‘Most damning evidence’: Hunter Biden’s full pardon resurfaces decade of controversies, ‘influence-peddling’
Hunter Biden’s pardon from President Biden on Sunday doesn’t only apply to his tax and gun charges but gives him sweeping immunity from prosecution dating back ten years to the time Biden served as Vice-President. Hunter Biden’s pardon applies to offenses against the U.S. that Hunter Biden “has committed or may have committed” from Jan. 1, 2014 to Dec. 1, 2024 which encapsulates several controversies surrounding the president’s son and his overseas business dealings. BURISMA Hunter Biden earned millions of dollars serving on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma after joining the company as legal counsel in the spring of 2014 before being elevated to the Board of Directors later that year. Biden has claimed he “didn’t stand to gain anything” from the position, which he was appointed to without any experience in the industry, but Republicans have long alleged that Hunter and his father engaged in influence pedaling through Burisma. HUNTER BIDEN PARDON WILL UNDERMINE PARTY’S ‘SELF-PROCLAIMED AUTHORITY’ ON RULE OF LAW: DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST The Bidens were accused by Republicans of having “coerced” Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired during the Obama administration. “Why 2014?” Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy wrote on FoxNews.com this week. “Well, the most damning evidence of the Biden family influence-peddling business occurred in the last years of Joe Biden’s term as vice president – specifically, 2014 through 2016. That, of course, is when the Burisma hijinks began. Indeed, Hunter’s board seat on the corrupt energy company’s board was so manifestly tied to his father’s political influence that, as soon as Biden left office in 2017, Burisma slashed Hunter’s compensation in half.” In addition to the more than $50,000 a month then-Vice President Joe Biden’s son received while serving on Burisma’s board from April 2014 to April 2019, he was also apparently receiving lavish gifts from the company’s founder, according to emails from Hunter’s abandoned laptop that have been verified by Fox News Digital. CHINA BUSINESS DEALINGS The pardon from President Biden also encapsulates the timeline of Hunter Biden’s controversial business dealings in China which Republicans have suggested also embodies part of the alleged influence pedaling scheme that was part of the failed effort to impeach President Biden. HUNTER BIDEN’S CONFIDENT DEMEANOR IN UNEARTHED VIDEO RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT DAD’S PARDON PLANS The Biden family netted several million dollars from business dealings in China which began in the 2014-2016 years as part of Hunter Biden’s relationship with two Chinese companies, Bohai Harvest RST investment enterprise and CEFC. The House Oversight Committee told Fox News Digital earlier this year that it can “now confirm Joe Biden met with nearly every foreign national who funneled money to his son, including Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, Romanian oligarch Kenes Rakishev, Burisma’s corporate secretary Vadym Pozharsky, Jonathan Li of BHR, and CEFC Chairman Ye Jianming.” Biden attended dinners at Washington D.C. restaurant Cafe Milano in Georgtown with Baturina, Rakishev and Pozharsky in 2014 and 2015. Biden also met with Li of BHR in China in 2013. Biden met with Ye at the meeting in 2017, according to testimony from Hunter Biden’s ex-business partners Rob Walker and Devon Archer. The Biden’s connections with Chinese companies continued into 2017. Joe Biden, on May 3, 2017, spoke at the conference, hosting “A Conversation with the 47th Vice President of the United States Joe Biden.” Just days after the May 2, 2017, meeting, the now-infamous May 13, 2017, email, which included a discussion of “remuneration packages” for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Biden as “Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC,” in a reference to now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co. WHO ELSE MIGHT BIDEN PARDON AFTER HE SPARED HUNTER FROM SENTENCING? The email includes a note that “Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate.” A proposed equity split references “20” for “H” and “10 held by H for the big guy?” with no further details. Tony Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, and said he met with Joe Biden in 2017, provided “unshakeable” testimony behind closed doors at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees earlier this year and claimed that President Biden was the “big guy” referenced in the messages. Additionally, Hunter Biden demanded $10 million from a Chinese business associate to “further the interest” of his joint-venture with CEFC in 2017, saying that the “Bidens are the best I know at doing exactly” what the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party-linked firm wanted, according to a WhatsApp message House Oversight Committee. FARA Hunter Biden’s overseas ties have also sparked speculation that he violated public disclose laws under the Foreign Agents Registration Act by not registering as a foreign agent. The Justice Department indirectly revealed that Hunter Biden was still under investigation for a potential violation of FARA during his first court appearance in July of last year, in which his “sweetheart” plea deal collapsed. When asked by federal Judge Maryellen Noreika of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware whether the government could bring a charge against Hunter Biden related to FARA, the DOJ prosecutor replied, “Yes.” “Look for Jim Biden to be pardoned next,” author Peter Schweizer posted on X this week. “Remember: the family was still under investigation under FARA as the pardon comes down. Might have implicated Joe.” ROMANIA The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has scrutinized the Biden family’s alleged business dealings in Romania dating back to 2015. “On September 28, 2015, Vice President Biden welcomed Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to the White House,” the House Oversight Committee’s website state’s. “Within five weeks of this meeting, a Romanian businessman involved with a high-profile corruption prosecution in Romania, Gabriel Popoviciu, began depositing a Biden associate’s bank account, which ultimately made their way into Biden family accounts. Popoviciu made sixteen of the seventeen payments, totaling over $3 million, to the Biden associate account while Joe Biden
Democrat governors spotlight they’re the ‘last line of defense’ against Trump
As they gather for their annual winter meeting, the nation’s Democratic governors say they’re the “best path forward” for a party now out of power in the nation’s capital, and the “last line of defense” as President-elect Trump returns to the White House. The Democrats lost the White House and the Senate majority, and failed to flip the House, in last month’s elections. But Democrats held the line in this year’s gubernatorial elections, and continue to hold 23 of the 50 governors’ offices. The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) highlights their governors “represent more than half of the U.S. population, including in five of the seven biggest presidential battlegrounds (AZ, MI, NC, PA and WI) as well as deep red states like Kansas and Kentucky.” DNC CHAIR FRONT-RUNNER OFFERS ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ ADVICE TO HIS PARTY “At a time when the Democratic Party is looking for the path back to victory, Democratic governors continue to win by earning the trust of voters by meeting them where they are on their biggest everyday challenges,” DGA executive director Meghan Meehan-Draper highlighted. And she emphasized that “who your governor is has never mattered more – and with Republicans in control of the federal government, there will be even higher stakes and more resources necessary for the 38 gubernatorial elections in 2025 and 2026, including the hard work already underway to flip Virginia and hold New Jersey in 2025.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON THE DEMOCRATS Democratic governors and state attorneys general played a high-profile role in pushing back via political and legal battles during Trump’s first term in the White House – and several are ready to reprise that role. Two of the most high-profile Democratic governors, California’s Gavin Newsom and Illinois’ JB Pritzker, have already begun to “Trump-proof” their solidly blue states. And Pritzker, along with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, last month launched a group called Governors Safeguarding Democracy, in order to resist the incoming Trump administration. Longtime Democratic strategist Maria Cardona pointed to her party’s governors as a “focus of progress and protection” with Trump returning to the White House. But Cardona, a Democratic National Committee member, said the governors will also “be the ones that are going to show Americans the path forward.” And they will also be some of the early high-profile potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Newsom, Pritzker, Polis, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, are among the names often mentioned as possible White House hopefuls in the next presidential election.
Can Indian billionaire Gautam Adani be tried in the US for India ‘crimes’?
It is a tumultuous time for Gautam Adani, the billionaire chairman of one of India’s biggest corporate conglomerates, the Adani Group, and one of the richest people in the world. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused Adani and others of conspiring to pay about $265m in bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts and develop India’s largest solar power plant project. US prosecutors unveiled in November an indictment of Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani and five others. The Adani Group has rejected these claims, calling them baseless. Amid all this, Adani remains defiant. “This is not the first time we have faced such challenges … every attack makes us stronger and every obstacle becomes a stepping stone,” Adani said on Sunday at an award ceremony he was attending in the western Indian city of Jaipur, his first public appearance after the indictment. The indictment and jurisdiction complexities A grand jury indictment means that an empanelled jury, and a judge, are convinced that there is enough evidence to merit a continuing investigation and to potentially move ahead to trial, Irfan Nooruddin, an authority on US SEC corruption cases, told Indian outlet The Print. However, the bar for a grand jury indictment is lower than the bar for a jury trial, he added. Advertisement The recent allegations also highlight jurisdictional complexities. Indian senior criminal lawyer Vikas Pahwa told Al Jazeera, “The Prevention of Corruption Act [PCA] mandates investigations into bribery involving Indian officials be conducted by Indian authorities like the CBI [Central Bureau of Investigation]. Trials, if any, would also fall under Indian jurisdiction.” However, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) governs acts of bribery involving US-linked entities, such as those using US financial systems or targeting American investors. Allegations against Adani and others include violations of anti-bribery provisions and misleading US investors during a $600m bond offering (which was withdrawn once the charges became public). While this establishes potential US jurisdiction, such cases must align with international legal principles and respect India’s sovereignty, pointed out Pahwa. Since both nations are signatories to mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs), they need to cooperate to ensure evidence adheres to international standards. “Adani’s defence may argue the lack of a direct US connection to the alleged acts and emphasise compliance with Indian anticorruption laws,” Pahwa added. Meaning, if an investigation in India clears Adani and his co-accused of these charges, that would work in their defence in the US, he said. In terms of next steps, the US needs to issue a formal extradition request to the Indian government to bring the accused to the US for a trial. Earlier this month New Delhi said it has not received any such request. There has been no update from the government since then. Advertisement For Adani to step forward with his defence, he will have to present his case in a court in the US. It’s unclear if he would do so. He will be entitled to a speedy trial within 70 days if he demands one in a US court. Niranjan Adhikari, managing lawyer at Washington-based Adhikari Law, says, “They can begin the trial in absentia and issue lookout notices to the defendants if they do not present themselves in a defined period of time”, which is set by a jury at the time of trial. US Attorney Breon Peace, who unveiled the charges, can issue international arrest warrants for Adani and his co-defendants. In case of any such lookout notice or international warrant, they could be arrested outside India (Interpol has no jurisdiction within India), curtailing their travel. Since India and the US have an extradition treaty, India is obligated to consider the request should it come. That process would be handled by a court in India, which would need to consider several factors including whether the crime he was charged with within the US is also a crime in India, whether the charges are politically motivated or whether he could face inhumane treatment in the US. However, extradition cases are often prolonged, and Adani could fight it. Adani is also perceived to be close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that relationship might help him clear these charges in India, critics say. For now, the government has chosen to distance itself and said “this is a legal matter involving private firms and individuals and the US Department of Justice. We are not part of it in any manner at this point of time,” India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told the media during a news briefing on November 29. Advertisement A jury of 12 would need to unanimously vote to convict Adani, and he could appeal a verdict against him. He could face decades in prison if convicted, but would probably receive far less time. He could also face financial penalties. Any sentence would ultimately be up to the judge overseeing the case. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump taps hawkish former Senator David Perdue as ambassador to China
US president-elect says ex-Georgia senator will help maintain a ‘productive working relationship with China’. United States President-elect Donald Trump has named former Georgia Senator David Perdue as his pick for ambassador to China, a post that will require navigating an increasingly tumultuous relationship between Washington and Beijing. “As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the US Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong, and worked in Asia and China for much of his career,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain peace in the region and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders,” Trump said. As a member of the Senate from 2015 to 2021, Perdue took a tough stance on China that has become a hallmark of the Republican Party. “America’s outdated view of China could result in lost opportunities, or even worse, dangerous miscalculations or complacency,” he wrote in a 2018 op-ed for Fox News alongside Republican Senators Steve Daines of Montana, Chuck Grassly of Iowa, and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Advertisement “We must have a long-term plan to compete and deal with China’s rising economic and geopolitical influence.” Perdue’s appointment will require the approval of the US Senate, but his confirmation is likely to proceed as Republicans hold a majority in the chamber. As ambassador, Perdue will face a challenging workload right out of the gate, as Trump appears set on steering the US into an all-out trade war with China. Trump has pledged to impose a 10 percent tariff on all Chinese goods when he takes office on January 20 in retaliation for Beijing’s failure to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the US. During his campaign, Trump also threatened to impose tariffs of 60 percent or more on all Chinese goods. Tensions are already mounting between the two countries. Earlier this week, the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden imposed its third round of export controls on semiconductors and related technology, curbing exports to 140 companies. Beijing in retaliation blocked exports of gallium, germanium, and antimony – materials that are critical to the semiconductor and defence industries. During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs on some $300bn of Chinese goods. Biden kept those tariffs in place and added his own on goods such as electric vehicles and solar cells. Trump on Friday also tapped tech investor David Sacks as his “crypto czar” to oversee artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy. “In this important role, David will guide policy for the administration in artificial Intelligence and cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Advertisement “David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas. He will safeguard free speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship. He will work on a legal framework so the crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the US.” The appointment is another win for the crypto industry, after Trump named Paul Atkins as his pick to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Atkins previously served as a SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under President George W. Bush and is known for his pro-crypto and pro-business stances. Adblock test (Why?)
World Bank announces record $100bn support for world’s poorest countries
International development organisation says sum will be deployed to support 78 countries that ‘need it most’. The World Bank has announced that it has raised close to $24bn to provide loans and grants for some of the world’s poorest nations, which it can leverage to generate a record $100bn in total spending power. Donor countries committed $23.7bn to replenish the bank’s concessional lending arm, known as the International Development Association (IDA), a World Bank spokesperson told the AFP news agency, marking a slight increase from the roughly $23.5bn pledged during the last fundraising round three years ago. The bank can use this money to borrow on financial markets, allowing it to leverage the amount raised by around four times, unlocking about $100bn in new loans and grants, up from $93bn in 2021. “We believe the historic success of this IDA21 replenishment is a vote of confidence and support from donors and clients,” a World Bank statement read, referring to the current IDA funding round. “This funding will be deployed to support the 78 countries that need it most,” World Bank President Ajay Banga said in a separate statement, referring to the developing countries that are eligible for IDA support. Advertisement It would, he added, help provide “resources to invest in health, education, infrastructure, and climate resilience,” as well as to help stabilise economies and create jobs. The World Bank’s announcement follows two days of talks in the South Korean capital, Seoul, a city still reeling after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday local time, before backtracking under pressure from lawmakers. IDA has become the single largest source of concessional, or below-market, climate finance, and about two-thirds of all IDA funding over the past decade has gone to support countries in Africa, according to the World Bank, an international development organisation owned by 187 countries. IDA replenishment is a crucial part of the bank’s operations, and happens once every three years, with much of the funding coming from the United States, Japan and several European countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and France. This year, the US announced ahead of time that it would commit a record $4bn in new funding to the IDA, while other countries – including Norway and Spain – also significantly stepped up their financial support. Thirty-five former recipients of IDA assistance have graduated from developing economy status in recent decades, including China, Turkey and South Korea, with many of them now donors to the fund. Adblock test (Why?)
Mahaparinirvan Diwas Today: Noida Police issues traffic advisory, check routes to avoid
The day marks the death anniversary of Bharat Ratna BR Ambedkar, observed as “Mahaparinirvan Diwas.”
Farmers’ March: Delhi Police on alert, security deployed at border points
Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since then.
Trump continues round of appointments with 3 new picks to top homeland security, immigration
President-elect Donald Trump has been aggressively rolling out his picks to serve in his Cabinet and other top roles. Thursday was no different as he focused on picks that would work hard to secure the border and carry out a mass deportation operation. Trump added nominees for homeland security and immigration, naming Rodney Scott as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Tony Salisbury to be Deputy Homeland Security Advisor (White House Homeland Security Council). RODNEY SCOTT Scott is a former Border Patrol chief who served as chief from 2020 until he was ousted by the Biden administration in mid-2021. Since then, he has been a fierce critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies and its handling of the crisis at the southern border. Before being chief, he had led the San Diego Sector, one of the most challenging sectors in the country. He has been highly critical of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and recently accused him of having “intentionally” opened the southern border. TRUMP CABINET NOMINEES, APPOINTEES TARGETED WITH ‘VIOLENT, UNAMERICAN THREATS’ “Rodney served nearly three decades in the Border Patrol, building vast experience and knowledge in Law Enforcement and Border Security. Rodney served as the 24th Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, where he implemented Remain-in-Mexico, Title 42, Safe Third Agreements, and achieved record low levels of illegal immigration,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social. “He began his career with the Border Patrol in 1992 at the Imperial Beach Station, San Diego Sector. Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, he served as an Anti-Terrorism Advisor to the CBP Commissioner, and later, as Deputy Executive Director of the CBP, Office of Anti-Terrorism.” CALEB VITELLO Vitello has served at the White House National Security Council as the Director for Interior Enforcement as well as serving as Unit Chief and Deputy Assistant Director of the National Fugitive Operations Program within ERO’s Enforcement Division. “A member of the Senior Executive Service, with over 23 years of service to ICE, Caleb currently serves as Assistant Director of the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs, where he oversees Agency-wide training, equipment, and policy to ensure Officer and Public Safety,” Trump said in a statement said in a post on Truth Social late Thursday. DEMOCRATS’ FUROR OVER ‘UNQUALIFIED’ TRUMP NOMINEES PUTS BIDEN’S STAFFING DECISIONS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT “Caleb led the Fugitive Operations Academy, served as Deputy Assistant Director, and directed the National Fugitive Operations Program, providing policy guidance, strategic planning, and operational oversight for efforts to locate, arrest, and remove at-large, dangerous criminals and illegal aliens from the U.S. As Chief of Staff for Enforcement and Removal Operations, he managed daily operations for an organization with a $4.7 Billion Dollar budget and 8,000 employees. At the White House National Security Council, Caleb led initiatives focused on child safety and national security threats.” TONY SALISBURY Salisbury currently serves as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami. He has served as the Acting Deputy Executive Associate Director (EAD) for the entire ICE/HSI workforce and previously held key leadership, field and headquarters assignments for ICE/HIS. Trump noted he was particularly successful at “all of HSI’s complex Federal Law Enforcement investigative programs related to National Security and smuggling violations, including counter-proliferation, financial crimes, commercial fraud, human trafficking, human smuggling, narcotics smuggling, transnational gangs, cyber-crimes, child exploitation, worksite enforcement and document and benefit fraud.” “Tony will bring his vast Law Enforcement, counter-narcotics, and counter-cartel experience to the White House where he will serve under Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor,” Trump said in a statement.
Weather Update: Delhi wakes up to chilly morning as temperature drops to…
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted the minimum temperature to drop to 6 degree Celsius by December 10.
School reopening news: Delhi schools to resume classes in physical mode after SC order on GRAP measures
The bench clarified that GRAP III should be implemented if the AQI surpasses 350, and GRAP IV must be imposed if it exceeds 400.