Andrew Yang endorses Democrat Dean Phillips for president, knocks Biden’s age: ‘Reinvent grandpa’
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., gained the endorsement of former 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang on Thursday, who told voters in New Hampshire it was time to upgrade from the predicted Biden vs. Trump rematch that “no one wants.” Phillips, who is considered to be a moderate Minnesotan, is a long shot to lead the Democratic presidential ticket, but he and Yang were campaigning in the Granite State ahead of the primary on Jan. 23. The two men attended an event together at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire on Thursday afternoon, with Yang introducing the Democratic candidate. Yang spoke about other Democratic leaders like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker who have not thrown their names into the ring for president because President Biden is seeking reelection. BIDEN CHALLENGER DEAN PHILLIPS WIPES REFERENCE TO ‘DEI’ FROM CAMPAIGN WEBSITE “If you want to run for president, your time is right now. In this time of need, only one person decided to place his country above his professional aspirations,” Yang said. “That is the man I am proud to endorse tonight as the next President of the United States… Dean Phillips.” Yang told the crowd at Dartmouth that he spent time in New Hampshire four years ago, campaigning for President Biden, but noted the last four years have not been great. He said if they had been great, he may not have been with them on Thursday night, endorsing Phillips. “He is a substantial, accomplished president. I campaigned for him in 2020. I endorsed him,” Yang said of Biden. “He’s a good man, a true public servant and a great American. He was the right candidate four years ago. He is not the right candidate for 2024.” DEAN PHILLIPS SAYS HE HAD A ‘VERY DIFFICULT EPISODE’ WITH FRIEND RASHIDA TLAIB OVER ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST The former presidential candidate said when Biden campaigned in 2020, he said he was running to be the bridge to the next generation. Yang said the U.S. needs Biden to be that bridge to the next generation, pointing to the president’s low approval rating and not being the top candidate in several swing states he won in 2020. “Essentially, you can take his numbers for 2020 and subtract eight from them, and that’s where he is right now,” Yang said, reminding the attendees he is the “math guy.” Yang also pointed to Biden’s age, explaining that at 81 years old, it will be tough to “reinvent grandpa.” DEMOCRAT DEAN PHILLIPS ATTACKS BIDEN FOR TRYING TO UPEND TRADITIONAL PRIMARY ELECTION PROCESS He said campaigning is tough because of things like traveling, rallying, meeting new voters, and doing friendly interviews, especially for the 81-year-old president. “All of it is going to be tougher for Joe Biden this cycle than it needs to be for the person who’s going to take on Donald Trump,” Yang said. “…poll after poll shows Joe Biden losing to Donald Trump by two or three or four points more in the swing states. The same polls find Donald Trump losing to a generic Democrat. You put another Democrat in there and all of a sudden people are like, wait, I don’t like Trump. Who’s this other person?” Yang continued, and said Biden has been a great leader, though he should not run for reelection in 2024. Yang said many Democrats feel the same way, yet nobody wants to step up. “The notion of challenging Joe Biden, that is the culture of conformity and careerism that is going to lead us again to this Trump return that so many of us find unfathomable,” Yang said. “[Dean Phillips] is not beholden to the special interests that have grown to dominate our politics. He is the man for this moment. He is what most Americans, certainly the independents who decide our elections actually want in a candidate. And most of all, he will win.”
Palestine boost Asian Cup knockout hopes after draw with UAE
Al Wakrah, Qatar – It was a night to remember at Al Janoub Stadium – a night that belonged to Palestine irrespective of the result on the pitch. The crowd’s noise, flags and numbers all were in the favour of the team that came into the match with an AFC Asian Cup 2023 loss to its name and a relentless war on its people. The unrestrained show of love and support for the war-struck nation began before kickoff, increased as the night wore on and quietened down only when the last set of fans had left the stadium at the end of Palestine’s Group C match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Al Wakrah on Thursday night. Chants of “Free, free Palestine” went up in a crescendo when the players walked out of the tunnel and onto the pitch. The Palestinian players acknowledged the crowd with waves and applause before gathering in a huddle. “The players will feel a sense of responsibility tonight – they must be aware that they are carrying the hopes of a nation under war,” Mariana al-Hindi, a Palestinian resident of Qatar, told Al Jazeera ahead of kickoff. “They will want to put a smile on everyone’s face by doing well tonight,” she said as she approached the turnstiles with her husband and daughter. “As Palestinians, we are happy to see our country represented and recognised at a big event, but at the same time, we are heartbroken about the situation in Gaza,” Abdullah, her husband, said. Mariana al-Hindi, Abdullah and their daughter outside the stadium [Hafsa Adil/Al Jazeera] Once the match kicked off, the men in red were willed on by a roaring crowd. Every touch of the ball by a Palestinian player was cheered and every time the UAE held possession the unabashedly partisan crowd loudly booed. Palestine enjoyed some early possession, but the UAE soon settled into a rhythm and began attacking the Palestinian goal. Their efforts bore fruit in the 23rd minute when Sultan Adil scored from a free header. The stadium fell silent for a moment until a small contingent of Emirati fans began singing. Sultan Adil celebrates scoring for the UAE [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Not to be deterred, the rest of the crowd picked up again and urged the Palestinian team to push for a goal and when Oday Dabbagh was hauled down in UAE’s box 12 minutes later, the crowd jumped up and pointed to the penalty spot. The referee’s dismissal of the appeals was not taken well by the crowd, who willed him on to run a VAR check. When a penalty was subsequently awarded to Palestine and Khalifa al-Hammadi was shown a red card, the stadium stood up to applaud the decision. Tamer Sayem failed to convert from the spot and the first half ended with UAE still in the lead. There was no let up in cheering during half-time, especially when the intro to the song Dammi Filastini (My Blood is Palestinian) blared from the PA. The crowd was up on its dancing feet and singing along to the chorus – they were all Palestinian for one night. Palestine fans at Al Janoub Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] When play resumed, Palestine looked to take control of the proceedings with early pressure and it bore fruit as the UAE scored an own goal in the 48th minute. Palestine didn’t care how the goal came – they ran around the pitch in delight. In the stands, it was pandemonium. Children jumped on the seats, women hugged each other and men let the tears flow when the ball went in. “These players have been through a lot, all Palestinians have been through a lot, so this was a very special moment,” Yassine Abdullah, a Palestinian student, said moments after the goal. “Everyone saw what hard work, inspiration and support did for Morocco at the World Cup. We are hoping this match can do the same for our team,” he said as Palestine pressed for a second goal. “We could be the Morocco of this tournament.” Palestine equalise through an own goal [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera] Despite their relentless attacks, the 10-man UAE team kept Palestine at bay and held on for a 1-1 draw. At the full-time whistle, the Palestinian players walked around the pitch to applaud their supporters for the electric atmosphere that kept them going all the way until the end. Assad Qusais, who watched the match with his family, said the men in red may have done just enough to keep some hope alive. “It depends on they play against Hong Kong [in the last group match] but we could still make it as one of the best third-placed teams,” he said with a shrug. Abdullah, who compared the support enjoyed by Palestine to the backing Morocco enjoyed at the World Cup, said he would love it if his team replicated a similar run. The continental tournament and the match may not carry the weight of a World Cup, but the night meant the world to the passionate Palestinian supporters. Adblock test (Why?)
At least 10 civilians dead in suspected Jordanian air raids in Syria
An estimated 10 civilians have been killed in air strikes targeting the neighbouring towns of Arman and Malh in the southeast Syrian province of Sweida, according to local media. Jordanian forces are believed to be behind Thursday’s attacks, though its government has yet to confirm any involvement. Sweida 24, a news platform based in its namesake city, said warplanes carried out simultaneous strikes on residential neighbourhoods after midnight local time (21:00 GMT). The attack in Malh caused material damage to some houses. The second strike in Arman, however, collapsed two houses and killed at least 10 civilians, including four women and two girls, both under the age of five. Jordan is thought to have carried out previous raids in Syria, mostly near the countries’ shared border, in an effort to disrupt weapons smuggling and drug-trafficking operations. The news outlet Suwayda shared this image on social media of the wreckage following a suspected Jordanian air raid on January 18 [Suwayda 24 via Reuters] But inhabitants of the towns struck on Thursday questioned the choice of targets. “What happened was a massacre against children and women,” Murad al-Abdullah, a resident of Arman, told Al Jazeera. “The air strikes that targeted the villages are far from being identified as fighting drug traffickers.” Al-Abdullah said the bombing was not limited to houses of people suspected to be involved in drug trafficking. He noted other homes were damaged as well, terrorising villagers while they were asleep and causing needless civilian deaths. “It is unreasonable for two girls who are no more than five years old to be involved in drug trafficking,” al-Abdullah said. Tribes and residents of the villages near the Jordanian border issued separate statements this week disavowing any involvement in drug smuggling. The statements also pledged to lend a hand to Jordan to eliminate criminal networks trafficking narcotics and other drugs across the border. In turn, they asked Jordan to suspend its bombings of civilian sites. The spiritual leader of the Druze religious group in Syria, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajri, appealed to Jordan to prevent further civilian bloodshed. “The attacks should be heavily focused towards the smugglers and their supporters exclusively,” al-Hajri said in a public statement. Al-Abdullah, the Arman resident, also called on Jordan to collaborate with Syrian locals to stop the trafficking operations. “We are a society that does not accept the manufacture or trade of drugs, and the Jordanian government should have communicated with our elders to cooperate in combating drug traffickers, instead of bombing residential neighbourhoods,” al-Abdullah said. Suspected attacks aimed at drug-trafficking operations Thursday’s attack is believed to be the third time this year that Jordanian planes have carried out air raids on Syrian territory. A previous attack occurred on January 9, resulting in the deaths of three people in the countryside of Sweida, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based rights monitor. The Observatory said that five smugglers were also killed in a border attack on January 7. Fighting that day took place sporadically over 10 hours. By the end of the raid, Jordanian forces had arrested 15 suspects. They also claimed to have recovered 627,000 pills of Captagon, an illicitly manufactured amphetamine, and 3.4kg of cannabis. “What Jordan is doing can certainly delay drug-smuggling operations but unfortunately, cannot stop them completely. The border with Syria is 375km (233 miles) long, and smuggling operations are carried out by professional groups, not some random individuals carrying out bags of drugs to cross the border,” said Essam al-Zoubi, a lawyer and human rights activist. Drug enforcement officials in the United States and other Western countries have said that war-torn Syria has become a major hub in the Middle East for the drug trade. The country, for instance, has become the primary manufacturer for Captagon, a multibillion-dollar business. Experts have said smugglers are using Jordan as a route through which Syrian drugs can reach the oil-rich Gulf states. A Syrian soldier arranges packets of Captagon pills in Damascus, Syria, on November 30, 2021 [File: SANA via AP Photo] Al-Zoubi and other human rights advocates have warned the Syrian government itself is involved in the drug trade, in an effort to shore up its war-drained finances. Reports indicated that the Fourth Armoured Division of the Syrian Army has played a role in overseeing the country’s drug operations, alongside the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government. “The officials responsible for drug smuggling in Syria are Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Fourth Division, and the security apparatuses of the Syrian regime that control southern Syria,” al-Zoubi said. Jordan and its allies have also taken other approaches to stopping the drug trade. In March last year, for instance, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on six people, including two relatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, for their role in producing and trafficking Captagon. Some of those sanctioned had ties to Hezbollah as well. But al-Zoubi warns that even targeted attacks on Syrian drug dealers will not be enough to stop the trade. “It does not matter to the drug officials from Hezbollah or the Fourth Division if traders are killed, as the trades themselves will continue regardless of the people,” al-Zoubi said, pointing to an example in May 2023. Jordanian soldiers patrol the Jordan-Syria border in 2022, as the country seeks to crack down on drug smuggling [File: Raad Adayleh/AP Photo] Jordanian planes, at the time, had carried out air raids in the Sweida countryside, targeting the house of one of the most famous drug traffickers in Syria, Marai al-Ramthan. He was ultimately killed in the attack. But, al-Zoubi said, his death “did not limit drug trafficking but, in fact, increased it”. Other smugglers used his demise as an opportunity to expand their trade in his absence. Omar Idlibi, director of the Doha office at the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies, said that geopolitical turmoil in the region has also allowed trafficking to flourish. “Drug-smuggling operations to Jordan did not exist before 2018, that is, before
‘So sad and scared’: Asylum fears mount as White House hints at border deal
Washington, DC – The White House has upped pressure on members of the United States Congress as it seeks a deal that could see aid for Ukraine approved in exchange for possible asylum restrictions. Ornela Medom, a 28-year-old who fled war-torn Cameroon, is among those currently seeking asylum in the US. At a “Save Asylum” demonstration outside the Capitol, she told Al Jazeera she is horrified by what a new immigration deal could bring. “I’m so sad and I’m so scared,” Medom said on Thursday, only a day after Republican and Democratic senators said a vote on a deal could be imminent. Also on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Republicans in the House of Representatives may take an even harder line on access at the US-Mexico border. “Our lives depend on these secret negotiations that are ongoing,” said Medom, who arrived in the US through the southern border in April. “I am pleading for them to think about us”. A slate of progressive and Hispanic legislators also attended Thursday’s news conference, appealing to Democrats not to accept major changes to US border law as part of any deal. Ornela Medom, an asylum seeker from Cameroon, addresses a news conference at the US Capitol [Joseph Stepansky/Al Jazeera] For months, the White House has sought continued aid to Ukraine, pushing for a $110bn package which would also include military funds for Israel and Taiwan, as well as other security spending. But Republicans have premised further Ukraine aid on changes to stem the flow of migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border. Democratic leaders like President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have signalled a willingness to compromise. Biden “wants to make really significant change on the border”, Schumer said on Wednesday. Asylum rights advocates, however, have described a potential deal as “extortion” and “hostage-taking”. “Republicans are holding foreign aid hostage to extract extreme immigration measures that will not solve the problem,” Representative Nanette Diaz Barragan, a Democrat and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told reporters on Thursday. The terms of the deal have not yet been made public. But Diaz Barragan said they are expected to include “expanded enforcement, deportations, changes to make it harder to get asylum, and possibly limits to the president’s parole authority”. “It’s gutting asylum, and it’s going to terrorise our communities.” Negotiations ongoing On Wednesday, Biden summoned a group of Democratic and Republican members of Congress to the White House in hopes of bringing negotiations closer to a conclusion. He told those assembled that they needed to “send a strong signal of US resolve” on Ukraine, the White House said in a statement. “He was clear: Congress’s continued failure to act endangers the United States’ national security, the NATO alliance and the rest of the free world,” the statement said. Schumer told reporters afterwards, “I am more optimistic than ever before that we come to an agreement.” Referencing the anticipated deal, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he was “anticipating that it’ll be before us next week”. Meanwhile, Speaker Johnson underscored that House Republicans, who have a majority in the lower chamber, would not support any deal unless it included “meaningful” new border restrictions. He pointed to a hardline immigration bill passed by the House in May, which included a ban on claiming asylum for those who cross the border irregularly and the resumption of a policy that required asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for their claims to be processed. “I told the president what I had been saying for many months, and that is that we must have change at the border, substantive policy change,” Johnson told reporters. “We must insist — must insist — that the border be the top priority.” Speaking on Thursday, Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the entire premise of the deal must be rejected. She warned that the bipartisan efforts could herald historically “cruel, unworkable and permanent policy changes on immigration”. “It’s imperative that my Senate colleagues and the White House understand what is on the table are policies that are so extreme that, if enacted, they would be the most exclusionary, restrictive immigration legislation since the racial quota laws of the 1920s, literally turning back the clock 100 years,” she said, referencing laws that had set immigration quotas based on nationality, excluding some altogether. ‘What will Republicans ask for the next time?’ Immigration legislation is rarely passed on the federal level in the US, where matters of migration and asylum remain a political third rail. Instead, most recent immigration policy has been set by presidential administrations through executive actions and rules. Those are more vulnerable to court challenges than measures passed as law. That makes the stakes of a congressional deal high. US media has reported that Senate and White House negotiators have broadly agreed in closed-door meetings to several policies reminiscent of those enacted under former President Donald Trump. Those include making eligibility standards higher for people claiming asylum after crossing into the US irregularly, expanding the categories of arrivals who can be detained and monitored, and making it easier to expel migrants and asylum seekers. The Associated Press also reported that one proposal under discussion would have simplified the process for deporting migrants across the country who have been in the US for fewer than two years. It is unclear whether that measure is still on the table, though. Meanwhile, a key sticking point has been attempts to limit the White House’s ability to issue humanitarian parole, which can be used to grant access to migrants on an emergency basis. That power has been a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s most recent border strategy, which limits the ability to claim asylum at the southern border while broadening some legal pathways. “Parole has a really long and bipartisan history of being used to provide safety to Vietnamese allies who worked with the US government, to Soviet Jewish refugees, to Cambodians fleeing the Khmer Rouge, to Cuban political
Money flows into Texas House GOP primary battles this season
Impeachment and school vouchers are animating the races as Speaker Dade Phelan tries to protect incumbents.
Houston congressional candidate accused by former staff of sexual misconduct and using Israel conflict as political cover
The Democrat running against incumbent U.S. Rep Lizzie Fletcher for District 7 has lost endorsements and staff following a lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct.
Uvalde victims’ families get an official acknowledgement of botched shooting response — but some want criminal charges
Some relatives of the 21 people killed in Texas’ deadliest school shooting are demanding criminal charges after federal officials say delayed police response cost lives.
White House stands by statements regarding migrant drownings as Texas slams ‘vile’ narrative
The White House is standing by prior statements relating to the drowning of three migrants in the Rio Grande, which it had initially linked to a blockade of the area by Texas. Texas accuses the White House of pushing a “vile” narrative that is “completely inaccurate.” Both the White House and the Department of Homeland Security took aim at Texas after the deaths of the three migrants, including two children, in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass last week. Texas had seized the area, and the administration said it was refusing to grant Border Patrol access. “Tragically, a woman and two children drowned last night in the Shelby Park area of Eagle Pass, which was commandeered by the State of Texas earlier this week,” DHS said in a statement Saturday evening. “In responding to a distress call from the Mexican government, Border Patrol agents were physically barred by Texas officials from entering the area.” BIDEN ADMIN ADMITS MIGRANT DROWNINGS OCCURRED BEFORE BORDER PATROL ALERTED TEXAS OFFICIALS That statement added Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s policies are “cruel, dangerous and inhumane, and Texas’s blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks.” The White House had been similarly critical over the deaths Saturday evening. “On Friday night, a woman and two children drowned near Eagle Pass, and Texas officials blocked U.S. Border Patrol from attempting to provide emergency assistance. While we continue to gather facts about the circumstances of these tragic deaths, one thing is clear: Governor Abbott’s political stunts are cruel, inhumane and dangerous. U.S. Border Patrol must have access to the border to enforce our laws.” The Texas Military Department later released a statement saying it had conducted an investigation and called the White House statements “wholly inaccurate.” “At the time that Border Patrol requested access, the drownings had occurred, Mexican authorities were recovering the bodies and Border Patrol expressed these facts to the TMD personnel on site,” it said. Then this week, in a court filing as part of ongoing litigation, the DOJ agreed with that version of events, saying that Mexican officials had advised Border Patrol at 9 p.m. local time that the migrants had drowned at 8 p.m but adding that there were an additional two migrants “in distress” on the U.S. side of the border. DOJ RENEWS SCOTUS PUSH TO ACT AFTER TEXAS SEIZES BORDER AREAS, BLOCKS BORDER PATROL FROM ENTERING The filing repeats the claim that Border Patrol was not allowed to enter the area “even in emergency situations.” The two additional migrants, who were suffering from hypothermia, were later rescued by Mexican officials. The DOJ suggested it may have been able to spot the migrants if it had access to the area. “It is impossible to say what might have happened if Border Patrol had had its former access to the area, including through its surveillance trucks that assisted in monitoring the area,” the agency said. “At the very least, however, Border Patrol would have had the opportunity to take any available steps to fulfill its responsibilities and assist its counterparts in the Mexican government with undertaking the rescue mission. Texas made that impossible.” The filing immediately drew accusations from Texas that the Biden administration had incorrectly blamed the state for the deaths. But the White House denied that. WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES ABBOTT OF TRYING TO ‘POLITICIZE THE BORDER’ AFTER TEXAS SEIZES PARK ALONG RIO GRANDE “They drowned near Eagle Pass … and that Texas officials blocked Border Patrol from accessing the area. That’s what was happening at that time,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a White House press briefing Wednesday. “Our statement is consistent with DOJ’s filing,” she said. “As the DOJ filing said, there was an ongoing emergency situation that Border Patrol was blocked from accessing. There were other migrants in the water as well.” That assessment was shared by a DHS spokesperson. “This filing confirms what we said over the weekend. Texas’ blatant disregard for federal authority over immigration poses grave risks, and the State of Texas should stop interfering with the U.S. Border Patrol’s enforcement of U.S. law,” the spokesperson said. But Texas hit back. Attorney General Ken Paxton accused the administration of pushing a debunked narrative. “Your attempt to blame Texas for three migrant deaths on January 12, 2024 is vile and, as you now should be aware, completely inaccurate,” he said in a letter to DHS. He then repeated points made by the TMD and said the agents did not request entry based on a medical emergency, that agents had already told Texas that Mexico had recovered the bodies and that Texas made a “diligent search” of the area and confirmed that Mexican officials had recovered the bodies. “Texas has seen no evidence, and you cite none, showing that the migrants who drowned actually reached the Texas shore,” he added. “Biden was clearly wrong to blame Texas for deaths in the Rio Grande,” Abbott said on X, formerly Twitter. “As a federal judge already ruled, Biden & DHS ‘create a perverse incentive’ for migrants to make dangerous illegal crossings. Biden is to blame for drownings.” Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Biden appears to confuse woman with Dem congresswoman who wasn’t in attendance: ‘I got it mixed up’
President Biden raised eyebrows Thursday when he appeared to confuse a woman with whom he took a photo for a Democrat North Carolina congresswoman who wasn’t in attendance. “I want to mention Congresswoman Deborah Ross, where’s Deborah?” Biden asked the audience in North Carolina during a Thursday speech. “I just had my picture taken with her, that’s probably why she left,” Biden continued, sparking a laugh from the crowd. “Oh, she couldn’t be here, actually,” Biden continued. “That’s not true. I got it mixed up.” BIDEN ROCKED FOR GRAND CANYON GAFFE: ‘HE’S CLUELESS’ It is unclear who Biden took a picture with and who he got “mixed up.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Rep. Ross’s office for clarification but did not immediately receive a response. BIDEN REPEATS SAME STORY TWICE ALMOST ‘WORD FOR WORD’ WITHIN MINUTES, SPARKING CONCERN ONLINE: ‘ELDER ABUSE’ Conservatives on social media quickly jumped on the comment as a troubling sign of Biden’s mental sharpness. Biden’s remark also prompted social media users to bring up a previous gaffe in which the president appeared to forget about the death of Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski when he asked where she was on stage after her death. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters 14 times that Biden wasn’t confused about whether Walorski was alive and in the room but rather he had her “top of mind” because he would meet with her family later that week. MOST MEMORABLE POLITICAL GAFFES AND BLUNDERS OF 2023 Biden has been widely criticized by conservatives for his age since becoming president, including by those who have openly questioned his mental sharpness. Seventy-six percent of voters agreed Biden is “too old” to serve a second term, compared to 48% who said the same about 77-year-old former President Trump, according to a poll late last year. Biden has consistently held several closed-door meetings with his top donors to alleviate their concerns heading into the 2024 election, including worries about his age and energy, according to a recent report. The White House has sternly defended Biden’s mental acuity on multiple occasions, including in November when Jean-Pierre said she “would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, ability to get this done on behalf of the American people against anyone, anyone on any day of the week.”
Kevin Morris gave ‘massive’ financial support to Hunter Biden, raising campaign finance concerns: Comer
The House Oversight Committee said Hunter Biden’s friend and lawyer Kevin Morris’ “massive financial support” raises “ethical and campaign finance concerns” for President Biden, after the Democrat donor appeared for a transcribed interview before the panel Thursday. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., shared details of Morris’ closed-door interview Thursday evening. “Kevin Morris’s massive financial support to Hunter Biden raises ethical and campaign finance concerns for President Joe Biden,” Comer said. Comer explained that “shortly after meeting Hunter Biden at a Joe Biden campaign event in 2019, Kevin Morris began paying Hunter Biden’s tax liability to insulate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden from political liability.” “Kevin Morris admitted he has ‘loaned’ the president’s son at least $5 million,” Comer revealed Thursday. “These ‘loans’ don’t have to be repaid until after the next presidential election and the ‘loans’ may ultimately be forgiven.” Comer said that since Morris “has kept President Biden’s son financially afloat, he’s had access to the Biden White House and has spoken to President Biden.” “This follows a familiar pattern where Hunter Biden’s associates have access to Joe Biden himself,” Comer said. “As we continue more interviews this month and the next, we will continue to follow the facts to understand the full scope of President Biden and his family’s corruption.” Morris told the committee Thursday that he was introduced to Hunter Biden by Hollywood producer Lanette Philips at a Biden campaign event in the winter of 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Morris testified that he donated money to the Biden campaign, after then-candidate Joe Biden spoke at the event. A week following the event, the committee said Phillips called Morris,and they “discussed Hunter Biden’s ‘entertainment’ issue.” Morris said he then went to Hunter Biden’s residence in Los Angeles. The committee said that when Morris began giving money to Hunter Biden in January 2020, there was “no written agreement,” but that they prepared an agreement after Morris gave Hunter Biden money. The committee said that on Feb. 7, 2020, months before the presidential election and during the Democratic presidential primary, Morris emailed tax accountants and Hunter Biden’s advisors saying: “[w]e are under considerable risk personally and politically to get the returns in.” Morris told the committee that he paid Hunter Biden’s taxes, giving the president’s son at least $5 million. The committee said that Hunter Biden sold “roughly $1.5 million dollars of art, and half of it was purchased by Kevin Morris to reduce the money Hunter owed him.” The committee said Morris also bought two art pieces from Hunter Biden before he had a gallerist. Morris’s financial support to Hunter Biden includes payments to his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and the mother of his child, Lunden Roberts. Morris admitted to the committee that the “loans” he provided to Hunter Biden do not have to be repaid until 2025, after the next presidential election, and could be forgiven, the committee said. The committee said that because of his “lending” to Hunter Biden, Morris had access to the White House. Morris told the committee that he went to the White House several times during the Biden administration. The committee said Morris was given a tour of the White House by Hunter Biden, attended a wedding at the White House, and attended the White House’s Fourth of July picnic. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to all nine federal tax charges stemming from Special Counsel David Weiss’ investigation. Hunter’s trial is scheduled to begin on June 20. Weiss charged Hunter in December, alleging a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. Weiss filed the charges in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. In the indictment, Weiss alleged that Hunter “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” Weiss said that, in “furtherance of that scheme,” the younger Biden “subverted the payroll and tax withholding process of his own company, Owasco, PC by withdrawing millions” from the company “outside of the payroll and tax withholding process that it was designed to perform.” The special counsel alleged that Hunter “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills,” and that in 2018, he “stopped paying his outstanding and overdue taxes for tax year 2015.” Weiss alleged that Hunter “willfully failed to pay his 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 taxes on time, despite having access to funds to pay some or all of these taxes,” and that he “willfully failed to file his 2017 and 2018 tax returns on time.” Meanwhile, the top Democrat on the committee, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Thursday slammed the House GOP impeachment inquiry. “Just like every other witness in this colossal embarrassment of an ‘investigation,’ Kevin Morris affirmed today that he has no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden and that Joe Biden was not involved in, did not profit from, and took no official actions in relation to Morris and Hunter Biden’s relationship,” Raskin said. “It is hard to articulate how far removed this interview is from an impeachment inquiry for presidential high crimes and misdemeanors.”