Monday, February 28, 2022

Truest statement of the week II

From Hunter Biden’s laptop to influence peddling to financial dealings, the media has presented a fairly unified front dismissing allegations and blacking out coverage. As I previously wrote, the Biden family made an elephant disappear on stage and the media was invested in the trick. The media has largely allowed President Joe Biden to repeat without challenge that that his son did “nothing wrong”  . . .  despite many of us writing for years that what he did was very wrong indeed. Yet, it is becoming increasingly hard to spin out of this scandal as David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, continues to call people before a federal grand jury to testify on Hunter Biden.

For over two years, Weiss has been investigating tax and financial issues connected to Hunter Biden’s foreign dealings. Biden has engaged in some of the most open and raw influence peddling schemes in history. That itself is “wrong,” to use his father’s standard, but not necessarily criminal. The Biden family has long been accused of such influence peddling generating millions in windfall payments. Even diplomats complained that his actions during the Obama/Biden Administration were setting back anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.

The problem is not that Hunter Biden allegedly shook down foreign countries and companies for millions. The problem is that he may not have reported or paid taxes on all of that largess.

Weiss is calling witnesses to testify on Hunter’s lavish lifestyle and spending habits, including a former stripper who Hunter impregnated. Lunden Roberts spent years fighting to get child support, even as Joe Biden was running for president. A court finally forced Hunter to support his child.

Also called was ex-girlfriend, lingerie entrepreneur Zoe Kestan. She testified for five hours on Tuesday, the New York Post reported. Kestan reportedly detailed how Hunter would withdraw thousands of dollars and spend wildly during their relationship.

What is striking about these witnesses is that they are the type of witnesses that poison both grand juries and trial juries against a defendant. Such lavish spending details were used by the Justice Department against figures like Paul Manafort. More importantly, the testimony appears directed at showing that Hunter had far greater income than reported. That is a curious effort if Biden has “come clean” on simple reporting errors for taxes.

 

 

Jonathan Turley, "Word to the Weiss: Why the Delaware U.S. Attorney is Still Calling People Before a Grand Jury on Hunter Biden" (JONATHANTURLEY.ORG).