Politics
Biden White House Struggles to Bury Influence Peddling Story
Hunter Biden is the problem that refuses to go away in a White House desperate to disassociate itself from claims of nepotism, corruption, and swindling. The 53-year-old middle child of US President Joe Biden has been a constant source of negative publicity for the first family, with suspicions swirling about whether he utilised his father’s power for personal gain.
The next phase in the Hunter Biden scandal came on June 22, when a congressional committee probing the presidential family released a WhatsApp conversation.
The message, purportedly sent by Hunter Biden to a Chinese business associate in July 2017, portrayed Joe Biden as a private man and former vice president berating the associate.
“I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” allegedly wrote Hunter Biden.
Hunter appeared to threaten the business associate as the communication progressed.
If the Chinese half of the bargain was not met, he wrote, “I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows, and my ability to hold a grudge forever, you will regret not following my direction.”
The communication appeared to contradict White House officials’ and President Biden’s assurances that he had no participation in his son’s business ventures.
When reporters asked President Biden if he was in the room when Hunter conveyed his message, he said, “No, I wasn’t.”
When pressed again by Al Jazeera, White House Counsel spokeswoman Ian Sams denied any engagement by Biden. “The president was not in business with his son,” Sams explained.
On August 13, 2022, President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden depart Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, South Carolina, after attending a Mass.
However, the White House is finding it increasingly impossible to limit the flood of tales that have arisen from Hunter Biden’s business activities.
This was evident during a press conference on June 23, the day after the WhatsApp message was disclosed. Both White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby had to deal with a disgruntled press corps wanting to learn more about the Hunter Biden communication.
When Newsmax reporter James Rosen read aloud the message and asked if it refuted the president’s claim that he never discussed his son’s offshore business transactions, Kirby tried to end the conversation.
“I’m not going to address this issue from here,” Kirby stated. He then abruptly exited the news conference.
“It’s not an unreasonable question to ask,” New York Times reporter Peter Baker later stated as he pressed Jean-Pierre in a heated exchange about the WhatsApp chat and Rosen’s query.
Hunter Biden has been an issue for a very, very long time,” Eric Ham, a political analyst and co-author of The GOP Civil War, said.
According to Ham, the president is extremely sensitive to criticism of his son, “which is why the people around Joe Biden are hesitant to really say anything.”
The White House is also under scrutiny as a result of the House of Representatives probe.
Following their re-election to the House in the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans launched an investigation into the Biden family and its economic transactions as part of the chamber’s Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Hunter and the president’s 74-year-old brother James have drawn a lot of attention because of their ties to countries like Ukraine and China.
Hunter Biden co-founded Rosemont Seneca Partners, a Washington, DC-based investment fund with operations in China, in 2009, as Joe Biden began his stint as Vice President under President Barack Obama.
The committee discovered 93 wire transfers “to and from businesses and associates linked to the Biden family and a China-based investment fund controlled by the Bank of China” between February 2014 and August 2019.
Republican legislators have accused the Biden administration of blocking efforts to learn more, citing evidence from whistleblowers and former government personnel. They also claim Hunter’s financial connections have a direct impact on Biden’s China policies, which the White House denies.
“If President Biden’s decision-making is influenced by deals with foreign adversaries, this is a threat to national security,” said Republican James Comer, chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Hunter Biden has also been accused of wrongdoing in connection with his business dealings in Ukraine.
Hunter served on the board of Burisma Holdings Limited, a big Ukrainian natural gas business, for five years beginning in 2014. Critics have questioned how he was appointed to the board despite having no experience in the energy industry.
However, his presidency coincided with his father’s probe into corruption in Ukraine while he was vice president.
Hunter Biden denied his father played any part in his getting the job in a 2019 interview with ABC News. “It serves neither of us,” Hunter explained.
Earlier last month, the president dismissed as “dumb” the allegation that he was involved in Ukrainian commercial operations.
In a 2020 report, two Republican-led Senate committees decided that “much more work” was needed to fully investigate Hunter’s Burisma ties — but they found no indication of criminal wrongdoing or direct involvement by Joe Biden.
“Hunter Biden has made some questionable choices,” said Elisabeth Anker, a George Washington University associate professor of American history and political science.
“But because he is not a member of his father’s administration or campaign, these issues appear to be pushed to the sidelines of any assessment of President Biden.” She claims that much of the criticism levelled at the Bidens is “purely political.”
Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges.
The congressional investigations come on top of Hunter Biden’s personal issues, many of which have made front-page headlines.
Hunter revealed to crack cocaine use and alcoholism in a 2021 memoir, but claimed to have received therapy and recovered from his addictions. He settled a long-running child support battle with an Arkansas lady who gave birth to his daughter on Thursday.
In 2020, it was revealed that a laptop left in a Delaware computer repair business included raunchy photographs of Hunter Biden as well as personal information. It has since been the focus of an FBI investigation and an online attempt to discredit him.
On June 20, he negotiated an agreement with federal prosecutors on tax and weapons charges, adding another big twist to his continuing personal drama.
Hunter was accused by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware of failing to submit his taxes appropriately in 2017 and 2018. Despite owing more over $100,000 in federal income tax each year, authorities said, “he did not pay the income tax due for either year.”
They also claimed that he purchased a handgun in 2018 while “addicted to a controlled substance.”
Hunter Biden pled guilty to misdemeanor tax charges as part of the June 20 arrangement and avoided prosecution for his gun ownership. The agreement has yet to be approved by a federal judge, and it is uncertain if Hunter Biden would face any jail time.
Nonetheless, Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, including as Speaker Kevin McCarthy, dubbed the pact a “sweetheart deal” that unjustly favoured Hunter Biden.
As President Biden enters another election cycle, he will face a challenger whose own legal and personal issues have dominated headlines.
Former President Donald Trump, a candidate in the 2024 election, has been charged with 37 federal offences by the Biden DOJ in Florida connected to his handling of secret documents, in addition to 34 felony counts in New York.
The Republican candidate has also faced claims of nepotism. Critics point to members of Trump’s own family, particularly his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who functioned as advisers in the Oval Office and did business with foreign countries while serving in his administration.
Trump’s international business dealings have also generated debate. A congressional committee disclosed financial data in 2021 showing that one of Trump’s hotels, located one block from the White House, earned more than $3.7 million from foreign governments while the Republican was in office.
Nonetheless, Trump has attempted to use Hunter Biden’s issues against his father – his major opponent in the 2016 presidential election.
However, Anker, a political science professor, believes that focusing on Hunter Biden will not convince many voters, “given the incredible amount of graft, corruption, and questionable financial choices that we’ve seen in presidential administrations over the last six years” – a reference to Trump.
“I think if we weren’t in such a polarized environment, this would pretty much be a non-story,” Ham, the political expert, concurred.
Source: Aljazeera
US President Joe Biden Accused of Receiving $5 Million Bribe
President Joe Biden Accused Of Receiving $5 Million Bribe From The Ukrainian Energy
Justine Trudeau and his Liberal Party are currently engaged in a fierce battle for second place against Jagmeet Singh’s socialist NDP, as both parties find themselves trailing by 20 points behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
A recent poll indicates that 38% of Canadians consider Trudeau to be the most ineffective leader the nation has encountered in over fifty years. An impressive 47% of Canadian Millennials indicated they would support Poilievre if an election were to take place today, while nearly half of all Canadians express a desire for an election to be called this year.
Pierre Poilievre’s strong appeal among young voters can be attributed primarily to economic factors: soaring inflation, a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and the challenge of housing affordability are pushing many away from the Liberals, who have held power for nearly nine years.
According to UnHeard, Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau due to his stringent measures aimed at controlling the internet to combat alleged disinformation, as well as his climate change initiatives, notably the carbon tax.
Protest in downtown Toronto against mass immigration on Canada Day – TNC Image
An increasing number of Canadians are becoming aware of Trudeau’s ineffective policies and his approach to mass immigration. This past summer, there was significant outrage among parents of teenagers and young adults as they observed their children remaining at home without jobs.
The primary concern stemmed from the fact that most low-skilled and entry-level positions were being filled by unskilled, temporary foreign workers, predominantly from India.
There has been a notable rise in criminal activities linked to international students and unvetted temporary residents who are becoming involved with Punjabi gangs in Canada, contributing to a surge in auto thefts nationwide.
Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are actively seeking to alter Trudeau’s approach to mass immigration and prioritize the construction of more housing should they come into power.
Significantly, Pierre Poilievre is perceived as more trustworthy than Trudeau, with over half of Canadians characterizing Poilievre as “open and honest about his actions, decisions, and intentions,” while only 39% share that sentiment regarding Trudeau.
The characteristics in question may shed light on Poilievre’s favorable polling, particularly among younger voters and women, who have historically leaned towards the Liberals or the NDP rather than the Conservatives.
The Liberal Party’s support has dwindled to an estimated 7% of Canadians, revealing a significant number of disillusioned voters eager for transformation. Poilievre is emerging as the type of leader that resonates with the desires of many Canadians.
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The U.N special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar has said the Bank of Thailand, commercial banks, and the anti-money laundering office are working on measures to stop the Myanmar Junta from acquiring weapons through Thailand’s banking system.
Tom Andrews the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said that some banks commercial in Thailand had aided Myanmar Junta’s by facilitating transactions that supplied military equipment to the Junta through the international banking system.
He called on the Bank of Thailand and financial institutions to do more to stop Myanmar’s junta acquiring weapons which they use on civilians to maintain power.
The special rapporteur was in Bangkok to address a parliamentary committee on security, he called on the Thai government to stop financial transactions that help supply weapons to Myanmar’s junta in line with a plan promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that sets out an end to violence as a first step toward peace.
In his 2023 report “The Billion Dollar Death Trade,” Andrews noted that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar.
Thai Baht – File Image
Thailand’s Banks Lacked Clear Policy
As a result, exports of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in fiscal year 2022 to just over $10 million over the next 12 months.
However, he said Thailand had no explicit policy position opposing weapons transfer to the Myanmar Junta, which saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double in 2023, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million.
He called on Thai Government to conduct a thorough investigation into transfers as Singapore had done into its companies’ dealings.
Andrews told the the committee that five Thai commercial banks and Thai-based companies were assisting Myanmar’s junta obtain weapons, dual-technology items and jet fuel, enabling Military Junta to conduct atrocities against the people.
But said he had found no evidence that the Thai government was involved or was aware of the transactions or that Thai commercial banks had knowledge.
Photo courtesy of The Nation
Banks Condemn Myanmar Junta Violence
Meanwhile representatives from Thailand’s central bank, anti-money laundering office and the commercial banks named in the report were also present at the parliamentary meeting at government house in Bangkok.
A representative of the Bank of Thailand said officials were working with the commercial banks and the anti-money laundering office to make sure that enhanced oversight was properly practiced.
The Thai Bankers Association that was also at the parliamentary meeting said it did not have the means to investigate and monitor such irregularities beyond Thailand’s borders.
Mr. Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, a Thai Bankers Association representative told the committee that If government security agencies tell us, we will stop transactions. We don’t support arms procurement by Myanmar Junta or any military government to violate human rights.
Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and opposition forces but no progress has been made.
This Article was first published in RFA
The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea said in a statement that an online petition calling for South Korea’s President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment crashed due to the enormous number of individuals attempting to sign the petition. Saying the National Assembly would resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
Since the petition was launch on the National Assembly’s website on June 20, more than 811,000 people have signed it. The petition urges Parliament to introduce legislation to impeach President Yoon on the grounds that he is unfit for office.
Late on June 30, National Assembly Speaker Mr. Woo Won-shik issued an apology for the disturbance and stated that Parliament would take action to protect the public’s fundamental rights.
People attempting to access the petition on July 1 experienced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that more than 30,000 individuals were waiting to access the site.
South Korea’s Parliament Hesitant
The online petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of conflict with North Korea, and endangering South Koreans’ health by failing to prevent Japan from leaking treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.
By law, Parliament must assign every petition signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which will then decide whether to put it to a vote in the assembly.
However, the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Parliament, is hesitant to turn the petition into an impeachment bill, according to media reports, with a spokesperson stating that the party has yet to address the topic.
The Parliament can impeach a president with a two-thirds majority. The Constitutional Court then deliberates the motion and decides whether to remove or reinstall the president.
Meanwhile, on Monday Reuters reported North Korea criticized a joint military exercise performed this month by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to official media, saying such drills demonstrate the three nations’ alliance has evolved into “the Asian version of NATO”.
On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale combined military drills named “Freedom Edge” featuring navy destroyers, fighter fighters, and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the goal of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines, and air strikes.
The drill was designed at a three-way meeting at Camp David last year to boost military cooperation amid concerns on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s weapons testing.
Pyongyang will not overlook the strengthening of a military bloc led by the United States and its allies, and it would respond aggressively and decisively to defend regional peace, according to North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by KCNA.
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