Hunter Biden biz associate Rob Walker to testify on being alleged ‘vehicle’ for Biden family’s foreign funds
Hunter Biden’s business associate Rob Walker is set to appear for a closed-door transcribed interview at the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees on Friday morning to discuss his role in being an alleged “vehicle” for the Biden family to receive foreign funds. Walker is set to appear at 10 a.m. on Capitol Hill after being subpoenaed by both House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan in November. His testimony comes as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. In notifying his attorney of his subpoena, Comer and Jordan explained that Walker set up his limited liability company, Robinson Walker LLC. The chairmen said it was “used as a vehicle to receive foreign funds and send a percentage of the money to Biden family members.” One example Comer and Jordan provided is when Joe Biden served as vice president, Robinson Walker LLC received millions of dollars from a company owned by Gabriel Popoviciu, a Romanian who was then the subject of a high-profile corruption prosecution in his home country. BIDEN FAMILY RECEIVED MORE THAN $1M FROM HUNTER ASSOCIATE AFTER 2017 CHINA WIRE: HOUSE OVERSIGHT “Following the receipt of this money, Robinson Walker sent over one million dollars to Biden family accounts, including those of Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden,” Comer and Jordan wrote. But Comer and Jordan flagged that those payments from Romania to Robinson Walker LLC started “within approximately five weeks of then-Vice President Biden meeting with the President of Romania, where, according to the official readout, the issue of corruption was discussed.” Comer and Jordan also note that Robinson Walker LLC received a payment of $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company, in February 2017, less than two months after Biden left the Obama administration. Comer and Jordan said that in the three months following that payment, Robinson Walker LLC made “incremental payments totaling over one million dollars to Biden family members and their companies, including Hallie Biden and entities associated with Hunter Biden and James Biden.” According to an FBI FD-302 form detailing Walker’s 2021 interview with Special Counsel David Weiss’ team and obtained by the House Ways and Means Committee, Walker said the “$3 million amount was more of a ‘thank you’ from CEFC.” Walker said “they talked of putting together a larger group and discussed acquiring office space.” Fox News Digital in December 2020 reported that Hunter Biden, his CEFC associate, Gongwen Dong, and Joe Biden shared office space in Washington, D.C., in September 2017. 6 ADDITIONAL BIDEN FAMILY MEMBERS ‘MAY HAVE BENEFITED’ FROM HUNTER BUSINESS DEALINGS Comer and Jordan have said that evidence collected by congressional investigators reveal that President Biden “was at least aware of some of his family’s business ventures and sought to influence potential business deals that financially benefited his family.” “Indeed, a Biden business associate, Devon Archer, testified how the Biden “brand” was used in retaining business, and that Joe Biden met with some of the foreign nationals who paid his family,” Comer and Jordan wrote to Walker’s attorney. Comer and Jordan said Walker may be able to provide evidence relevant to the impeachment inquiry, saying that Walker “played a key role in the Biden family’s business dealings and the chain of complex financial transactions that was used to hide the foreign sources of the funds received by the Biden family.” HOUSE OVERSIGHT SUBPOENAS HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN, ROB WALKER FOR TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY They said Walker could provide information related to whether, among other things, Joe Biden, as vice president and/or president “took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family, including whether concerns that Chinese sources may release additional evidence about their business relationships with the Biden family have had any impact on official acts performed by President Biden or U.S. foreign policy; abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him.” Meanwhile, a former Hunter Biden business associate told Fox News Digital that Walker is a “good guy” but just got “tied up in the House of Biden dumpster fire.” Walker’s transcribed interview is expected to take place a day after Hunter Biden’s business associate, Mervyn Yan, appeared for testimony and weeks before Hunter Biden appears for his deposition. Yan worked with Hunter in deals related to Chinese energy company CEFC. Hunter Biden defied his subpoena to appear for a deposition on Dec. 13 and was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress. His attorneys and the committees came to an agreement last week that the first son will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28.
Kentucky House passes ‘three-strikes’ violent crime bill: ‘Reasserting some basic and simple truths’
Kentucky lawmakers advanced a sweeping crime bill that would require tougher sentences for many offenses, including a “three-strikes” penalty that would put felons behind bars for life after committing their third violent act. House Bill 5, whose lead sponsor is Republican Rep. Jared Bauman, passed by a 74-22 vote on Thursday and now heads to the GOP-led Senate. “With this bill, House Bill 5, we are reasserting some basic and simple truths,” Bauman said. “That there is a right and wrong, and that criminals are accountable for their actions, not society. And that society has the right to protect itself from the criminal element.” While the bill suggests imposing harsher penalties for a handful of crimes from vandalism to attempted murder, the key component is the “three-strikes” provision, since it would place those who have committed their third violent felony in jail permanently. REPUBLICAN-LED KENTUCKY HOUSE PANEL APPROVES ‘THREE-STRIKES’ ANTI-CRIME BILL “If someone has committed three violent crimes and they’re incarcerated and can’t get back out, they’re not going to commit another violent crime,” Rep. John Blanton said. “That’s a fact.” Other key elements of the bill include: limiting bail payments by charitable bail organizations, cracking down on fentanyl distribution that results in a death, designating the murder of a first responder in the line of duty as a crime punishable by death, and requiring those convicted of carjacking to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being released on probation or parole. Early release would also be prevented for offenders who possessed a firearm as a convicted felon or while on probation or parole, or if they knew the firearm was stolen; and tougher sentences would be imposed on adults who use minors as criminal accomplices. CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT FRUSTRATED BY RISING THEFT ADMITS LIBERAL CRIME BILL WAS ‘BIG MISTAKE’ Under the measure, employees and business owners would be offered criminal immunity in cases where they had to use a “reasonable amount of force” against thieves or in protection of themselves or the business. The bill also aims to ban street camping and allows local governments to designate temporary camping locations for those who are homeless. House representatives debated the bill for about three hours, according to The Associated Press. Supporters described it as an overdue policy shift that focuses on holding criminals accountable for their actions, while opponents claimed it would put more people behind bars and cause additional unknown costs. Opponents also said the bill overreaches and doesn’t address what leads people to commit crimes. “We do have about 20 different bills that have been crammed into one,” Democratic Rep. Sarah Stalker said. “Why we’re doing a rinse and repeat of this failed attempt from the ’90s is unclear to me.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
‘PM Modi behaving like puppet in hands of…’: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge
The Congress party has fought for the freedom of the country, the AICC chief said, but the BJP is claiming to be the ”only saviours” of this country. They speak about patriotism and are projecting to the youth that only they are true patriots, and the rest are traitors.
‘Maharashtra has emerged as…’: CM Eknath Shinde makes big statement
Eknath Shinde said his government is inclusive and will contribute $1 trillion towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of making India a 5 trillion dollar economy.
Padma Awards 2024: Complete list of Padma Shri awardees
The Centre unveiled the names of 34 unsung heroes who will receive the coveted Padma awards on Thursday
Mali’s military rulers scrap peace deal with separatist rebels
Military leaders say Algiers Accord cancelled with ‘immediate effect’ due to signatories not upholding commitments. Mali’s military rulers have announced the cancellation of a 2015 peace deal with separatist rebels after months of fighting in the West African nation. Military authorities said late on Thursday that the so-called Algiers Accord had ended with “immediate effect” due to other signatories not keeping their commitments and hostility by chief mediator Algeria. In a speech broadcast on state television, the military government spokesperson Colonel Abdoulaye Maiga said there had been an “increasing number of unfriendly acts, instances of hostility and interference in Mali’s internal affairs” by Algiers. Algeria had led efforts to restore peace to Mali after the signing of the so-called Algiers Accord between Bamako and armed groups predominantly made up of the semi-nomadic Tuareg ethnic group. Last month, Mali summoned the Algerian ambassador over “interference” and “unfriendly acts” related to claims the envoy held talks with Tuareg separatists without involving Bamako. The rebel alliance group CMA said it was not surprised by the decision. “We have been expecting it since they brought in Wagner, chased out MINUSMA [the UN peacekeeping group] and started hostilities by attacking our positions on the ground,” CMA spokesperson Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. “We knew that the aim was to terminate the agreement.” The Algiers Accord began to fray in August as fighting between separatists and government troops escalated amid the gradual winding down of a 10-year UN peace mission in the country. In June, Mali’s military government, which seized power in 2020, demanded the departure of the UN mission despite suffering frequent attacks by armed groups in the Sahel region. Since the coup, Mali’s military leaders have severed ties with former colonial power France, while seeking closer relations with Russia and the private army Wagner Group. Mali has been racked by violence since 2012 when Islamist armed groups seized on a Tuareg uprising driven by accusations of government neglect and demands for greater autonomy. Adblock test (Why?)
Abolish borders activist says she met with Biden administration ICE chief
An activist who carries the hashtag “Abolish Borders” on her Twitter profile said she had met with the acting chief of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday. “Yesterday I met with ICE’s new Chief of Staff [Michael Lumpkin] to make clear our demands for a world without ICE detention and a future where all people are able to live freely with the support of their community and loved ones, not behind bars as they navigate their immigration cases,” wrote Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director of Detention Watch Network. According to its website, Detention Watch Network describes itself as a “national coalition building power through collective advocacy, grassroots organizing, and strategic communications to abolish immigration detention in the United States.” TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON SAYS STATE WON’T COMPLY WITH BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ORDER TO REOPEN PARK TO FEDERAL AGENTS In a Twitter thread, Ghandehari called on the Biden administration to shut down detention centers like Torrane, Winn & Adelanto “that have exemplified an entirely unrepairable [sic] and unnecessary detention system that must be abolished completely.” She accused the president of reneging on his promises for a “humane immigration system.” Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE and Ghandehari seeking details on the outcome of the meeting. The meeting came as negotiators finalized a portion of the bipartisan border deal and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee to see how the new policies would be funded. But the anticipated cost surpasses the allocated $14 billion from President Biden’s national security supplemental request for the border, lawmakers said. Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Harry Connick Sr, longtime New Orleans DA and singer’s dad, dead at 97
Harry Connick Sr., the longtime New Orleans district attorney, and father to two, including musician and Harry Connick Jr., has passed away at the age of 97. The younger Connick’s publicist confirmed the elder Connick’s death to Fox News Digital Thursday, saying that he died peacefully at his New Orleans with his children and wife by his side. A cause of death was not provided. Born in Mobile, Alabama, in 1926, Connick grew up with seven siblings. He lived through the tough years of the depression and joined the Navy in 1945, serving in the South Pacific during World War II. Connick ran for the office of District Attorney of Orleans Parish in 1969, but lost to Jim Garrison. He ran again four years later and dethroned the incumbent prosecutor. LATE SEN. HERB KOHL MEMORALIZED AS PROUD WISCONSINITE, DIEHARD BUCKS FAN He won re-election four times, a white politician who successfully built biracial support as the city’s political power base shifted to African Americans. Connick remained undefeated, but in retirement he was dogged by questions about whether his office withheld evidence that favored defendants. The issue came to the forefront with a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a lawsuit filed by John Thompson, who was exonerated after 14 years on Louisiana’s death row for a killing he didn’t commit. A lifelong music fan, he took up singing in the early 1990s and became a regular performer at nightclubs in New Orleans and across the state, in addition to many successful guest appearances with his son. His son’s publicist said Connick “will be deeply missed, but all who knew him were well aware that his greatest desire was to spend eternity with God in heaven.”
Families of Israeli captives deny leaking Netanyahu Qatar tape
In leaked audio, Israeli PM is heard criticising Doha in its role in negotiating the release of captives held by Hamas. Families of Israelis held captive in Gaza have said denied they were behind the leak of audio in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Qatar’s role in talks with Hamas over the release of the captives. “All conversations that take place in meetings with the Prime Minister are recorded by his office and his associates present at the meeting,” Haim Rubinstein, a spokesperson for the families, said on Thursday in a statement cited on Israeli media. “The families participating in the meeting had their phones taken at the entrance,” he said, adding that the leak was a “grave issue that indicates a loss of control”. His comment came a day after the prime minister’s office blamed one of the family members for the leak. Israeli media outlet Walla on Thurdsay reported that the prime minister’s office doubled down on blaming the families, saying that it has evidence in the form of a text message from one of their members present at the meeting. “The girl next to me had a phone, it’s a shame I didn’t tip her off,” the message reads, according to Walla. In the audio that triggered the controversy, which was aired on Tuesday by Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu is heard saying that Qatar’s involvement in the release of captives was “problematic”. He also blamed Qatar for financing Hamas and said he was upset at a decision by the United States to extend the presence of a military base in the Gulf state. Majed Al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry, responded to the remarks saying he was “appalled”. About 240 people were taken captive by Hamas fighters as they launched an unprecedented attack into southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on Israeli statistics. Israel responded with a devastating bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, which has displaced more than 80 percent of the population and reduced much of the territory to rubble. Palestinian officials say at least 25,700 people have been killed and more than 63,000 wounded in the Israeli assault. Following lengthy negotiations led by Qatar and the US, more than 100 of those captured were freed in late November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails as Israel and Hamas observed a weeklong truce. The Gulf state remains involved in talks aimed at securing a new deal for the release of roughly 130 captives still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. Al-Ansari said Netanyahu’s leaked comments were detrimental to those efforts. “If the reported remarks are found to be true, the Israeli prime minister would only be obstructing and undermining the mediation process, for reasons that appear to serve his political career instead of prioritising saving innocent lives, including Israeli hostages,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 702
As the war enters its 702nd day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, January 26, 2024. Ilyushin-76 plane crash Russia and Ukraine traded accusations on the circumstances surrounding the crash of a Russian military transport plane over the southern region of Belgorod. Russia claimed Ukraine shot down the Ilyushin-76, which it said was carrying dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) as well as nine Russians, and Kyiv had been given 15 minutes’ notice of the flight. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which opened a “terrorism” investigation, said it had recovered the plane’s flight recorders and released a 39-second video of the scene that mainly showed aerial shots of a large blackened stretch in a snow-covered field with some damaged trees. The video also showed one block of twisted metal and wires, a hand and an arm. Ukraine said there had been no Russian request for secure airspace in the area where the plane crashed. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said that a list of the supposed POWs on board being circulated in Russian media included discrepancies and soldiers who returned home in earlier exchanges. He demanded that international experts from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be given access to the site. Kyiv opened a criminal investigation into the crash. The crash site of the Russian Ilyushin-76 military transport plane near the village of Yablonovo in Russia’s Belgorod region [Russian Investigative Committee/Handout via Reuters] The UN Security Council met at Russia’s request to discuss the crash. UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo told the council the UN was not in a position to verify the circumstances of what had happened. “What is clear is that the incident took place in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war,” she said. “To avoid further escalation, we urge all concerned to refrain from actions, rhetoric or allegations that could further fuel the already dangerous conflict.” Fighting Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 14 attack drones and five missiles on the southern Black Sea regions with air defence systems destroying 11 of the drones. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine said six people were injured in the historic city of Odesa and residential buildings and a warehouse were damaged. Ukrainian security sources said they orchestrated a drone attack on an oil refinery in the southern Russian town of Tuapse, about 240 kilometres (150 miles) southeast of the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. The attack caused a major fire, but there were no reports of casualties. Nepal’s Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud told the Associated Press news agency that Nepal had asked Russia to send back hundreds of Nepali nationals who had been recruited to fight against Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of those who had died in the conflict. The Russian army is estimated to have recruited more than 200 Nepali nationals to fight in Ukraine and at least 14 have died there, Saud said. Ukraine’s National Resistance Centre said it had seen “mercenaries from Malaysia, accompanied by a translator” at Russian military training camps in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region. It warned that anyone fighting alongside the Russians against Ukraine was a “military target”. Malaysia did not respond to requests for more information on the alleged presence of Malaysian nationals. Several major Ukrainian state organisations, including the state-run energy firm Naftogaz, the post office and transport safety agency, reported major cyber attacks that a source close to the government blamed on Russian intelligence. Politics and diplomacy A court in St Petersburg jailed antiwar activist Darya Trepova for 27 years after finding her guilty of “terrorism” in the killing of a prominent ultra-nationalist blogger Vladlen Tatarsky last year that Russia said was orchestrated by Ukraine. Trepova told the court she thought the package she gave Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, contained a covert listening device and did not realise it was rigged with explosives. A Moscow court jailed prominent nationalist and former rebel commander Igor Girkin for four years for “inciting extremism”. Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, has repeatedly criticised the Kremlin for its war strategy in Ukraine. Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was concerned that Ukrainian journalists investigating corruption were coming under increasing pressure, noting recent acts of intimidation against Yuriy Nikolov, Iryna Hryb and the staff of Bihus.info. Weapons The White House urged senators in the United States to reach a deal linking vital military assistance for Ukraine to US border security, after reports that former President Donald Trump, who is seeking reelection, was trying to torpedo any agreement in an attempt to deprive US President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term, of a political victory. Adblock test (Why?)