Below is my column in The Messenger on the new information on “loans” benefiting the Biden family. It seems that no interest loans are the common practice for the Bidens. After this column ran, the House Oversight Committee released a new report of an additional “loan repayment” from James Biden to Joe Biden. The money again appears to have come from a transfer sent from one of the foreign sources in the Biden influence peddling scandal, CEFC China Energy Co. It is all part of the “Wonderful Life” at the Biden Bros. Savings & Loan.
Here is the column:
In the classic holiday film, It’s a Wonderful Life, the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan Association faced a run on the bank by customers spooked by rumors of theft and insolvency. George Bailey held back the crowd, explaining as he pointed to individual customers: “You’re thinking of this place all wrong. … The money’s not here. Well, your money’s in Joe’s house. That’s right next to yours.”
As several Republican-led House committees follow the money in the Biden corruption investigation, that scene seems to be playing out in real life. It turns out that a kind of “Biden Family Building & Loan” operated under some of the same loose accounting systems, and some of the money was literally sent to Joe’s house or used to repair it.
In July, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released an unclassified FBI record which included allegations to the agency of Biden and his son, Hunter, being paid $5 million each by a Ukrainian energy executive when the senior Biden was vice president. Most of the media has shown an utter lack of curiosity in following the money. However, the House Oversight and House Ways and Means committees have made strides in tracking millions of dollars which they allege were sent to Biden family members through a labyrinth of shell companies and accounts.
The Bidens have been criticized for decades for influence-peddling. It is important to note that, while influence-peddling can be done legally, it is uniformly viewed as corrupt. For the Bidens, it also seems to be something of a family business. While Biden’s brothers and son had few discernible business skills to market, they did have access — to him — to sell. The problem seems to be that they burned through the proceeds as fast as they acquired them.
What is new now, according to House Republicans, is an emerging pattern of how the Bidens turned influence-peddling into the equivalent of the family’s personal savings & loan operation. Money moving between key family members was labeled as a “loan” in at least one instance, and Hunter has claimed other money as “loans” — a framing that not only offered plausible deniability but non-taxable income.
Two IRS whistleblowers, who testified before House investigators in July, highlighted the use of a loan allegedly to evade public disclosure and taxation. Hunter allegedly took large payments from dubious foreign sources and listed them as “loans,” despite no evidence of repayment or any standard loan agreement.
This month, House investigators discovered that, in 2018, the president’s brother James received two loans totaling $600,000 from Americore Health, which they described as “a financially distressed and failing rural hospital operator.” According to the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, it made the loans “based upon representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’” to new overseas investors. On the day he received the second loan transfer, James Biden sent a check for the same amount — $200,000 — to Joe Biden as a “loan reimbursement.”
What happened next was vintage Biden family: A Hollywood lawyer, who had just met Hunter at a political gathering, reportedly suddenly took over the repayment of that loan, with no explanation, and later reportedly paid for some of Hunter’s tax bills and living expenses as well. So, it appears that $250,000 went to Hunter, but the loan obligation was shifted to a Democratic political donor.
There is also a reference to another loan agreement with a Chinese company for $5.1 million. Notably, the loan was, again, “interest-free.” The source was CEFC China Energy headed by Ye Jianming. Text messages reportedly indicated plans for Joe Biden to meet with Jianming, who reportedly had close ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
In addition to these loans, money seemed to move between myriad accounts connected to various Biden family members, according to House Oversight Committee findings. And we know from reports of some of Hunter Biden’s text messages that he complained about using money he acquired to pay for repairs to his father’s Delaware home.
None of this, however, appears to pique much of the media’s curiosity. Because the word “loan” was written on some of these documents, it is once again accepted by many at face value. In discussing a “loan” connected to one Hunter-connected company, Rosemont Seneca Bohai, IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley called this a classic tax-evasion move. He said that “when the money came back to him, he booked it as a loan. You then go on to testify that it should’ve been taxable as soon as it became income from Burisma to Hunter and whatever he did with it after that was really just a scheme to evade taxes for that year. You add that Rosemont Seneca Bohai did not book this as a loan, itself, so Biden is treating it differently than they did.”
Despite the Bidens’ denials about money, it seems to be everywhere and nowhere — metastasizing and spreading throughout the dozens of accounts, banks and family members identified by House investigators. Yet many in the media and most Democratic members of Congress appear to be firmly committed to assuring that all of this remains “a wonderful life” for Joe Biden and his family.
Jonathan Turley, an attorney, constitutional law scholar and legal analyst, is the Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law at The George Washington University Law School.
How many of you pushing the argument that Joe is corrupt because his son received sketchy loans also believe Clarence Thomas is corrupt because he received an interest-only RV loan to him (not his son), where the principal was NEVER paid back?
I’d much rather have the latter deal than the former. Which would you rather have?
Did Thomas change goverenment policy? was there evidence of a quid pro quo.?
Yes, Thomas changed government policy. For example, his vote made GW Bush President; his vote made abortion illegal.
You, like anonymous, are obfuscating. All you point to is rulings that you disagree with, but how are they in any way connected to the fact that a wealthy American treated Justice Thomas favorably in relation to a loan?
“All you point to is rulings that you disagree with, but how are they in any way connected to the fact that a wealthy American treated Justice Thomas favorably in relation to a loan?”
Those wealthy Americans had cases before him. They had an interest in Thomas ruling in their favor. Remember Supreme Court justice are supposed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. Thomas is well past that point.
Those wealthy Americans had cases before him.
Now I’m interested. Can you please be specific so I can tell if your accusation has any support?
Not the same Anonymous. But, below I provided some examples involving Anthony Welter.
I’m having a hard time locating it. Maybe I’m just blind like I get when trying to find an item at the grocery story. Could you provide those examples again?
Where is the quid pro quo? This list is going to pot with so many meatheads.
You are missing important information. First an interest only loan that is not repaid is neither fraud nor bribery, nor public corruption – so long as the interest rate is near market rate.
It sounds like Thomas properly documented the loan, reported it for tax purposes and continues to pay the interest, and continues to owe the principle.
I have a line of credit with my bank that works exactly the same. I can borrow as much as I want – up to the amount of credit I am approved for.
I owe only interest each month and I can repay the principle – whenever I want or when I die whichever comes first.
The Biden’s do not appear to have load docs. There was no interest, The money all flows ONE WAY – from those seeking influence to the biden family.
There is no evidence at all this was real loans.
I would note that if it WAS real loans the Biden’s would be guilty of fraud.
Regardless, they are guilty of tax evasion.
Do the Biden’s still owe all those they reveiced “loans” from repayment ?
Do we expect CEFC to collect on their multi-million dollar loans ?
This is blatantly untrue.
https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc431
From the IRS: “If you borrow money and are legally obligated to repay a fixed or determinable amount at a future date, you have a debt. You may be personally liable for a debt or may own a property that secures a debt for which you may or may not also be personally liable.
If your debt is forgiven or discharged for less than the full amount owed, the debt is considered canceled for the forgiven or discharged amount that you no longer need to pay. Cancellation of a debt may occur if the creditor can’t collect, or gives up on collecting, the amount you’re obligated to pay. If you own property securing a debt, cancellation of the debt may occur due to foreclosure, repossession, voluntary transfer of the property to the lender, abandonment of the property, or a mortgage modification.
In general, if your debt is canceled, forgiven, or discharged for less than the amount owed, the amount of the canceled debt is taxable. If taxable, you must report the canceled debt on your tax return for the year in which the cancellation occurred.”
The Thomas RV loan does not meet any of the exceptions to this general rule, which generally pertain to student debt.
Do you think you know more about this topic than the IRS?
“I would note that if it WAS real loans the Biden’s would be guilty of fraud.”
Why? If the loans were between family members how is it fraudulent? You seem to be assuming quite a bit.
Anyone who has half way decent credit and routinely borrows money and pays taxes knows the difference.
I see you never responded to the above IRS language… Do you agree that your above commentary was incorrect?
Asking “which would you rather have” is irrelevant. Clarence Thomas apparently received favorable treatment from a wealthy American. Could you spell out the corruption in a little more detail? Did that Anthony Welters have business before the Court that Justice Thomas ruled on? If not, then what’s the issue (beyond your own personal envy)?
If the President of the United States is compromised by our biggest geopolitical rival, isn’t that a bit more concerning?
Tax Fraud would be a form of corruption in my book? Do you disagree?
Scroll the comments from John Say and others on this blog. They are criticizing Joe of tax fraud for interest-free loans, which could be treated as gifts by the IRS.
Tax fraud is a crime, and as such, it would indeed be a form of corruption. But answer my real question: where is the quid pro quo, or anything that the public would be concerned about beyond the concept that people should generally obey the law. The fact that you so transparently obfuscated tells me you have no answer.
The censors on this site blocked my response yesterday, but I easily found writs of certiorari involving Gilead Sciences and UnitedHealthGroup that came before the Supreme Court. Anthony Welter sits on the Board of Gilead and his company was bought by UnitedHealthGroup, where he continued to work during the time at which UHG was attempting to appeal to SCOTUS.
So yes, there is a direct connection.
Your use of words wearing long pants were seen, but your rhetoric is that of one wearing short pants that are wet.
“which could be treated as gifts by the IRS.”
Corporate money needs to be taxed when transferred to personal accounts.
Gift: The donor must pay taxes when giving a gift and disclose it when one files their 1040.
When making a gift, where the total amount of gifts falls under the amount where the gift is taxed, there is no tax liability, but when one files 1040, disclosure is a necessity,
There is no claim of innocence if one is using a CPA. There is a reason why accountants dealing with taxes are Certified. They can lose their license or worse if they do not follow tax laws. Withholding information from the CPA is illegal. If the information is provided to the accountant, he is responsible. If not, the individual is criminally responsible.
Accidents might happen once or even twice, but when the accidents are repetitive, and many other signs of illegality exist, the person under investigation is guilty.
Based on what we know and can reasonably presume, anyone doing the same would end up in jail, pay very high penalties, and pay the taxes owed with interest.
“There is no claim of innocence if one is using a CPA.”
Tell that to the Trump Crime Family.
You still don’t understand the tax code. Why would anyone believe you do? Trump’s IRS reports were leaked, but all the left-wing accountants that tried to find guilt failed. They failed because Trump followed the law.
But you keep insisting, so you must know what he did that was illegal. Tell us. If you can’t you are a blowhard
You say: “his son received sketchy loans.” No one is saying that Hunter Biden and other family members “received sketchy loans”. There is no evidence that I am aware of that these payments were loans.
So what you’re really saying is that Biden’s actions are indefensible.
“How many of you [. . .] also believe . . .”
Some, none, all.
Whatever the number, it’s irrelevant to the fact that JB (and his family) are guilty of bribery — and of selling their country to its worst enemy (communist China).
You need to up your game. Your deflections are too obvious.
There are myriads of problems with these “loans”
You can actually loan your brother $10 and the IRS will not come after you,
But for “loans” of 40,000 or 200,000 the IRS expects a transfer of the principle at the initiation of the loan – that would be the actual loan.
Documentation of the loan. Generally no interest loans are not permitted – you are required to charge even family market interest rests.
Thne you are required to demonstrate regular repaymnts of the loan.
Do not do this and the “loan” becomes TAX FRAUD.
Little has been done – because most of us understand these are NOT actual loans and that writing loan in a memo does not make a payment a loan.
Regardless if these are actually loans – there are records that show a transfer from Joe Biden to Hunter or James that is the borrowing, and later a transfer that is the payment.
So far we see money flows in one direction – from people seeking influence, to Hunter and James and then on to the family – but nothing going the other direction.
I would further note that none of the “loans” that James and Hunter have received and then disbursed to family have ever been repaid.
You can claim these payments are actual loans – but then the Biden’s are guilty of FRAUD.
They borrowed money and failed to repay it.
“I would further note that none of the “loans” that James and Hunter have received and then disbursed to family have ever been repaid.”
Untrue.
Then you would have evidence of that. There is none so far.
All the money followed in ONE direction.
From those the Biden’s were selling influece to, through hunter and James and to the rest of the Biden family.
Further the communications – emails and in at least one instance lawsuits prove the Biden’s never had any intention fo repaying loans.
I would note if you receive 100,000 and write “loan” in the memo, and then you reveive another 100,000 and write “loan repayment” in the memo
That is not a loan and its repayment, that is just a piss poor attempt at tax fraud.
“ Then you would have evidence of that. There is none so far.
All the money followed in ONE direction.”
Huh, not true.
Comer has the bank records,
“
Democrats on the committee said Republicans ignored that bank records also showed a payment in the same amount from Joe Biden to James Biden six weeks prior to that, consistent with the White House’s claim of a short-term loan. Biden was the one who stepped in to help family members when they needed support, including by providing short term loans to his brother,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the oversight committee.
“These bank records show that in 2017 and 2018, while President Biden was not in office, he provided two short-term loans to his brother, James, who repaid each loan within two months,” Raskin said in a press release on Oct. 20.
FactCheck.org obtained an Excel spreadsheet of wire transfer records and check images that are consistent with Raskin’s account.
Those records show two wire transfers from Joe Biden to a joint account for James and Sara Biden, one for $40,000 on July 28, 2017, and one for $200,000 on Jan. 12, 2018. The wires came from an “Attorney Trust Account” maintained by Joe Biden’s attorneys at the firm “MONZACK MERSKY MCLAUGHLIN BROWDER.”
https://www.factcheck.org/2023/10/cherry-picking-influence-payment-from-james-to-joe-biden/
Comer has been cherry picking the facts.
So where did Biden, a government employee making his annual salary come up with $2.5 M in cash to buy his Beach house mansion? Biden has been a grifter his entire 50 years in public service. He is corrupt and everyone knows it, he’s done.
Jonathan: You say “[t]he Bidens have been criticized for decades for influence peddling”. Your authority? Your column on 6/29/23 which doesn’t even mention “decades” of alleged influence peddling. It appears you are the only one making the claim. And you admit “influence peddling” is not a crime. So even if Hunter Biden, as a private citizen, traded on the family name to get lucrative business deals that cannot be “uniformly viewed as corrupt”.
I hate to repeat myself but “corruption” involves a public official holder who uses his position to accept bribes or “gifts” and in exchange uses public policy to benefit the person or entity making the bribes. Sen. Menendez comes to mind. Between 2017 and 2019 Joe Biden was a private citizen. Comer has come up with no evidence that Hunter had any influence Obama administration policy when Joe was VP. Nor is there any evidence Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings or received bribes.
As to the Joe/ James bank transactions, Comer has bank records that show a wire transfer of $200,000 from Joe to his brother James. Less than 2 months later James sends his brother a check for $200,00 marked “loan repayment”. Comer claims, without any evidence, that he does not “believe” this transaction was a loan. Jamie Raskin, a member of Comer’s Committee, says there is “clear evidence that this transaction was a short-term, interest-free loan between brothers which occurred while President Biden was also a private citizen”. Comer has offered no evidence to contradict Raskin’s claim.
You also say the Hunter/Joe/ James private business dealings don’t appear “to pique the media’s curiosity” Not true. Two days ago CNN had a long article entitled “Fact check: Evidence supports Democrats’ case that Joe Biden made a personal loan to his brother”. The article goes into detail about the loan of $200,00 from Joe to his brother. The article concludes: “But even this small batch of evidence clearly shows that the Democrats have documents that at least partially substantiating their assertion about the check–and that Comer has not yet released some documents that undercut his efforts to raise public suspicion about the Bidens”.
Now I have periodically made loans to family members over the years. No interest was charged. They were repaid in the same year. There’s no paperwork except cancelled checks. Was there something “corrupt” about my lending? Why is a private Biden family loan that all of a sudden is something that “piques” your interest and that of Comer? The answer is pretty clear. You and Comer are on a fishing expedition to try to influence the 2024 election. Comer’s little “investigation” will undoubtedly have little effect on next year’s election because there will be no impeachment of Joe Biden. It will only show how the MAGA Republicans have weaponized the House to go after Biden in a futile effort to bring him down. It will be a stain on the Mike Johnson MAGA-led House that puts politics above the interests of the American people!
No Turley is not the only one claiming Decades of influence peddling.
Hunter is a relativel new comer to the family racket.
James and Joe have been playing this game for decades. There is plenty of documentation of the same nonsense going on while Joe was senator involving banks and insurance companies in the US.
No Turley did not say influence peddling is not a crime – just as he will not say killing someone is not a crime.
Influence peddling and killing someone are SOMETIMES not crimes.
Influence pedaling is nearly always a crime. But it is a very hard crime to prove. But that is because typical politicians are far more careful than The Biden’s.
The Clinton’s laundered their graft through charitable foundations. It is also commonplace to do so through speaking fees.
In Menendez I and MacDonald politicians received gits – like watches and expensive vacations and then provided services out of the goodness of their heart.
The Biden syndicate has a serious problem – there was little effort to disguise what they were up to.
Loans that are never repayed are not loans or they are fraud and tax evasion. Even Hillary was smarter at masking her graft.
The Biden’s received enormous amounts of money, and what was promised in return was the excercise of public power.
This is not Hidden. What is hidden is the transfer of the money.
Hunter Biden was not “trading on the family name” – people did not give the Biden’s money because the name “Biden” mesmorized people into giving hunter money.
The value of “the family name” was the Biden’s ability to get something of value in return.
And the problem here is that this “influence peddling” falls under FARA.
If the Biden’s trading on the family name meant opening doors in business or goverment that requires registering as a foreign agent and reporting your activities.
Personally I think FARA is unconstitutional, but democrats used it to convict manafort and others – so you are stuck with it.
I would further note that we do not know HOW joe “opened doors” – provided value.
Well actually we often do – because Zolochevesky told Hunter in writing what he wanted – Shokin Fired. And that is not trading on the family name – that is bribery.
Regardless, What did Joe (or Hunter in Joes name) promise those in government he sought favors from ?
One of the problems that you and the Bidens and the left and the media and democrats have here is that you have been caught lying so many times.
Shokin was NOT corrupt he WAS methodically investigating Burisma – YOU LIED.
The Hunter Biden Laptop was NOT russian disinformation. YOU LIED.
Joe WAS actively involved in The Biden syndicate business deals – YOU LIED.
Joe Did meet personally with the biusiness associates of Biden Inc. YOU LIED.
Joe did recieve money from these deals. You lied.
The IRS and FBI investigations of the Biden’s were obstructed by the DOJ/WH – YOU LIED.
No one beleives you anymore.
It is really really hard to getpeople to beleive you when each step along the way – you have lied,. covered up, obstructed, and been found out.
I would note – that in the above I was only deling with thelies that you, democrats, the media, the left told about the Biden’s.
I did not address the mass of lies you also told about Trump and republicans.
Dennis you are not paying any attention to the facts. The Burisma deal occured while Biden was VP.
It is now established – that:
Burisma paid the Biden’s to get Shokin sacked.
That Shokin was not corrupt, and that he was meticulously investigating Burisma.
That Hu8nter was in communication with Joe about his business dealings – including Burisma.
That Joe as VP met with Top Execs in Burisma.
That Joe as VP got Shokin fired – what Burisma paid the bidens for.
All that occured while Joe was VP.
I would further note – many of these payments are in 2017 and a few in 2018 and appear to be planned payments for actions Joe completed as VP.
Further, Joe, you and myriads of democrats have LIED about these from the start.
Comer already has an excellent case of obstruction of Justice by bother the WH and the DOJ.
NExt, all of this violates FARA, and it is near certain all of it is tax evasion – and we KNOW the IRS was obstructed in investigating Taxes.
Further all of these legal or not are truths that YOU, the media, the left, democrats and our government CENSORED leading up to 2020.
That is election fraud. Something you keep denying.
Finally, you do not seem to grasp that you have been caught in so many lies – the Biden lies are just a small part of the lies,
That no one trusts you.
Why should we beleive DOJ/FBI about Trump or republicans or election fraud ? Why should we beleive Democrats about these ?
Why should we beleive the left ? Why should we beleive the courts ? Social Media ? The MSM ? You ?
You do not get to tell the rest of us what is a lie, and what is truth, what is a crime and what is not. What is a fraudulent election and what is not.
You do not get to tell us anything about anything – because you are a liar.
And the price for being caught out repeatedly telling big lies is that no one listens to you anymore.
Why do you think we beleive MSM fact checks anyomore ?
You do not seem to grasp that when you are caught lying repeatedly – no one beleives you ?
Regardless, do not tell us that someone else thinks that maybe these might be loans.
Provide proof. That should be easy.
Unless you want to be convicted of tax evasion and money laundering – as Paul Manafort – loans that are not deminimus require documentation.
Or they are tax fraud. Where is the loan agreement for these loans ?
Where is the evidence of money flowing BOTH ways ? A loan and loan repayment is a 2 way transaction.
If you give someone a check for 200K with loan in the memo – you are loaning hem 200K.
If you later give them a check for 200K with loan repayment on the memo – that is not a loan repayment that is a 400K loan.
Like typical of those on the left – your thinking is childish and superficial.
It should be incredibly easy to prove all of this is real loans.
BTW we KNOW that most of these people did notever get repaeyed or revieve interest.
Dennis — here’s a little sample of how the blatant-mainstream-media-bias-and-fraud works:
“A simple way of framing the bias and pettiness of the NYT:
In the same article, they write “Ben Carson” and “Dr. Jill Biden.”
He grew up in poverty during the Civil Rights movement, graduated from Yale, and became a renowned brain surgeon.
She was Hunter’s babysitter and Joe’s mistress, got her EdD as a Senator’s wife, and briefly taught community college English.”
@JohnLeFevre Oct 30, 2023
Dr. Ben Carson is a gentelman and a treasure.
Mrs. Joseph Biden ain’t nuttin’ but a lowlife skank.
Do you have a link to this article? I can’t find a NYT article that even references the two in the last few years. It looks like you got this from a Twitter post that also doesn’t link to the article. Did you actually read the article about which you profess?
Dennis – are you a real person? or are you really this stupid?
“They were repaid in the same year. ”
With money they received from communist China or from corrupt actors in Ukraine or from . . . ?
I think you’re evading an important fact here.
Do you mean like (We’re going to impeach the muthafuka?) weaponization or do you mean like let’s create a fraudulent dossier and use the deep state and propaganda media to subvert a duly elected President?
In other news. https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/11/01/the-lead-jake-tapper-israel-forensics.cnn
OT,
Feds black out nearly all emails on who influenced proposal to ‘gut’ charter school program
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/feds-black-out-nearly-all-emails-who-influenced-proposal-gut-charter
It is absolutely amazing that Turley overlooks the Trump family influence peddling, which is much larger in scale and involved the former President directly.
Turley has made it clear, Trump is and has been above the law.
How so ? He is being prosecuted all over the place for things that are not crimes.
Most of which is free speech.
Biden is not being investigated for conduct that is unarguably criminal.
I would further note – those on the left have an even bigger problem with this double standard.
If this was just Trump vs. Biden MAYBE we would give deference to the government – but it is not.
Manafort was prosecuted convicted and jailed for far less than what has been proven regarding Hunter,
But this goes beyond a democrat double standard for those in politics.
The Biden administration has targeted churchgoers, parents of school children and abortion protestors.
It has sent SWAT teams after them – and then it has LOST in court, because it was going after 1st amendment protected activity.
Conversely the Biden administarion has FAILED to go after people on the left doing similar – though actually violent actions.
Democrats and the left have done everything person to mkake sure that the ordinary person grasps the political double standard of politically weaponized government is NOT just about politicians – but democrats are eaponizining law enforcement aginst ordinary people over politics.
And that is why you are not trusted.
John Say,
Well said.
“Turley has made it clear, Trump is and has been above the law.”
****************************
But … but … but … Trump … Orange man bad. Our man, good!
LOL
Fishy – are you really this stupid?
Fishy — Wake up girl! There is no rule-of-law in this country. Democrats have destroyed it.
Blinders on, what about Trump doesn’t discuss the possibility that Joe Biden received money from foreign nations. Why instead don’t you defend Joe receiving this money. Trump aboutism doesn’t change the facts. The IRS requires a signed agreement by both parties when loans of large amounts of money are made. C’mon Joe, if you just show us the loan agreements I’m sure that Blinders on will rest more peacefully tonight. If he cares.
TiT,
Well said.
How and to what degree has the BCF subjected the US to national security?
The ‘whataboutism’ shows how desperate they are getting as more and more evidence of corruption comes to light.
“Why instead don’t you defend Joe receiving this money.” Isn’t is interesting how it’s considered more than ok for Joe to accept ‘influence’ monies, but no one can explain ‘why’ it’s ok for some (and until last month, Menendez), but not everyone else, including those who don’t do politics for a living.
Blinders on. If I get what your saying both Trump and Biden are corrupt. Am I hearing you right?
If you have evidence that the Trumps engaged in “influence peddling
present that.
I would note that you can not be involved in violations of the public Trust (bribery) until you hold government office. That means the entirety of Trump family dealings prior to 2017 can not be influence peddling.
Next the provision of a good or service at the market price – can not be “influence pedaling”.
The Trump family sold hotel rooms, resturant dinners, golf games, florida condos before during and after Trump’s presidency.
Most people with a brain – i.e. those not left wing nuts. grasp this is just ordinary business.
What was the Biden family selling ?
There is no comparison between Trump and Biden. The Biden’s were selling the power of Government vested in Joe Biden to the highest bidder.
The Trump’s were selling good and services that had nothing to do with government – as they had for decades before.;
The emoluments. 6 nations spent more than $750K at Trump’s hotel when trying to seek to influence his administration, renting rooms for more than $10K per night.
Ivanka’s Chinese Trademarks.
Kushner’s many Middle East investors, seeking access to Trumpworld.
It is uncanny the similarities. Do you honestly wish to feign ignorance?
That is not what emoluments means – and those bringing the lawsuit knew it which is why it was dissmissed and not appealed.
People who spent money at Trump hotels – received rooms and resturaunt dinners at market prices and the Trump hotel donated the profits.
Almost everyone staying at almost all DC hotels is there to influence the administration – that does not make those hotels engaged in bribery.
Kushners Investors are paying him to invest money – if he fails to invest that money such that THEY profit enormously – they will go elsewhere.
I would further note that everything you are claiming regarding Trump was done openly and above board.
Room rates are public and competitive. Kusher’s deal was accompanied by a press conference – Kushner was proud to announce that his firm was chose to manage investments.
Further Trump enterprises received hotel room fees – because that has been what they have done for years. You may choose not to stay there but others do.
I have no idea where your claims regarding Trump hotel room rates comes from – but the JW Marriot on Central Park in NYC has overnight rates as high as 89,000/night.
High end hotels have a variety of rooms at a variety of rates.
Kusner is a billionaire real estate investor with a long track record of success. That is precisely who you would hire to manage billions in real estate investments.
It is uncanny the LACK of similarities.
The Biden’s produce nothing, They have never produced anything. They offer no service other than graft.
They have no skills in anything except graft. They have not succeeded in anything except graft – and arguably they have not succeeded very well in that.
Worse still – Hunter was an out of control addict. Drowning in durgs, alcohol and prositutes – by his own admission.
The Trump family – starting with Donald were born with a silver spoon. But they turned it to platinum. That is true of nearly all of them. Including the extended family.
The Biden’s are unremarkable. and absent
Joes political carreer would be managing the local 7-11 if that.
Finally – Did Trump (and Kushner) use the power of the US government to deliver something of value to his mideast connections ?
Absolutely. Trump and Kushner delivered Peace. which is worth hundreds of billions to them and to us.
If some of them decided to invest with Jared Kushner as a result – who can blame them.
No one would want to deal with the Biden’s because of the value they delivered to the world through their policies and presidency.
It is the differences that are stark.
“The emoluments.”
That clause expressly excludes *private* businesses.
“feign ignorance”
In your case, it’s not feigned.
All good points, John Say. Donald Trump emerged on the political scene with decades of entrepreneurial experience. Joe Biden, on the other hand, is a career politician who has been on the U.S. government payroll for decades.
“It is absolutely amazing that . . .”
I thought that “but Johnny did it, too” went out in the third grade.
False. Not only is there no evidence whatsoever of influence peddling on the part of the Trump family, but the Democrats and the Deep State haven’t even made up any of their usual lies, such as claiming that “Trump’s international transactions have all the earmarks of influence peddling,” or similar nonsense.
It’s just amazing. When the evidence is overwhelming the democrat mob family of biden is now the superhero George in it’s a wonderful life – that’s who they are, the great community organizers who keep all the people together against the big evil mean orange man bank….
They even talk to angels…
That’s the dirty demoncrat family, the Christimas heroes of the classic…
With people that know you’re guilty characterizing you like that, who needs friends to cover anything up ?
Every time the biden’s took a bribe a bell rang and an angel got their wings… demoncrats just can’t be bad… they live a wonderful life ….
Corruption at its finest.
And it is not just the Biden Crime Family.
It is the swamp agencies who are slow walking, obfuscating, ignoring all the evidence and the MSM who is willing backing a very corrupt WH admin.
There are three well-known steps to money laundering: Placement, Layering and Integration.
Placement: Put the dirty money (e.g., $5 million from communist China) somewhere, e.g., into a shell company named “Hudson West III.”
Layering: Disguise the dirty money’s origin by moving it around, e.g., into other shell companies such as “Owasco, P.C.,” “Lion Hall Group,” into personal checking accounts, or as “loan repayment.”
Integration: Invest or spend the dirty money on whatever, e.g., jewelry, cars, homes, clothing, vacation, drugs, hookers, legal fees, et al.
Presto. You have an American president (and his kleptocratic family) in the pocket of America’s greatest enemy: Communist China. (And not a peep from the Fourth Estate.)
The Democrats, including the “anonymous” trolls that prowl about this blog seeking the ruin of minds, love to say that “influence-peddling can be done legally [etc.].” Yes, of course, in a strictly legitimate sense it is lawful to educate or otherwise influence a public official to do something that also is lawful to do. It’s called “lobbying.” Where influence peddling runs afoul of the law, though, is with the old bugaboo, taxes. Any form of earned income, whether earned from lawful or unlawful enterprise, must be reported to the IRS and taxes paid in accordance with the IRS code, which is statutory law. Also, the source of that earned income must be cited along with the identity of the person or corporate entity making the payment. Obviously, a politician like Joe Biden releasing his tax returns to the public as part of his campaign transparency is not about to list a Chinese Communist-owned power company in Shanghai paying him directly or through third parties like his son or brother the sum of millions of dollars in hopes of gaining favor for something. Likewise, the president or vice-president, as the case might be, is not about to declare on his IRS form 1040 that he received a $5 million dollar bribe to scuttle the employment of a prosecutor in Kyiv who just happened to be looking into the finances of a power company that employs the president’s son in a no-show job paying millions of bucks a year. Remember, Al Capone did a lot of bad things but managed to stay out of jail. What landed him in the slammer was his failure to declare his ill-gained income and pay the tax on it. The Biden Family Savings and Loan, LLC is about to get a seat next to FTX in the annals of great American Frauds!
LOL! As usual the problem lies in proving the allegations with clear and convincing evidence.
Influence peddling is not just lobbying. It’s also about access. If a company gives Hunter Biden $10,000 to arrange a meeting with the president it’s not illegal. When the president is out of office and make some money from deals with foreign companies it’s not illegal.
Allegations aside, nothing about this is illegal or criminal. Suspicion is not evidence of a crime.
Anon: Chris Steele, where have you been? You’re absolutely spot-on right. No evidence is needed here, only a prima facie conclusion that something wrong occurred and Joe Biden is involved as the principal. Brilliant, Chris, you’re a real double-O-seven from the old country! 🙂
JJC,
Good one! 🙂
Allowing 8 million illegal immigrants into our Nation to add to the other 20 here is sufficient cause to impeach Biden. His crimes are not suspected, they are as plain as the nose on your face. The DOJ and FBI are complicit as they fail to pursue anything related due to their partisan ideology, just as Hunters laptop and the 50 stooges!
JJC,
Well said.
Your comment is the first one I have read, so I am assuming there are a bunch of anonymous trolls trumpeting the influence peddling is legal crap.
Sure. It might be legal. But it is still corruption.
As we have seen countless times. Corruption is extremely difficult to prosecute. Republicans have made sure to narrowly define what constitutes corruption and set a very high bar for evidence that would be admissible in court.
Ironically, the Anonymice are doing me a favor: I literally scroll past them until I see a name / assigned avatar. There was a time when people exchanged ideas in an effort to cajole, persuade or win audience members to their side.
Now it’s just a forum of napalm
😎
Estovir,
Exactly and well said! 🙂
Estovir and Upstate, two commenters that make the site more interesting. “Anonymous” people, making the site more time friendly by allowing us to ignore them.
Napalm drive-bys
I literally scroll past them until I see a name / assigned avatar.
Estovir, in addition, there is a gaggle who do use a regular ID that I also scroll past. To be honest, every regularly identifiable individual on this blog has a signature style of commenting. Some styles are so repetitive, I scroll past them as well. I believe my style fits into that category. It’s why I have backed off a lot from when I first joined this blog years ago. Now, I start my early morning reading various news feeds, including The Federalist, and then I read JT’s post(s). Even before going into the comments section, I know exactly what I will find there. Posts like this one in particular don’t really need a comment section. But alas, JT could write a post about the sun setting in the west and it would generate 150 comments about climate change, CA wildfires, racism and the endless suffering of asylum-seekers illegally crossing deserts. No thanks.
I will however keep following the blog, for JT’s posts, and a few regular commenters like you that bring to light thoughts the provoke an opportunity to learn something new.
Thank you
Olly, I am convinced Peter Shill = Ralph de Minmus = Shakdi and the usual sockpuppet suspects.
Observe his comments below mine here:
ALL CAPS insults, visceral ad hominem, rage, attention seeking tantrums, lecturing others, tries to redirect discussions to his preferred topics all ignored by JT and commenters, and incessant left wing news links. Aside from showing traits consistent with Axis II Personality Disorder, he does provide entertainment. That he lives on the West Coast is reassuring!
I get alot of comfort from others on here including you, considering my lived experience with communism in Cuba. Plz keep posting. ignore the trolls
“It might be legal.”
With respect, it is *not*. It is bribery. And it is unConstitutional.
Bribery has been made semi-legal by the Supreme Court thanks to Ted Cruz.
“The Supreme Court just made it much easier to bribe a member of Congress
A case brought by Ted Cruz is a huge boon to rich candidates and moneyed lobbyists.”
“The idea is that, if already-elected officials can solicit donations to repay what is effectively their own personal debt, lobbyists and others seeking to influence lawmakers can put money directly into the elected official’s pocket — and campaign donations that personally enrich a lawmaker are particularly likely to lead to corrupt bargains. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) manufactured a case to try to overturn that $250,000 limit, and now, the Court has sided with him.”
https://www.vox.com/2022/5/16/23074957/supreme-court-ted-cruz-fec-bribery-campaign-finance-first-amendment-john-roberts-elena-kagan
That’s why corruption is very hard to prove.
“. . . already-elected officials can solicit donations . . .”
So JB received a $5 million campaign donation from communist China?!
The *second* law of holes: Stop digging.
“Remember, Al Capone did a lot of bad things but managed to stay out of jail. What landed him in the slammer was …”
His demoncrat co-conspirators and business associates finally couldn’t keep getting him off the hook.
FTFY
That is truly some banking system we see there. It’s not one with which I am familiar. I know family loaning but when my dad borrowed money from his dad to buy his first house there was a document and payment schedule. When I borrowed money from my dad (at money market rates) there was also a document with a payment schedule. And when I loaned money to both my son and daughter there were documents with the loans and payments and when paid. (My daughter and son in law had the bigger loan and paid off early). The interest received was also noted and placed on my income tax statement.
Obviously this type of record keeping is not difficult to do and it’s also obvious that this was all done as money laundering and to hide the actual reason for the money movement and where it came from. It would seem that regulations here are being flouted or being broken. One would think that if there are no regulations regarding this then there should be.
It is also obvious that the sunshine laws on congressional, senate and presidential finances are totally inadequate and need to be radically reformed.
I also wonder if President Biden and his acolytes realize that the digital currency system he is pushing, if structured correctly, could make all sorts of transactions like this easily discoverable.
Lastly a note. In 2009-2010 I went to some CME at Harvard and the Harvard School of Public Health put on a lecture about the Affordable Care Act and placed these incredibly complex diagrams on the screen to show how the incoming Act would work and where the money would go and how decisions would be made.
It was more complex than the Kreb Cycle and the Coagulation Cascade combined but it was child’s play compared to what I just saw in this story.
When you borrow from family it’s not required to have an agreement on paper. You’re not required to impose interest either. It certainly doesn’t have to be reported to the irs because it’s not income. Loaning money between family members is usually done without paperwork unless you have very stingy family members who don’t trust their own family.
You are the expert. You have no money. You take money from family and others without paying it back.
You have it down perfectly.
When the said loan is in effort to launder income and evade taxation it is criminal. Having the repayment of said loans being provided for with money obtained and generated from a detrimental foreign country seeking favoritism and benefit from the VP of the US holding the loan, well that is potentially treasonous and punishable by death. I think Biden andObama are prime candidates for this award!
GEB,
Kreb Cycle and the Coagulation Cascade comparison to the BCF tax evasion!
Awesome!
I wish you didn’t connect one of the warmest and beloved holiday movie with Joe. Even Henry Potter would agree.
That’s how it’s done between demoncrats. The big finger pointing of guilt is not even disguised, it’s praise. Joey is the big savior, for the people, against the big orange man bad banks… Christmas is coming and all the demon sheep will cry and say I love you joe ! when the show comes on, hours of love propaganda jammed into their already failing cerebral cortex.
“It is important to note that, while influence-peddling can be done legally, it is uniformly viewed as corrupt. ”
Weirdly enough it’s not really a concern for republicans since it’s the norm in politics. What hasn’t been mentioned is the fact that they still don’t have clear and convincing evidence that any of it is a crime or illegal. The professor throws a shade of suspicion to insinuate there must be something illegal going on because influence peddling while legal could be viewed as corrupt. Even if it was corrupt it’s still not illegal and that’s the problem republicans are stuck with. Why? Because they made sure over the years that such influence peddling and corruption is very narrowly defined by the courts as illegal only when there’s incontrovertible proof.
Look at Sen. Menendez and representative Santos. They can’t even kick them out despite ample incontrovertible evidence against them. If they can’t get kicked out with that kind of evidence there’s no way republicans will be able to even impeach president Biden. Republicans don’t even have the votes to initiate an impeachment inquiry.
“defined by the courts as illegal only when there’s incontrovertible proof.”
There is no such standard.
Yes there is.
https://www.oyez.org/cases/2015/15-474
McDonell vs. United States.
I searched the opinion and did not find the word incontrovertible in there. Can you quote the passage you have in mind?
I thought that running a large amount of money through various other accounts before it finally gets into YOUR bank account was money laundering (kind of like disguising the actual SOURCE of the funds ???) No ?
The latest Biden “loan” check was announced yesterday, a check for $40,000 that is exactly TEN PERCENT of the $400,000 that China gave to Hunter. We have proof that Hunter said he has to give his pop TEN PERCENT of his money, we have proof that China gave Hunter $400,000 and we have proof that Hunter gave his uncle $50,000 and that his uncle gave JOE BIDEN a check for what amounts to TEN PERCENT of what China gave Hunter.
Ironically, and sickeningly, this check was shown on a day when Trump is in a NY courthouse facing a fraud charge for telling willing banks and buyers what his properties are valued at. A SUBJECTIVE assessment that is made in the real estate world every day of the week and all over the country. Nobody got hurt, nobody got hurt, please show me a victim, nobody got scammed, the same way you don’t get scammed if a seller puts his home on the market for $500,000 and it is assessed at $350,000. The same way you don’t scam a bank if you apply for a $1,000,000 loan in order to buy a house valued at $750,000. The bank makes their own assessment and decides on the wisdom of the loan.
Wonder how many of Trump’s loans were interest free!
LOL!! You’re really reaching for anything that would make sense and start a brand new conspiracy theory. It’s assumption piled on top of more assumptions still without any clear evidence of a crime or illegal intent.
You can make the same stupid claim with the Trumps. Jared Kushner got $2 billion from the Saudis and you have Donald Trump bragging that the Saudis would buy Mar-a- Lago for $1 billion. Obviously that is suspicious and possibly corrupt. But, surely there’s no connection there ( sarc)
Except, that never happened. Biden is the traitor you are looking for.
Actually that did happen. Kushner got $2 billion from the Saudis. Trump did brag that the Saudis could buy MAL for $1 billion. And it’s still suspicious.
The Saudis payed President Trump $1 Billion for MAL? When did that happen? Oh, you live in the world of could haves… Like I wrote, this didn’t happen. Biden is your crook.
HullBobby,
Well said.
Had it been anyone else not named Biden, they would of been charged, convicted and doing time for tax evasion.
The corruption is sickening.
The same way you don’t scam a bank if you apply for a $1,000,000 loan in order to buy a house valued at $750,000. The bank makes their own assessment and decides on the wisdom of the loan
You forgot, or don’t know loans are audited by the banking regulators. Loans must be sound or the bank gets written up and loan called in. That’ what makes the Case against Trump so stupid. Bank Auditors never raised a flag. But some affirmative action DA is smarter about NYC real estate development than Professionals trained to root out bad banking practices.
Iowan2,
Interesting, or maybe not so much, how much some are clamoring about the Trump case as if it is the crime of the century.
And then someone like you comes along and points out the obvious, facts and truth.
What frightens me is not the concept of corrupt politicians – that is a given. What is the true danger here is a media/education industry that has so deadened the brains of so many at the beheast of unkowns who, over decades, have “fundamentally transformed” Americans into dependent, spineless tools. These tools remain willfully ignorant of the precipice upon which this nation teeters and will continually vote for the likes of biden, menendez, newsone et al.
You’re missing the bigger picture, the politicians are pawns doing their bidding. It’s the pinnacle families that control all monetary affairs for the world since before the time of Christ, todays Globalists. Their days are numbered and they are attempting to turn the world to chaos and disorder to maintain their control, modern day Bolsheviks. They see us as cattle for use in their financial gain. We are lesser, we are for servitude, indentured, mired in debt, and fed their continual lies for war. History reveals it all, the answers and truths are there if you choose to seek.
See No Evil Hear No Evil Nothing to see say the Corrupt DEMS and their Allies in Main Street Media and the FBI and DOJ? Bidens should be held fully accountable and suffer the consequences, make them Pay their Taxes and if possible, let the courts take their ill-gotten $$$ away???
and the “GOP” republicans continue to give money to criminal Democrats
Remember the REAL Crime are the COVERUPS
We need to jail 10,000’s of criminal democrats across Government!
Every Person involved in the Russian Hoax should be JAILED for Conspiracy of Treason against America
Something to keep in mind – the bidens never took “worked” for or took money from Americans (only campaign donation from the rubes).
You know who joe is working for.
The Manchurian candidate
Pres. Joe Biden (D-Manchuria)