Below is my column in the New York Post on the testimony of Biden associate Rob Walker, who confirmed details on President Joe Biden meeting with Chinese figures as well as the use of the Biden name to generate millions in foreign payments. Yesterday, the House heard from Tony Bobulinski who confirmed that Biden was the “Big Guy” who was referenced as receiving ten percent from a Chinese deal. He also confirmed that, despite the President’s denials, he met with Joe Biden to discuss these dealings.
Here is the column:
“An interesting name.”
Those three words by Biden family associate Rob Walker could well be the epitaph for Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden.
Walker was explaining why Hunter was repeatedly pushed forward as the face of their pitches to the Chinese and other countries.
In his interview with House investigators, Walker struggled to protect President Biden while confirming critical aspects of earlier testimony from associates such as Devon Archer that they were selling the “Biden brand.”
That brand included Uncle James Biden, whom Walker described as “a snake.”
Walker and his associates had a letter to the Chinese come from Hunter because that is what he thought the Chinese expected.
He admitted that the Chinese were led to believe that they all worked for Hunter Biden.
After all, he “had an interesting last name that would probably get people in the door.”
That “interesting name” is how a Beltway bandit avoids saying “influence peddler.”
You are peddling the name — an effort that is reinforced when you repeatedly produce Joe Biden on speakerphone or he drops by lunches.
It’s also the same name dropped when Hunter wanted to make sure the Chinese paid up, as revealed in the infamous WhatsApp message:
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father.”
Yet whenever questions turned to the most incriminating messages, Walker shrugged.
When asked about a reference to “the big guy” receiving 10% of a deal (an apparent reference to Joe Biden), Walker declined to say who the big guy was.
When he was asked about Hunter’s repeated references to his father and calling his father “my chairman,” Walker insisted that “I don’t think that Hunter was healthy at the time.”
Likewise, when Hunter says his father “vetoed the deal” on a proposed SinoHawk deal structure, Walker again said Hunter was not well.
So Hunter was a legitimate businessman “with an interesting name” all the way up to the point that he made admissions on alleged influence peddling. He was then interesting but unhealthy.
Walker repeatedly emphasized that Joe Biden was not a direct part of these deals.
While that is a political defense, it is not a legal one.
As I have previously written, federal courts have long treated payments to family members as evidence of bribery and corruption.
Indeed, I was lead counsel in the last judicial impeachment trial in the Senate, when Democratic senators voted to convict a judge on payments and gifts going to the children of the judge.
Neither Hunter nor James Biden have demonstrated any particular skill beyond an absence of inhibition and an abundance of appetite.
What they have is “an interesting name,” and in Washington, that is enough.
Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
I would urge all not to rush to judgement on the subject of this article until we have heard the balancing views of Dennis, Gigi and Sammy.
Agreed: In the Sprint of Valentines Day, We should embrace Our detractors with Love.
Point & Counter-Point are entangled indefinitely, so it be that upon this day,
We shall Love thy Enemy 💖
You already know what they are going to say:
“But Trump said something mean – that is far more important than the fact that Biden is selling the US governemtn”
“There is NO EVIDENCE, None, zip, nada”
“Turley is enthralled to his fox puppet masters”
“Racist, Racist, Racist”.
OT, a very good read,
The Biden-Schumer Plan to Kill More Ukrainians
“The $61 billion will make no difference on the battlefield except to prolong the war, the tens of thousands of deaths, and the physical destruction of Ukraine.”
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-biden-schumer-plan-to-kill-more-ukrainians
It appears that the war in Ukraine is essentially the same as the war in Gaza with the US playing the provocateur in Ukraine, as hamas is playing that part in Gaza. Hamas is sitting in cushy qatari hotels sending others’ to their deaths in an unwinnable war against Israel, and the Regime(tm) is doing the same in Ukraine from K Street boardrooms and Langley.
Both hamas and the Regime(tm) are laundering money to politicians’ pockets. SICK.
Neil,
Ah, but to point that out is to be pro-Putin.
To want to see an end to the death and destruction is to be pro-Putin.
To want to avoid WWIII and possible nuclear exchange is to be pro-Putin.
USF,
I have to agree with you and by extension Doug Murray, the left is simply a death cult. They have no roots, foundation, moral guidance – everything is debatable, and malleable; post-modernistic BS.
An “interesting name” and “I can’t recall details”. The jokes on you, America.
Well, it certainly appears that Rob Walker has perfected the art of “selective amnesia” as he dances the perjury hop answering questions before Congress. But you have to admit Jonathan, it’s a GREAT plausible deniability strategy for Lunch Box, Truck Driver, I was raised in a Black Puerto Rican Community, guy, right ? The country could use Corn Pop right about now…..
question why does the “gop” keep funding criminal Democrats
Every Democrat is a Criminal! EVERYONE OF THEM is a FASCIST
The way to stop this…cut 50% of Federal Spending. Oh and jail the entire Biden Klan and Every Federal Authority that protected them!
Their crimes are known…so JAIL the DOJ, FBI, IRS, etc that PROTECTED THEM!
“Influence Peddeling” is completely legal. It only becomes a problem if there is money handed over for the person in exchange for official acts. Which Biden did not do, and most of this is when he was not VP anyhow.
This was in May of 2017.
What’s it like, seriously, to be a shill for these people? They get to cheat on their taxes (with an assist from the gov’t, i.e., by letting statute of limitations run); they get to sell out America for peanuts–you think the ChiComs are just handing out money for nothing. They get to sell “art” for hundreds of thousands. And you get to clown yourself like a little fan boy. Nice work if you can get it.
You’re right, having a prez that has 20 failed business, has to pay $90 million for his sexual abuse of a woman, confuses an ex wife for the woman he raped, doesn’t know the difference between a rival running for Prez and the speaker of the house, buried his ex wife on his golf course, loves to “grab em by the pussy”, having a prez encourage Russia to invade a NATO member makes way more sense.
How many millions of dollars did the trump family make while trump was in office?
boring Bob, How much did you have to pay for your sexual abuses?
See, you put out facts, trump supporters throw back kindergarten barbs. Bright, real bright.
Once again, Sammy defending the BCF.
“Which Biden did not do, and most of this is when he was not VP anyhow.”
Thank you, Sammy, for admitting Biden’s guilt. “Most of this is when he was not VP anyhow,” which means the rest of the time he was VP. “Influence Peddling” is entirely legal. It only becomes a problem if there is money handed over,” means that influence peddling can be legal or illegal. The testimony demonstrates illegality.
“Which Biden did not do,” There is plenty of evidence pointing to the fact Biden did these things. For example, what is your proof that he didn’t? Biden’s Ukraine misadventure is on tape. How do you justify the video when he didn’t adhere to US policy?
Getting rid of the guy in Ukraine was US policy.
Sammy, you are a half-wit. If we add what you have to Bob, we still have a half-wit. However, your irrelevant and incorrect comments at least are yours. Bob seems unable to do even that. Instead, it looks like he copies almost everything he writes with minimal word changes.
“Getting rid of the guy in Ukraine was US policy.”
No, it wasn’t. Read the letters and statements that, though recorded, probably were not reprinted in the junk you read.
I still have not had a single person hand me bags of cash. Maybe I am doing something wrong? Is this a cultural thing for Chinese government officials to randomly hand cash to Americans politicians with no strings attached?
When I lived in Asia, I witnessed such exchanges of cash but the exchanges always came with expectations to do something or to look the other way.
I am puzzled why bribery or powerful politicians feathering their nests considered legal? If that is so, it is highly unethical and wrong.
Let’s see Sammy. Getting the guy fired who was investigating the company that his son was working for seems like an act that Joe Biden admitted and bragged about might qualify as influencing a party that was giving eighty three thousand dollars a month to his son. How’s that for handing over some money because of an official act by a father who was indeed then the Vice President of The United States of America at the time? Keep up.
The US State Department and EU countries all wanted that guy fired. He was massively corrupt.
Sammy, it was Victoria Nuland who wrote the letter complimenting Shokin and his work shortly before VP Biden changed American policy. Congrats on letting yourself be fooled again.
Quit being a MSM dupe.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/the-biden-schumer-plan-to-kill-more-ukrainians
sammy, tell us how subverting the will you swore an oath of office to represent for personal remuneration is ‘completely’ legal.
Name one job on earth where you are hired to do one thing and then you take money from others’ for personal gain to do another thing.
Seems to me, this is what 2A is for, if that activity is ‘legal.’
Except Biden did not do that. Also this story is about May of 2017.
Biden did not do that, when? That is the history of his entire career – he’s a thug.
“Which Biden did not do [wink, wink].”
Plus, he’s addled. So he can’t be prosecuted, anyway.
JT says “Yesterday, the House heard from Tony Bobulinski who confirmed that Biden was the “Big Guy””
JT has said this before, very selective in his definition of who is credible. If a witness says bad things under oath against trump, perhaps the witness is not telling the truth and should be prosecuted for perjury. If the witness says something good about trump, not under oath, by all means this person is gods right hand man and should always be believed. Perhaps the same standard (in reverse) is being applied to Biden evidence?
Confirmed? Wow, maybe it’s true. But turns out this one “credible” witness perhaps has a reason to be so willing to cozy up to Repos.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/gop-star-witness-hunter-biden-100709295.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKVFsXTkNbufubtuEzFrqz9Aox_OOIFF2N7op5Ze-b2SDhqnnUtmYp1Zhppqcnn2Pm18-iqsvqVrASVnOnW5kDCXEGSUWWzf3AEDGJkOXJRzzsFzej3hZS-lUkZsdElL6qY8_RxtOQSElwSLuSxEPkx59Z7qdNxORl99h1OttjBk
Nope not going into the soup of yahoo news.
Inquiring minds? Naw, I’ll stick to made up news that trump spews.
Iowan2,
Here is a much more reliable and credible source on the topic,
Impeachment evidence counters Biden’s claims, shows he met with many of son’s major foreign clients
“Hunter Biden offered nothing of value to any of these foreign nationals. The only thing he had a value was his father,” Rep. James Comer says.”
https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/joe-biden-met-nearly-all-his-sons-foreign-business-associates
Rep. James Comer says.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
HAHAHAHAH
HAHAHAHAHAH
You have got to be kidding? That is your “source”
HAHAHAHAH
HAHAHAH
Did you see the election results from NY yesterday. The party of trump just lost a seat at the table.
Keep it up, pretty soon you’ll be down to less than 100 trump party members in the house.
Yes, I did.
And it was a disaster for Biden.
Suozzi told Biden not to come and campaign for him. He was critical of Biden on the campaign trail. He even said, “look, his age is a problem and I don’t even know if he’ll stick it out.”
He also said, “I’ve been running against my party for a long time. I’m a moderate. We need centrism when Democrats swing too far to the left, they get too extreme. We run into problems.”
Suozzi is a JFK, traditional Democrat. That goes against everything the Biden admin is for. Suozzi is pro-Israel, he is an immigration hawk, and he talks more tough on crime than leftists.
I actually see this as a good thing to get the Democrat party back to normal.
Bill G, there’s on simple thing that you could do to add credibility to your position. You could explain in your all knowing wisdom exactly what Hunter was being paid for at Burisma. If you can’t offer a realistic explanation of what Hunter was being paid to do than we must come to an opinion that you are woefully miss informed or you are simply a spreader of a large amount of Bovian Scatology. I’m going with the later.
I think Hunter used his dad’s name to make money, no question at all. How much did his dad get? I don’t know, perhaps some. I also think that finding a national level politician that did not make money from their position would be very very had. So sure get all of them and start over. Probably not going to happen.
What I don’t understand is an inability by the Rs to break from the complete idiot trump.
I was up half the night reading The Attack, by Kurt Schlicter. Still have half the fantastic book to go. One chapter, where 47 radical Muslims attack the White House, is by a retired Secret Service agent, who was “retired” after shoving the President down a stairwell, trying to save his life. He called the First Family, The Low Life Family. Super-scary book, and something very possible. I highly recommend it. Schlicter weaves a lot of the politics discussed here into the storyline. During the three-day attack, and after already thousands of deaths, radical Harvard students launch pro-attack rallies.
Floyd,
Thank you for the recommendation. Got a number of books on my reading list, but I will bump that one up once I get it.
So what punishment will anyone face? Beuller, anyone, anyone, anyone? Nada! This year the only politician who was subject to punishment was George Santos by his own (foolish) party and that really helped their cause, didn’t it- Not.
I think the bigger question is what did they not try to sell. Seems that to these people with the “interesting name” thought the whole United States was theirs to sell. The testimony of Mr. Bobulinski released yesterday seemed to be even more incriminating as he had no hesitency at all in naming the President as “the big guy”. Even more interesting is that apparently the special prosecutor, Mr Weiss, nor the Justice Dept ever approached him or interviewed him. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. I think this should be the Icon of the Justice Dept. under this administration. The fact that this saying is usually visualized by using chimpanzees makes it even more appropriate for the Justice Dept.
Love the last line!!
If ever there was a call for presidential impeachment this is it. But can you imagine, going to war now with China or Iran, how many Americans might die so that Joe Biden might fulfill his obligations?
Nothing will happen. Nothing
There is nothing but repetition in these stories. It has been known for years that the Biden family made lots of money off Joe Biden’s political office. The question is what Joe Biden DID on behalf of his benefactors. They need to focus on the firing of Shokin and any benefit they believed he may have conferred on the Chinese. Without evidence of what he DID, this goes nowhere.
That is such a great point Daniel. Most of the attention has been directed at what the Biden’s have received. Foreign actors paid a ton of money for something. What did they get? For instance, just this morning, CBP is reporting that Chinese nationals are now the largest demographic they are encountering. Is that to close the deal on a QPQ between Biden and the CCP?
OLLY,
That is interesting.
That could be the evidence that answers Danel’s question.
Daniel,
Well said.
That is the real question.
Daniel, the Biden-Shokin (Viktor Mykolayovych Shokin former Prosecutor General of Ukraine) ordeal was a ‘joint-venture’ with the Bidens, The Agency, John Bolton, Alexander Vindman – and they all profited from it in one way or another (Books, Post Service Employment, Etc…).
This wasn’t a just a Hit Job to get Shokin put out of the way, It was a full blown Agency Case Worker(s) 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 to get
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (President of Ukraine) up and running 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐨-𝐔𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐫. Trump did want that at any cost.
That’s why ‘They’ have a problem with Pres. Trump to this very Day.
Re-Read Jonathan Turley’s post (Refresh & Read Between the Line):
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 ~ 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎
“My column today in the Washington Post explores the possibility of witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial and specifically what the Senate might do if the White House demanded a clearly relevant defense witness named Hunter Biden. As the column was coming out, former national security adviser John Bolton announced that, if subpoenaed, he is “prepared to testify” before a Senate trial. …”
[Link] jonathanturley.org/2020/01/07/the-bolton-factor-pressure-builds-for-witnesses-in-the-senate-trial/
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐎𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 “𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫” ~ 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎
[Link] jonathanturley.org/2020/02/13/former-trump-chief-of-staff-defends-vindman-over-need-to-report-trumps-illegal-order/
𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 ~ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎
[Link] jonathanturley.org/2020/06/22/boltons-win-could-cost-him-more-than-just-profits/
“𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐲” 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲: 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 ~ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐
[Link] jonathanturley.org/2022/11/09/political-hackery-is-no-legal-conspiracy-vindman-lawsuit-tossed-by-federal-court-for-failing-to-state-a-legal-claim/
Convict, impeach take their $$$$$$$$$ away ill-gotten/corrupt $$$$, including fines and taxes. Once you start taking away their $$$$$$$$$$ other rats and corrupt politicians will think twice. There must be a price to pay other than send them away without taking their $$$$$
“Holy, ‘I am not a crook!”, Batman!
Is there a case for FARA or not? Is there a case for bribery or not? That’s the kind of analysis I expect fro JT.
Would any of this matter if Joe Biden had stayed retired from politics? How common is this kind of grifting in DC?
Does the law need to be tweaked to protect our officials from undue foreign influence? And what about undue domestic influence (campaign contributions)?
I’m not defending anyone like Hunter and James that benefitted. But the focus should be on the future, and making sure government is serving the people, not some special interests. Those special interests depend on the use of distractors to keep away from that central question.
At this point the debate isn’t over what the Biden Crime Family has been doing. It’s over what should be done about it. Republicans will find a way to accomplish absolutely nothing and in the process, convince the electorate that this has been a witch hunt. The Coven (Democratic party) will ride that to November.
The Investigation has yet to mention the Koreans. Wherein “An Interesting Name” has been dropped many-a-time.
Any Country wherein there is a productive Industrial base or military asset was/is game for the Bidens and Others et.al. […]
The length of the crookedness these folks aspire to is an analog of the Coastline Paradox. The finer you measure it, the longer it becomes.
Daren, I really like that. Coastline paradox.
I’m going to steal it, and forget to give you credit.
I think you should give him a percentage,,,say 10%?
Econ,
That was funny and witty!
Thank you for the laugh!