Hunter Biden Played Republicans Like a Fiddle

For years, Republicans have attempted to paint President Joe Biden as the opposite of what he is -- a smart, experienced, compassionate leader.  Because Donald Trump has been impeached twice, arrested four times in four different jurisdictions, and will be tried in court for his 91 felonies, they think it gives them permission to investigate and/or impeach Biden on a tit-for-tat basis. Problem is, they have nothing on which to base their impeachment. It's just a fever dream. Joe Biden has been in politics for 50 years and hasn't been involved in any of the alleged scandals they're dying to pin on him. 

Enter Hunter Biden, the president's only living son. As you know, five years of investigations of his business activities have produced nothing that satisfies them.

Yes, Hunter had a serious substance abuse problem which he readily admitted to. Yes, he illegally owned a gun for 24 hours. And yes, he owed money to the IRS. But he paid back the delinquent taxes in full, including penalties and interest, more than two years ago. 

Because of his drug and money woes, Hunter accepted help from his father in keeping up his truck payments. At the end of 2018, Hunter made three payments of $1380 to his father to reimburse him, and then took over making his own payments.

That's it. That's all they've got on him. It's important to note that Hunter Biden has never been in politics and never received a government paycheck. During the days of these three repayments, Joe wasn't in government either.

Hunter was on the board of Burisma and other foreign companies, which is perfectly legal. Donald Trump and many others also do business around the world. That didn't stop rabid, desperate Republicans from alleging -- without a shred of evidence -- that Hunter operated in an illegal manner. And they claim that he funneled millions to Joe Biden, again without a shred of evidence.

Republican House Oversight Chairman James Comer is on a crusade to find something serious to pin on Hunter Biden while attempting to create a reason to impeach Joe Biden. Comer offered Hunter a choice of a public or private hearing. When Hunter agreed to a public hearing, Comer suddenly decided it must be done behind closed doors. Not being able to take YES for an answer, he tried to hold Hunter in contempt of congress, despite Hunter actually showing up in December to answer any and all questions. During their hearing on Wednesday, Jan 10, again Hunter showed up ready and willing to be questioned in public. This threw the Republican-run committee into chaos. 

They never expected Hunter to call their bluff and show up twice to be interrogated in public!

Grandstanding for the cameras, and hoping for a sound bite on Fox that night, Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene began ranting, claiming Hunter "had no balls" to show up and answer questions, despite him being right there in the room at the time.

Representative Jared Moskowitz (D) Florida destroyed Republicans' threats to hold Hunter in contempt for not showing up -- again, with Hunter right there in the hearing room -- by offering to vote with their nonsensical contempt charge, if they would enter into the public record the list of Republicans who actually did refuse to honor Congressional subpoenas themselves, and charge them with contempt. Republicans who ignored subpoenas include Scott Perry, Mark Meadows, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, Andy Biggs, and ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Of course they refused because that's what cowards do. Moskowitz even offered to end the hearing and swear-in Hunter Biden to hear his testimony right then and there. Again they refused.

Watch Moskowitz's response here.

Attempting to hold someone in contempt for refusing to attend a congressional hearing, despite him being in the room at the time, and refusing to hear his testimony that they are allegedly dying to hear shows it's all just theater. It means they're liars. It's just a show to impress their Biden-hating base.

Republicans All But Guaranteed Democrats Will Take the House in 2024

Congratulations to the House Republicans who finally elected a new Speaker! 

Yes, that's sarcasm.

Meet Mike Johnson of Louisiana. Never heard of him? No one has.

This is an unrecognizable, weak back bencher who has stated he 

• wants a nationwide abortion ban (despite two-thirds of Americans supporting abortion rights)
• is against LGBTQ Americans' rights
• supported the Trump insurrection at the U.S. Capitol
• voted against certifying the already-verified and counted 2020 election results
• voted to overturn the election
• is an anti-science climate denier
• is a far rightwing religious zealot.

Remember, after Speaker Kevin McCarthy was fired by his own party, and after they rejected Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, and Tom Emmer, Johnson ended up being their fifth choice.

Why did they finally get their shit together and vote for him? Probably because enough Republicans in purple districts that voted for Biden were getting disgusted and ready to compromise with Democrats to fill the Speaker job and, at the same time, protect their own chances of being re-elected.

Does this mean that the Republican-run House will finally get down to the business of legislating for the American people? Hah! That's a laugh. They haven't accomplished a single thing for Americans since they began running the house ten months ago, and certainly that will not change now. You can bet on it.

Under Speaker Pelosi's powerful leadership, the House (along with the Senate and the White House) has enjoyed monumental accomplishments including

• the strongest economic recovery of any nation in the G7
• Medicare negotiating prescription drug prices
• capping monthly insulin costs at $35
• climate action
• medical aid to American veteran victims of burn pits
• historic job growth
• historic unemployment
• bringing back U.S. semiconductor manufacturing
• infrastructure improvements
• rallying the world to defend Ukraine and Israel, two American allies attacked by terrorists.

The constant chaos, infighting, extreme agenda against the wishes of the American people, and total lack of legislative accomplishments will all but guarantee Democrats taking the House back November 2024.

Republican Jackass of the Week

For so many reasons, it's Jim Jordan (more commonly known as Gym Jordan because of all the sexual abuse violations he ignored when he was an Ohio State wrestling coach).

But he wins our Jackass Award this week because as chairman of his inappropriately named* Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, his star witnesses who claimed to be "whistleblowers" within the FBI, turned out to have taken money from a Trump operative.

That's right, they weren't whistleblowers at all. Just paid stooges to say what Trump and Jordan wanted to hear.

Both suspended FBI special agents Garret O’Boyle and Steve Friend admitted they’d taken money from Kash Patel, a former advisor to Donald Trump. Worse, their security credentials were revoked for participating in the January 6th Capitol riots incited by Trump.

In addition, Jordan made the bizarre claim that he didn't have to turn over so-called evidence provided by these paid shills to Democrats on the committee because it came from a whistleblower.

That's not a thing.

Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez of California taught him, “That’s not how committees work.” Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) stated that Jordan was violating committee rules by refusing to turn over evidence. Daniel Goldman (D-NY) gave Jordan the actual rules and instructed Jordan that neither he nor the alleged whistleblowers get to invent their own rules.

(*This subcommittee was formed to demonstrate how the federal government has alleged biases in law enforcement agencies, and is unfairly persecuting poor Republicans, as if investigating Trump for his long list of crimes is "persecution."  Seems like they're doing the persecuting on federal and state levels when they ban books, fire teachers, ban abortions, criminalize women who travel to free states to seek abortions, etc.)