fact that JFK Jr is still alive and will be running with Trump in the reelection campaign? And the media blackout on the international pedophile ring of Democrats which Trump is going to expose any day now? And the media blackout on everything else Q is reporting and a lot of credulous people are believing?
“The political left has shown its pattern of propaganda lies within their narratives so many times since 2016 that it’s beyond me why anyone would blindly accept any narrative that the political left and their lapdog media actively push?”
I no longer trust anything coming out of a Democratic Party politicians mouths or anything their lap dog Pravda-USA media outlets present; these people are pure propagandists and liars.
I am as frustrated as anyone that the media has become partisan and therefore one-sided in its reporting. Gone are the days when journalism schools taught unbiased journalism — whether it’s investigative journalism or not.
In a democracy such as ours there is no law requiring journalists to be impartial. Compelling speech (the press) to report dispassionately would be unconstitutional in my view. Indeed, in a democracy such as ours, it has always been the responsibility of the citizenry to be informed by seeking “truth” from reliable sources. The fact that so many citizens are willing to forsake this responsibility and be spoon-fed is (for me) as concerning as (if not more) than the decline of ethics in journalism.
Mr. Turley
You are very late to the party on your assessment. And your statement referencing the media’s lackadaisical approach (“It is the blindside of our First Amendment, which addresses the classic use of state authority to coerce and control media. It does not address a circumstance in which most of the media will maintain an official line out of by consent rather than coercion.”) suggests why. The “term classic use” presumes some sort of time specific or method specific activity. There is no such thing. The distinction between consent and coercion is first and foremost in the mind of the consenter. Is the consenter’s judgement considered final in making that distinction? From a third party or oversight point of view, coercion can come in many forms ranging from subtle suggestions of career advancement and special treatment to blatant physical/financial threats and everything in between. And what we are beginning to see now is in the blatant end of the coercion spectrum simply because the more subtle forms of coercion abuse have been been carried out for years and ignored. The mild coercion now becomes group think and the beast grows stronger the more it feeds.
The absence of checks and balances along with sincere and effective oversight by the lawmakers now becomes manifest. As in Federal agencies leaking to and infecting media, censorship of opposing views, and the creation of disinformation agencies. The danger expands exponentially as we wait for a “classic use”.
Turley deserves the Pulitzer for exposing the state run media and their conspiracy of silence and protecting the Biden’s. The legacy media working in collusion with social media was exposed by Elon Musk and Twitter but yet it persists shamelessly
Dear Prof Turley,
I’m not sure the Bidens ‘invested in the media’ so much as the media invested in the Bidens. After all, Biden is not Trump. There are no emails, afaict, calling for 10% to the NYT. (note. Google has recently announced a $100 million investment (?) in the paper of record.)
I read with interest today there were no U.S. ‘material policy’ decisions affected by any [alleged] Biden’s largesse (the implication being any millions going to the Bidens was just normal greed, graft and corruption – like Ivanka, etc., etc.). Notwithstanding Viktor Shokin, Ukraine’s Chief Prosecutor (AJ) in 2014, has given *sworn testimony* that he was investigating corruption at Burisma (where Hunter sat on the board) when he was summarily fired at the insistence of VP Biden. VP Biden famously gave Ukraine “6 hours” to fire its chief law enforcement officer (investigating Burisma) or lose $1.2 billion in U.S. ‘security assistance’.
Given the war in Ukraine – the most destructive European/world war since WWII – has already resulted in over 500,000+ dead, 10s of millions displaced and untold suffering, I would want to know if the Bidens long involvement there, both private and public, continues to affect U.S. ‘material policy’ in that war-torn country today.
* the fate of the world may hang in the balance .. .
Do any of the people who populate the staff at The New Republic know what the word, “evidence” means?
The entire press conference that was staged by Rep James Comer was a full-fledged presentation of evidence. They have been blinded by the facts, and they refuse to admit it.
The republicans told FOXNEWS that the dog ate their homework, and Turley is busy making sure he has a future contract with FOXNEWS.
The MSM is nothing more and nothing less than another PR arm of the Democratic Party. Period. With the exception of the WSJ and a a few smaller circulation papers (e.g., Washington Times) we might as well be living in Putin’s Russia in terms of press diversity. Notice too that Ford and other automobile companies are eliminating AM radio from their new cars. Coincidence that AM radio is a major outlet for conservative talk radio? Fascism is alive and well in the US and guess which side is the fascist one.
WSJ only had an opinion piece on the Biden family’s financial dealings. The front page news section has had nothing.
Any brilliant moves by “Team Biden” are purely inadvertent. Even with the aid of the lickspittle mainstream media and all facets of the corrupt DOJ to cover up their mess, their hopes of success hinge on the words and actions of a weak, stupid, gaffe-prone liar and his imbecilic, ne’er-do-well son, who is the main cause of the whole mess in the first place. They will ignore the story until they don’t, and then rush in to claim Pulitzers when the truth hits the fan.
What has been made clearly understood for now is that Joe Biden’s reputation for national leadership is irreparably damaged and only made worse by virtue of his most intimate of associations. That one wherein everyone intertwined is often implicated by the actions of others within.
For anyone who does not listen to Joe’s media, they are slowly but gradually learning the extent to which his family has benefitted by pedaling his influence with corrupted foreign governments and entities. It is absurd to believe that given Joe’s status as family patriarch he did not know about it, and it is just as foolhardy to think that given his highest position of intimacy within the family that he has not benefitted by his family having benefitted.
At this juncture it doesn’t matter much whether Joe Biden pedaled his influence directly or had it pedaled by his family. He is at the end of his life and finds himself discredited either way. He is a stigma the country will most likely have to endure for at least some 20 more months give or take a few days.
Ron A. Hoffman, it’s peddled. Anyway. As you already know influence peddling is not illegal. It’s a constant in DC and even in republican political circles. Turley admits that influence peddling is not illegal. In fact according to the Supreme Court it may fall well be deemed 1st amendment activity.
Biden’s leadership is not as bad as republicans keep making it out to be. Republicans are doing worse when it comes to leadership. They can’t even produce a cogent budget plan to deal with the debt ceiling problem. All they have demonstrated to be good at is fear mongering and culture wars. Leadership or even governance? Nope.
All this focus on Biden’s family is nothing more than pure political insinuation and innuendo to weaken his position for running against whoever ends up the presidential candidate in the Republican Party. It’s a simple as that. Turley is just doing his part in enabling this circus freak show that is the Hunter biden investigation. It’s been ongoing for 5 years with nothing to show for it. Even Fox News is frustrated and tired of the BS that is this investigation. It’s a three card monte game they have been playing for 5 years and it’s getting old fast with a lot of republicans and their supporters. For years they have been saying they have evidence and proof and still we have nothing.
“Things get curiouser and curiouser!”, cried Alice. What do four banks, over $10 million from foreign nationals and their related companies, and 25 Biden family limited liability companies have in common?
It’s the stuff that once caused law enforcement to salivate and chomp at the bit to get involved answering. Congress is forever tied up in politics and can conduct only limited investigations under the best of circumstances. We will not fully know the answer until a nonpartisan DOJ and an equally nonpartisan FBI begin and conclude investigations. Why have they not acted this time? The answer again is politics and partisanship; always politics and partisanship.
Ron A. Hoffman, why is it a concern what they made? Many people use their family name to gain influence and make money. It’s literally Trump’s own bread and butter. It’s ok for him to do it, because he’s a businessman so why not the Bidens?
“ What do four banks, over $10 million from foreign nationals and their related companies, and 25 Biden family limited liability companies have in common?
It’s the stuff that once caused law enforcement to salivate and chomp at the bit to get involved answering.”
Unless there is more than the current insinuations and suspicions nothing that is being alleged is illegal. That’s the problem. Trump’s own business deals and use of foreign banks is no different. It did raise suspicion but in the end nothing has been illegal or criminal. The ONLY difference is that Trump has a well deserved reputation of being a scam artist and a person who welshes on his commitments to pay people for doing work for his organization. He’s also of the reputation of and a history of engaging in fraudulent activity. He should be getting much more attention than the Bidens, but if Trump’s activities don’t raise eyebrows for republicans the Biden’s shouldn’t either. This is all just purely political BS masquerading as legitimate inquiry. The media recognizes this and that’s why they are ignoring it. Turley seems upset that they are not giving it the attention HE thinks it deserves despite his own “blackout” of Trump’s own influence peddling schemes.
Ron A. Hoffman, we have not acted at this time because there is nothing to act on. There is still the problem is credible and verifiable evidence. The committees have not been able to show any despite their hyperbolic claims.
As you should know and appreciate, Svelaz, whenever the shoe is on the other foot, Congress is forever tied up with political infighting leaving those on one side of the aisle or the other to conduct, even under the best of circumstances, only limited investigations. More often than not the best that congressional investigations can do is to offer up the circumstantial evidence that historically and ordinarily would cause a nonpartisan DOJ and an equally nonpartisan FBI to begin and conclude investigations after having compiled direct evidence. Why that has not yet occurred in this instance is troubling for both the Republic and the rule of law that is supposed to govern it.
Your lack of concern for proprieties in this instance can only be explained by your steadfast and blind allegiance to the leadership of the Democrat Party and the policing authorities it controls. Just as they have reasons to be concerned that the circumstantial evidence to date may lead to direct evidence, so then do you fawningly approve. Just as they have something to hide, so then do you dutifully go along. Sadly, it is with your blessing that the DOJ and the FBI under the control of the Democrat party have failed to act their part.
Ron A. Hoffman, republicans have full control of the house and it’s committees. They can investigate as deep as they want. they are not limited by anything. You seem to be making excuses for their incompetence in managing these investigations.
My “lack of concern” is only due to the fact that there is still no evidence that would prompt anyone to believe any of the allegation as true. Circumstantial evidence and insinuations of a crime are not helping with the lack of evidence. All they are doing is playing his stupid three card monte on the public, keeping them guessing and in suspense about the “evidence” they claim they have. Comer just announce that they “lost track of their informant” which is more suspicious about their honesty than anything else. They clearly have no evidence to back up any of their claims. It’s been 5 years and still nothing.
Intelligent and rational persons will not be convinced that the evidence is not sufficient enough for the DOJ to begin its own investigation. Sensible and informed persons understand that while Congress can investigate conduct that evidence suggests may be criminal, Congress itself lacks the authority to bring criminal charges or otherwise initiate a criminal prosecution. Only the DOJ, after it either joins the congressional investigation or initiates one of its own, can bring criminal charges and initiate a criminal prosecution should the evidence from its joint and/or singular investigation warrant.
For learned persons in the know, I’m sure it is quite curious why the DOJ has not yet involved itself in such a typical suspicious case that only it has the resources and power to adjudicate. Perhaps it is that very power that might explain why it continues to ignore such a fishy case. Stay out of it the tactic may be. With the DOJ keeping itself off the field and firmly planted on the sidelines there can be no criminal charges, and without charges there can be no prosecution. Let Congress do whatever it wants, for nothing will ever come of it that will cause Biden any concern.
“Ron A. Hoffman, it’s peddled. Anyway. As you already know influence peddling is not illegal. It’s a constant in DC and even in republican political circles. “
Influence peddling involved with SAR’s, indicted and convicted felons, money from the CCP, and multiple companies being paid without any reason, is a good reason for a deep investigation and a release of all files and documents. Biden’s proven lies about what he doesn’t know is further reason to believe he is a crook.
Anonymous,
“ Influence peddling involved with SAR’s, indicted and convicted felons, money from the CCP, and multiple companies being paid without any reason, is a good reason for a deep investigation and a release of all files and documents.”
They’ve been doing this “deep investigation” for nearly 5 years with still nothing to show for it. You paint a pretty picture, but still lack the most crucial component. Evidence. Not just circumstantial evidence, but clear and convincing evidence of a crime. Evidence that would pass in court. Not just suspicion and implied. None of what you presented shows any of that.
“deep investigation” for nearly 5 years “
Not true. In the midst of this investigation all sorts of information has been denied, the President lied (you recently admitted that) and presently the administration doesn’t appear to want an investigation to go forward.
In the meantime all sorts of information despite the attempts to prevent it from coming to light are rapidly being shown now that there is a Republican House. This investigation is only 4 months old.
You are a liar, deceptive or stupid. More likely all three are the cause.
Do you realize that the deep investigation you talk of is only 4 months old?
“Not true. In the midst of this investigation all sorts of information has been denied, the President lied (you recently admitted that), and presently the administration doesn’t appear to want an investigation to go forward.”
LOL!! Presidents lie. Trump lies too, and you are completely ok with it. It’s still not a crime.
“You are a liar, deceptive or stupid. More likely, all three are the cause.
Do you realize that the deep investigation you talk of is only four months old?”
Nope. You’re just upset that you can’t make a compelling argument. There is no “deep investigation ” there IS a freak show for sure, and Republicans are showing how incompetent they are.
“LOL!! Presidents lie. Trump lies too, and you are completely ok with it. It’s still not a crime.”
You are unable to deal with Biden and have to change the subject. Biden has denied everything that has since been proven. Trump denied those things that later proved he was correct. Your brain is all messed up.
“Nope.”
I guess you are too stupid to realize that until the House turned Republican they couldn’t do an in depth investigation. The investigation has only been going on for 4+ months and Comer is leading it in that House Committee. You are ignorant of almost everything. Thanks for proving it.
Presently we are seeing the FBI denying the release of information and Democrats refusing to testify about their actions.
The committee hearings are not being taped nor directed by a professional like the Democrats did. The Dems withheld information. The Republicans are letting it all out.
“Biden’s leadership is not as bad as republicans keep making it out to be.”
ROFLMAO – I gather you never go to the gas station or the supermarket and live off the grid in the arctic wilderness, where crime is non-existent. Even Democrats are complaing about high crime and endless floods of illegals.
Obviously you think that trillions of dollars of debt, and untold billions unaccounted for and funneled into a country where the current president has deep ties and is known as a sewer of corruption.is just fine and dandy,
Hard to believe that there are people so stupid.
The most terrifying recent news is that 1/3 of the US approves of Biden – over 130 million people are as stupid as you are!
Whimsical, presidents have no control over gas prices. Neither do they have control over grocery prices. Apparently you are too stupid to understand that no president has control over that. Is that why they call you… whimsical?
“Whimsical, presidents have no control over gas prices.”
Wrong as usual. When do you get things right?
President Biden released our emergency reserve of gas to lower prices. Even he said so, but you know absolutely nothing.
“Wrong as usual. When do you get things right?
President Biden released our emergency reserve of gas to lower prices. Even he said so, but you know absolutely nothing.”
Oh, so he LOWERED gas prices. So why is that bad again? Do you want…higher gas prices?
You were wrong when you said: ““Whimsical, presidents have no control over gas prices.” Do you think it made you look intelligent by forgetting that fact.
” why is that bad again?
You are wrong again making you twice as dumb. Lowering the gas prices by selling off the strategic oil supply is not a good idea. It is temporary and was used for political reasons. It was not used for the proper reasons.
Trump reached energy independence. Biden made us energy poor and had to go with his tail between his legs to get countries to pump more. Biden is a fool. You fit in perfectly as a Biden supporter.
Even Fox News isn’t buying Rep. Comer’s inept attempt at creating a “scandal”.
“ I know the Republicans said that the smoking gun were these financial records that you were able to subpoena and got your hands on,” Doocy told the representative. “And your party, the Republican investigators, say that that’s proof of influence peddling by Hunter and James [Biden].”
“But that’s just your suggestion. You don’t actually have any facts to that point. You’ve got some circumstantial evidence,” Doocy continued, adding “And the other thing is, of all those names, the one person who didn’t profit is — there’s no evidence that Joe Biden did anything illegally.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/you-don-t-have-any-facts-fox-news-host-calls-out-james-comer-s-flailing-biden-probe/ar-AA1b4jAF?cvid=171b179ebef24210b2f2df4c6970c924&ei=29
“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.
…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.”
That is the whole point of these investigations. To create hype about possible criminality and wrongdoing without any evidence to support it. They want people to infer on these supposed crimes by letting their imaginations run and believe there IS a crime being committed. That is what Turley is doing and he’s clearly frustrated that smart people are not taking the bait. As a lawyer he should know better than making accusations by insinuation without proof. He wants to make the Bidens look guilty by insinuation not proof.
Svelaz, why does President Biden deny family receiving money from China when bank records show the opposite?
RE: “Svelaz, why does President Biden …” Why does anyone waste their time responding to Svelaz’ persistent disregard of the obvious. It just provides cause for another essay response full of the usual wind and piss!
ZZ, The blog has a lot of hits where some people are susceptible to Svelaz’s stupidity. When he looks like a fool, which he almost always does, they realize they look like fools as well.
Further, some of us like to fish. I like to put out worms and watch Svelaz get caught. 🙂
John Say provides a lot of information answering the garbage put out by Media Matters and other leftist organizations. Svelaz copies that data but doesn’t understand it or recognize that one day’s slop contradicts what it says the following day.
S,. Meyer says. “ Further, some of us like to fish. I like to put out worms and watch Svelaz get caught. 🙂”
LOL!! You are more prone to getting triggered by my posts than your “fishing”. You’re admitting you’re a troll. Everyone knows that.
Only stupid fish get caught a second and third time by the same worm.
Anonymous (S. Meyer), BWAHAHAHAH!!! You’re not “fishing”. You’re just being good ol’ stupid S. Meyer. Keep on “fishing” man.
Your lies and stupidity have been caught repeatedly. So far you are unable to make a comment without being proven wrong.
How many more worms are you going to swallow before you look in your rearview mirror to see how stupid you sound?
I would agree that SM does not need to try to provoke you into idiotic posts.
You do that entirely without baiting.
But SM is entitled to have his fun with you.
I do not presume to speak for everyone.
Beyond saying that you do not have a clue what everyone knows.
ZZDoc, the obvious what? That is the problem. Nobody can articulate exactly what the crime is. Can you? You say it’s obvious, what is it then?
Bribery.
Anonynous, ok, bribery for what? Come on. You can tell us. What was Biden bribed for?
Selling secrets. Check out CEFC.
You are now admitting there is a reasonable claim that Biden was involved in bribery.
Selling secrets? LOL!!!!!!!!! You are way out there.
Directly or indirectly, payments to the Biden family led to secrets making their way to China.
S. Meyer says,
“ Svelaz, why does President Biden deny family receiving money from China when bank records show the opposite?”
He hasn’t denied his family has received money from China. He hasn’t said anything. It still does not show what is illegal about getting money from China, for what? You still have nothing to show except “records” that show money was made in business deals. We’re they illegal?
“He hasn’t denied his family has received money from China.”
He did. You are making things up again. Here is an example to prove that you do this frequently.
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/01/21/the-other-big-lie-democrats-fuel-doubts-over-the-legitimacy-of-the-coming-elections/comment-page-1/#comment-2153325
S, Meyer, saying “He Did” is not proof of what you are claiming. Show me exactly what he said. You can show it since you already know.
YOU made the claim S. Meyer. Show me exactly what he said. The link to a prior argument over BS you posted is not evidence. Right now you’re the one making stuff up.
When dealing with a liar, one doesn’t have to prove that the liar is lying again.
I refer you again to a previous lie that went on post after post where your lies were proven repeatedly. You have no credibility.
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/01/21/the-other-big-lie-democrats-fuel-doubts-over-the-legitimacy-of-the-coming-elections/comment-page-1/#comment-2153325
Anonymous, you can’t show anything because you are the one who is lying. You are deflecting from your claim that you can’t back up. LOL!!! You said “He did”. So what did he say exactly?
This is the way you deal with others. You are a liar.
in response to Svelaz:
S. Meyer, “ Wow! I must have gotten that wrong. I wonder how? Oh, I remember, the FDA said it.” “ I’m using the same document that I have posted before, both in quotes and by providing an address.” If you have posted it before you should have no trouble posting it again. All you […]
—
Svelaz writes: “Again, you provided no documentation at all. You still haven’t. You “don’t feel obligated” because you never provided them in the first place and you can’t find it. You’re just covering for your BS claim.”
Here are a couple of locations where I mentioned the address of the FDA report. This proves you don’t know what you are talking about.
In the first one, I copied your statement, which is what is being argued about and is completely wrong,
You said: “All the current vaccines have been granted full approval. ”
Below is one of the many FDA postings I made. I believe others have posted FDA sites as well
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/01/03/new-york-announces-that-scarce-covid-19-treatments-will-be-prioritized-for-non-white-patients/comment-page-1/#comment-2148321
In the second of the posts, I showed one of the reasons Pfizer might like this legal distinction.
https://jonathanturley.org/2022/01/03/new-york-announces-that-scarce-covid-19-treatments-will-be-prioritized-for-non-white-patients/comment-page-3/#comment-2148317
I posted other things from the FDA with their addresses, and much of what I said was pure quotes from the FDA.
This proves you to be what everyone knows you to be. You were wrong again, and it isn’t just about Covid. You have been proven wrong repeatedly on a multiplicity of subjects where proof has been provided. You deny the truth and the proof provided even when it is on the same official papers you have posted.
You are correct – there is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt of criminal conduct by Joe Biden.
If there was he would have been impeached and removed from office.
It has taking incredible efforts to get to where we are today. There has ALWAYS been plenty of circumstantial evidence of immorality, self seeking, and corruption.
That is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. But it is more than sufficient to REQUIRE thorough inquiry.
I am not sure that there will ever be smoking gun indisputeable proof of criminal conduct by Joe Biden.
At the same time I have no doubt that the circumstantial evidence is going to continue to build.
The Biden scandals are radically different from the Trump scandals.
It was self evident to anyone with a brain that the claims against Trump were fragile and would likely get weaker over time.
Trump made lots of self serving claims without much support. But it was reasonable to beleive that those claims might prove true – which they ALL did.
Conversely it has been clear fromt he start that the Biden conduct would smell worse and worse the more it was looked at – and that is precisely what has happened.
You continue to say there is “No evidence” – that is NOT what Doocey said – he said that thus far therewas only CIRCUMSTANTIAL evidence – and there is LOTS of it. More every day. Biden is not going to be impeached on circumstantial evidence – Republicans are not so stupid as democrats.
But it is 2 years past time for a Special Counsel. Frankjly I am very surprised that Garland did not do so long ago.
While an SC comes with a host of other problems – as we saw with the collusion delusion – the SC is an effective way to handcuff congressional investigations.
Republicans are no longer calling for a Special Counsel. And Comer pretty explicitly told Weis and Garland – do NOT indict Hunter on only the minor charges.
Republicans no longer care about or trust the DOJ to investigate anything. While they will make political hay out of the stonewalling of the DOJ in all of this.
They are taking ownership of investigating the Biden’s. And that should scare you.
Finally – aparently you have not been in a criminal court.
People are convicted and jailed on circumstantial evidence all the time – far less than we have on the Bidens.
Regardless, this is all political theater – deadly serious political theater nonethless.
There is much more going on that just trying to prove Joe is a criminal.
Republicans are working to contrast their own investigation – with what has occured in DOJ/FBI.
Republicans have had subpeona power for 5 months and in that time the scope of Biden’s misconduct has been found to be exponentially larger.
DOJ has been investigating since 2018 – Just by uncovering what is being uncovered the House is PROVING the corruption in the executive branch.
This is not just about Hunter or Joe, this is about Garland and Wray. This is about all those in the executive who have burried this.
None of the Biden’s are going to Jail. Ever.
But it is SELF EVIDENT that but for the protection of “the deep state”
Joe Biden could not ever have won election.
This is NOT about Joe Biden, This is about much larger corruption in government
What we have seen makes what the Church commission found look tame.
And there is lots more to come.
I would further note – the House is NOT specifically a criminal investigation. The house is NOT a a law enforcement and prosecution body.
It is NOT their job to prove anything Beyond a reasonable doubt. It is their job to determine whether existing laws are adequate. Whether The executive is doing its job – which obviously it is not. Whether those in the executive are corrupt – and should be impeached and whether they are compromised.
The recent revelations are quite interesting – it is like watching Marty Byrde on Ozark.
Democrats capitalized on the fact that most americans do not understand the normal behavior of billionaires.
The Biden’s are not engaged in financial conduct of billionaires. They are involved in the financial conduct of Drug Cartels.
There is no explanation for the Biden’s laundering the proceeds of their influence pedaling through 20 different shell companies.
Ordinary people do not understand that real estate companies lose money on a tax basis most of the time.
They do understand that the people who run money through multiple shell companies companies are drug cartells and other criminal enterprises.
As tot eh Claim there is nothing but circumstantial evidence. Paul MAnafort was convicted on FAR LESS that what we have NOW on the biden family.
“That is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. But it is more than sufficient to REQUIRE thorough inquiry.”
No, it’s not sufficient enough. Not when the inquiry is predicated on the claim that a crime, that they cannot articulate, occurred. It’s what a witch-hunt is.
“You continue to say there is “No evidence” – that is NOT what Doocey said – he said that thus far there was only CIRCUMSTANTIAL evidence – and there is LOTS of it. More every day. Biden is not going to be impeached on circumstantial evidence – Republicans are not so stupid as Democrats.”
Republicans impeded the deeper investigation into the allegations against Trump. Instead, they were actively interfering in the Democrat’s investigations.
“Finally – apparently, you have not been in a criminal court.
People are convicted and jailed on circumstantial evidence all the time – far less than we have on the Bidens.”
BS.
“As to eh Claim, there is nothing but circumstantial evidence. Paul MAnafort was convicted on FAR LESS than what we have NOW on the biden family.”
False; Manafort was convicted on concrete and credible evidence against him. He even admitted guilt as a result of the evidence against him.
“No, it’s not sufficient enough.”
Of course it is – this is not a close call – and it has never been.
“Not when the inquiry is predicated on the claim that a crime,”
That is true regarding Hunter Biden and it is a standard that it easily met.
There is clear evidence of influence pedaling – and while ALL influence pedaling is not a crime – some is.
There is clear evidence of 18 US 1001 violations with regard to Hunter’s firearms application.
And this is what 18 US 1001 was actually crafted for 200 years ago – lies on Government forms.
There is clear evidence of trafficking in prostitutes.
There is clear evidence of trafficking in under age prositutes.
There is clear evidence of trafficking in drugs – There is no personal use exception to large drug transactions
Especially when you are providing drugs to others.
Many prostitues are in jail for Drug dealing because they agreed to take money from an undercover police officer to buy $10 of drugs they would share.
There is clear evidence of FARA violation.
There is clear evidence of Money laundering.
I would note though MOST of the bove apply to Hunter Biden. Several items directly or indirectly involve the whole Biden Clan.
Once you have a criminal enterprise – and taking money – LEGALLY, for LEGAL influence pedaling – without registering for FARA is a CRIME.
Everyone involved is a criminal co conspirator, and the otherwise LEGAL financial transactions become money laundering – and those involved are co-conspirators.
I do not like that broad application of the law – but it is what Mueller used to successfully prosecute Manafort (and others) so you are stuck with it.
Turn about is fair play.
“that they cannot articulate”
Of course they can – I articulated it above.
I would further note that Joe Biden’s activities as VP are NOT constitutionally protected from investigation.
There is a constitutional right to privacy in your private life. There is no constitutional right to privacy in your government activities.
“occurred. It’s what a witch-hunt is.” The collusion delusion is a witch hunt.
This is a legitimate criminal investigation. It is also legitimate government oversight – which does not require a crime. But oversite does require a nexus with government acttions – that has been met.
“Republicans impeded the deeper investigation into the allegations against Trump.”
First – not relevant. That does not preclude Republicans from investigating Biden.
Next, The house is entitled to excercise oversite of federally funded activities – including investigations of Trump.
They should be doing MORE not less.
The Durham report has made clear – what we all know – that the “deep State” is politically corrupt and unconstitutionally abusing its power.
It is ABSOLUTELY legitimate – even required, for Congress to deeply examine Executive actions to determine – if like Crossfire Huricane they have become abuses of power.
“Instead, they were actively interfering in the Democrat’s investigations.”
The fact that you have to say “democrats investigations” says it all.
“BS”.
The California Circumstantial evidence Jury instruction
“Before you may rely on circumstantial evidence to conclude that a fact necessary to find the defendant guilty has been proved, you must be convinced that the People have proved each fact essential to that conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt. ”
There is no bar to convicting people based on circumstantial evidence.
You do not appear to know what circumstantial evidence is. DNA is circumstantial evidence. Fingerprints are circumstantial evidence.
All forensic evidence is circumstantial.
“Manafort was convicted on concrete and credible evidence against him”
There is far more evidence against Hunter Biden than Paul Manafort.
“He even admitted guilt as a result of the evidence against him.”
No, after being convicted, he struck a plea deal.
Hunter will with certainty do the same.
Like Manafort he will be pardoned.
Unlike Manafort he will never spend a day in jail.
You are correct that the point of the investigation is to expose the conduct of the Biden’s – criminal or otherwise.
The house has no power to criminally prosecute. There will be no criminal prosecutions.
They are not seeking to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.
The purpose of these investigations is to expose the conduct that the president, the democrats, the DOJ, the FBI, the DHS, the CIA tried to hide from all of us to get Biden elected.
The damage of these investigations is not just to Biden – but to Democrats and to the alphabet agencies.
It is increasingly evident that these people think THEY not the american people get to decide who governs us.
“They are not seeking to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.”
They are insinuating crimes have been committed. They seek evidence to prove that to send it to the DOJ. So they are investigating alleged crimes. They call them the “Biden Crime family.”
The key is what conduct they are talking about. They are insinuating criminal conduct without evidence. That is the problem.
Svelaz – these types of posts just make you look like a fool.
You may not be convinced by the evidence – but there is PLENTY of evidence.
I have listed actual evidence of a dozen different crimes several times.
We are well past accusations and insinuations.
While we are likely far from knowing the extent of this misconduct as well as the extent of the coverup.
We are long past insinuation and and accusations.
Circumstantial evidence is often alone sufficient to reach
“beyond a reasonable doubt” – DNA and fingerprints are circumstantial evidence.
The issue YOU are trying to spin is that there is a difference between proving bad conduct and proving a crime.
The house is NOT trying to prove a crime – that is not their job.
Bad conduct is already solidly established.
I would further note that violations of the law are also firmly established.
There is – and has been since 2015 proof beyond any doubt that Joe Biden violated conflict of interest laws.
If Clarence Thomas was dismissing cases against Clients of Ginny Thomas right and left he would have been impeached by now.
Ordinary americans want the house to produce the strongest evidence possible before impeaching Biden – which I doubt will happen.
But they also have to decide who they are voting for in 2024 – and not is for president.
Each individual american has a different standard of proof for that.
Catching Biden on video being Bribed by Putin would not be sufficient to get you to vote against Biden.
But there are tens of millions of voters that are changing their minds each time the evidence increases.
This is political , but it is political in the sense that to get the power to clean house in the executive branch, you must gain that power through elections.
And to do that you must persuade voters with evidence that a house cleaning is necessary.
While direct evidence that Biden has been bribed would be powerful.
At this point the important damage to Biden has been done.
The house should broaden its investigation to focus more on the participation of government as well as government efforts to cover the conduct of the biden
s up.
The target is NOT just the Biden family and the standard is NOT conviction in a criminal court.
The goal is to disempower those involved in this. Top Fire them.
The standard for that is low – already more than met.
The reason ever more evidence is necescary – is because we all know that the left is going to attempt to rigg the 2024 election.
The goal is to persaude enough independents to flip their vote and enough democrats to sit out the election to have enough power in 2025 to clean house.
That requires a margin of victory larger than the feasible amount of democratic fraud.
Republicans also have to raise that margin – because the more votes democrats must manufacture – the greater the odds of getting caught.
Once the margin is high enough – most attempts at fraud will stop. No one committs fraud when they are likely to get caught.
No one committs fraud when it will not change the outcome – these – not magical thinking are the reasons fraud is not common.
Fraud is NOT rare in bitter and close elections where election processes are sloppy and the law is not followed.
Conversely fraud is extremely rare – even in sloppy elections – where the election is not close.
People who are going to win – with certainty do not commit fraud.
People who are going to lose with certainty do not commit fraud.
“We are well past accusations and insinuations.”
Nope. They are still stuck on accusations and insinuations because they have no evidence to corroborate their allegations. They are mindlessly repeating their allegations without any substantive evidence they keep saying they have.
Over the past 3 months it’s come out that:
– The CIA killed JFK
– 2 9/11 hijackers were CIA assets
– US gov’t blew up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline
– The CIA director met with Epstein 3x’s after he was convicted of child sex crimes
– Hunter Biden laptop is the real deal
And life goes on like nothing ever happened..
^this has all the classic earmarks of Russian disinformation.