Hunter Biden Calls Comer's Bluff

[Vēritās]

So after years of whining about Hunter Biden and demanding he testify so they can prove their whackjob conspiracy theories involving the President, Hunter said he would gladly testify before the committee in an open forum because he doesn't want his testimony twisted behind closed doors. House Republicans rejected that proposal because that would hinder their ability to just make crap up like they did with the previous interviews.

[ajax18]

Hunter doesn't get to dictate the terms of a subpoena. He'll testify before Congress both in private and in public. Public congressional depositions have 5 minute time limits and much more room for Hunter and his lawyers to stall and evade questions.

[Vēritās]

Hunter doesn't get to dictate the terms of a subpoena. He'll testify before Congress both in private and in public. Public congressional depositions have 5 minute time limits and much more room for Hunter and his lawyers to stall and evade questions.

Straight from Comer's mouth to your brain. You should learn to think one of these days as quite literally everything you say here is quickly borrowed from your puppet masters in Right Wing medialand.

They cannot force him to testify unless he's refusing to cooperate, which clearly isn't the case here. He wants to testify and now the Republicans are frantic about it because they realize the potential backfire it could end up being if Hunter doesn't say all the things they are hoping. They went through this backlash with their overhyped testimonies from Archer and others. What should matter the most is the people hear what is being said, instead of the dishonest GOP's constant lying about what actually took place behind closed doors. These fools aren't interested in what's true, they're all vying to become social media sensations and the next star on FOX Noise. All that matters is putting on a show pretending to own the libs.

[Some Schmo]

Truth is the enemy of the GOP. In the words of Col. Jessup, they "can't handle the truth."

[Doctor Steuss]

Hunter doesn't get to dictate the terms of a subpoena. He'll testify before Congress both in private and in public. Public congressional depositions have 5 minute time limits and much more room for Hunter and his lawyers to stall and evade questions.

*Hillary Clinton enters chat*

[Doctor Steuss]

Hunter doesn't get to dictate the terms of a subpoena. He'll testify before Congress both in private and in public. Public congressional depositions have 5 minute time limits and much more room for Hunter and his lawyers to stall and evade questions.

*Hillary Clinton enters chat*

As an aside, each Committee generally gets to make its own deposition rules, and the House Oversight Committee doesn't even have to follow the House Rules when it comes to depositions.

Here's the relevant section from the actual Rules for Comer's Committee, for the 118th Congress (apologies for formatting, this is the way it copies over from PDF) -- emphasis mine. This is the only portion that deals with time limits. As noted, these rules can be changed (I believe with the Oversight Committee, it can be done unilaterally; not 100% certain on that though):

(g) Who May Question. A deposition shall be conducted by any member or counsel designated by the Chair of the Committee or Ranking Minority Member of the Committee. When depositions are conducted by Committee counsel, there shall be no more than two Committee counsel permitted to question a witness per round. One of the Committee counsel shall be designated by the Chair of the Committee and the other by the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee. Other Committee staff members designated by the Chair of the Committee or Ranking Minority Member of the Committee may attend, but may not pose questions to the witness.

(h) Order of Questions. Questions in the deposition shall be propounded in rounds, alternating between the majority and minority. A single round shall not exceed 60 minutes per side, unless the members or counsel conducting the deposition agree to a different length of questioning. In each round, the member(s) or Committee counsel designated by the Chair of the Committee shall ask questions first, and the member(s) or Committee counsel designated by the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee shall ask questions second

This might be a good time for introspection, on why propaganda outlets and politicians in MAGA-land have such a disdain for the intelligence of their base, and would lie about something that is so easily fact-checked.

[Schreech]

[ajax18]

They cannot force him to testify unless he's refusing to cooperate, which clearly isn't the case here. He wants to testify and now the Republicans are frantic about it because they realize the potential backfire it could end up being if Hunter doesn't say all the things they are hoping. They went through this backlash with their overhyped testimonies from Archer and others. What should matter the most is the people hear what is being said, instead of the dishonest GOP's constant lying about what actually took place behind closed doors. These fools aren't interested in what's true, they're all vying to become social media sensations and the next star on FOX Noise. All that matters is putting on a show pretending to own the libs.

So from your link, why did Jamie Raskin demand that Steve Bannon come in for a private hearing first before the public hearing? And the Bidens are declining to cooperate. Why hasn't the national archives handed over all the emails from Vice President Robert Peters instructions to private citizen Hunter Biden concerning the Ukrainian bribes? Hunter still hasn't turned over all the documents the House Oversight committee has asked for before he testifies behind closed doors.

What we know is that the Biden family has received many millions of dollars from hostile foreign governments around the world. What we don't know is what the Biden's did to receive this money. So what's wrong with the American people getting the truth?

[Vēritās]

So from your link, why did Jamie Raskin demand that Steve Bannon come in for a private hearing first before the public hearing?

He got a public hearing right?

And the Bidens are declining to cooperate.

Wrong. They are cooperating. Failing to cooperate would be like Jim Jordan and all of the other Trumpers who willfully rejected a lawful subpoena. Stop playing the idiot here, you know the only reason they want it behind closed doors is so they can spin the results and lie about what was said. That's what they do.

Why hasn't the national archives handed over all the emails from Vice President Robert Peters instructions to private citizen Hunter Biden concerning the Ukrainian bribes?

There were no bribes, so it is a loaded question.

Hunter still hasn't turned over all the documents the House Oversight committee has asked for before he testifies behind closed doors.

Documents he doesn't have or documents that don't exist you mean.

What we know is that the Biden family has received many millions of dollars from hostile foreign governments around the world

No we don't know that. We know that the Biden family had legit business interests in various countries, whoopty doo. Calling it the Biden family" in an attempt to implicate the President is just hilarious considering Trump was President when he had open bank accounts in China which he flat out lied about having prior to his election.

What we don't know is what the Biden's did to receive this money.

Wrong again. You're just spewing the crap Brietbart tells you to spew.

So what's wrong with the American people getting the truth?

We've had the truth for quite a while now, but you're not interested in the truth.

[Vēritās]

How Republicans overhype the findings of their Hunter Biden probe

The House Oversight Committee, led by Comer, has been investigating business dealings of President Biden’s son, Hunter, and other family members — and by extension unverified allegations that the president was involved in his son’s business as well. The committee has obtained thousands of bank records, and the Republican staff has issued three memorandums summarizing some of the findings.

The memos are written in a partisan manner — ignoring or playing down contrary information — but an interesting pattern has emerged. The memos themselves have careful language that is often hedged. Then Comer and other GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), go on Twitter or speak to conservative media using hyperbolic language that goes well beyond what the memos say. Over time, the reporting on the memos in conservative media becomes untethered from the documentation in the reports.

For instance, the second staff memo never says that Hunter Biden used “shell” companies — a term often associated with shady or illegal activity, even though a shell company is a legitimate entity. Comer once described such an entity as “a fake company … they don’t make anything. They don’t produce anything. They don’t provide a good or service.” He is not wrong about many shell companies, but the memo lists real companies, with active websites and real business functions. (The third staff memo refers to just one “shell” company, which we will describe later.)

As for the $20 million in payments, Comer and other Republicans invoke this figure often. A close reading of the memos, however, finds that only about $7 million can be directly attributed to Biden family members, mostly Hunter, while the rest went to “associates,” according to the memos. Yet Comer and other lawmakers misleadingly suggest all of the money went to the Biden family or, as some label it, “the Biden crime family.” No evidence has emerged that any of these funds can be traced to Joe Biden himself.

Let’s detail the difference between the memos and the rhetoric.

‘Shell’ companies

Comer often suggests that the Biden family used these so-called shell companies to launder money; in his telling, such companies served no legitimate function. But that claim is undercut by the list of 21 companies that appear in the second staff memo.

Virtually all of the companies (many of which now are defunct) had legitimate business interests. Others had clearly identified business investments. Digging through the records, we find only three whose business purpose remains vague; one (Rosemont Seneca Global Risk Services, LLC) may not even be related to Hunter Biden, according to an email found in Hunter Biden’s laptop. The memos do not list any payments that flowed through these three companies.

Companies founded by Hunter Biden

Seneca Global Advisors was a boutique consulting firm that Hunter Biden founded in 2008 to help small and midsize companies expand into markets in the U.S. and other countries, according to a 2019 interview he gave to the New Yorker. OpenSecrets.org identifies it as “a lobbying firm that was hired by 9 clients in 2008, for a total amount of $210,000.” All of the clients are identified.

Owasco PC was essentially Hunter Biden’s law firm and did legal work. One memo acknowledges it is “a professional corporation.” The memo also lists an Owasco LLC and Skaneateles, LLC, two of the companies whose purpose remains vague. Hunter Biden named his personal LLCs, used to handle payments like payroll, after towns in New York’s Finger Lakes region, where his mother was born, according to a former business partner.

Companies in partnership with Hunter Biden

Rosemont Seneca Partners, founded in 2009 by Hunter Biden, Devon Archer and Christopher Heinz. The third staff memo identifies it as “central to the Bidens’ later business ventures,” confirming that it is not a shell company. Many of the other supposed shell companies are offshoots of this firm.

Rosemont Seneca Advisors in 2017 had investment projects in West Africa and a 5 percent stake in Harves Amusement Parks and ownership in Harves Sports and Entertainment, both in China. A 2011 email in Hunter Biden’s laptop suggests most of his business was done through this entity.

Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners (RSTP) still exists under a different name, Pilot Growth Equity. As we have previously reported, Rosemont Seneca Partners had a stake in RSTP, which invested in emerging technology companies. In 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that Hunter Biden had been discharged that February from the Navy Reserve after testing positive for cocaine use. Biden had not disclosed the discharge to RSTP members and so in early 2015 he was eased out of the firm, which has since rebranded itself as Pilot Growth Equity and declined to comment.

RSTP II Alpha and RSTP II Bravo were related venture capital funds that registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The investments included a genetics testing company called Counsyl, according to a 2014 Forbes article.

Rosemont Seneca Bohai, created in 2014 to invest in a Chinese fund generally known as BHR Partners, was a replacement vehicle for Rosemont Seneca Thornton, LLC, mentioned below.

RSP Holdings is described in an SEC document as the parent company of RSP Investments, which aimed to “provide private placement services, hedge fund marketing and capital introduction services.” The memo does not mention RSP Investments but has a listing for Rosemont Seneca Principal Investments, presumably the same company.

Hudson West III and Hudson West IV were involved in an energy investment deal with CEFC China Energy, a Chinese energy conglomerate. Comer has decried the deal as “a scheme to try to get China to buy liquefied natural gas,” indicating he knows these are not shall companies.

Companies with a Hunter Biden connection

Rosemont Realty LLC, founded in 1991. Hunter Biden was not on the Rosemont Realty management team but was listed as part of the board of advisers of the firm, which was managed by Devon Archer. This was a substantial company; in 2013, its website showed it owned properties in 25 states, including Comer’s home state of Kentucky. Archer was recently interviewed by the Oversight Committee and he tried to explain that a wire transfer of $3.5 million from Elena Baturina, a Russian billionaire, that interested the committee was part of a $120 million investment with Rosemont Realty that was unrelated to Hunter Biden. “Rosemont Realty was completely out of his, kind of, portfolio,” Archer said.

Lion Hall Group and JBB SR are associated with Joe Biden’s brother James Biden. Lion Hall is a consulting group, according to a Washington Post investigation, while JBB SR has been described in Ben Schreckinger’s 2021 book “The Bidens” as managing two businesses that sold medical and agricultural products. James Biden hung up the phone when the Fact Checker identified himself.

Robinson Walker LLC, founded in 2008 by John Robinson “Rob” Walker, and CEFC Infrastructure Investment, once a subsidy of a Chinese energy company, are not Biden family companies at all but are listed because they transferred funds to Biden family members. Walker, who at one point was a managing director of Rosemont Seneca Advisors, could not be reached for comment.

One named ‘shell’ company

Rosemont Seneca Thornton LLC is the one company specifically named in a staff memo as a shell company. As we have reported, this entity was created in 2013 to invest in BHR Partners, the Chinese fund. But almost as soon as Rosemont Seneca Thornton was created, the partners decided to dissolve it, according to a person with access to the board minutes. Thornton Group, one of the investors, was run by Jim Bulger, who brought expertise in investing in China. But the original structure had added unexpected regulatory burdens to Thornton, and so Bulger’s lawyers advised that the group split up, this person said. Archer, in his interview, confirmed this to committee investigators, saying the creation of the LLC was “a mistake.”


$20 million from foreign sources

Now let’s look at the money flow. The House Oversight Committee memos are written in a way that makes it difficult to follow the exact path, keeping the focus on the top-line numbers. We sought comment from Comer’s staff to see if our calculations were correct, but did not get a response.

With those caveats in mind, here’s how the payments appear to break down.

$10 million in Chinese payments (at least $3.6 million to Bidens, mostly Hunter). The staff memos are a bit vague but discuss in particular two transactions.

The memos report a $3 million transfer in 2017 from a Shanghai-based company (State Energy HK Limited) to Robinson Walker LLC, the firm mentioned above as associated with Rob Walker, a former Clinton administration official and business associate of Hunter Biden’s. Then, over the next three months, about $1 million was transferred from Robinson Walker to “Biden family members,” including Hunter’s uncle James and widowed sister-in-law Hallie, and another $1 million to James Gilliar, another Hunter Biden business partner. (Hallie Biden could not be reached for comment.)

The memos also discuss $3 million in transfers in 2015 and 2016 from State Energy HK to the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development, a public policy think tank associated with Vuk Jeremic, a former Serbian politician and United Nations official. Jeremic had a business relationship with Hunter Biden.

Separately (and not mentioned in the staff memos), Hunter Biden said in federal court last month that he had received a total of about $2.6 million in 2017 and 2018 for the business transactions between Hudson West and CEFC, the Chinese energy company. So we will add those amounts to the total in the interest of being complete.

$6.5 million from Ukrainian energy firm Burisma ($2.6 million to Hunter Biden). The staff memo relies on Internal Revenue Service whistleblower testimony that “Burisma paid to everyone involved” $6.5 million, of which $2.6 million went to Hunter Biden and the balance to Archer.

$3.5 million from Russian billionaire (none to Biden). The staff memo suggests that $2.75 million of Baturina’s transfer went to a firm that transferred funds to Hunter Biden, but our reporting and Archer’s testimony suggests it is incorrect to assume Hunter ended up with this money. Under our accounting, this all would be considered money to an associate — Archer — since he says Baturina’s transfer was intended for a real estate transaction unconnected to Hunter.

$3 million in Romanian payments (about $1 million to Hunter Biden and at least $10,000 to Hallie Biden). The second staff memo says Romanian businessman Gabriel Popoviciu, later convicted on bribery-related charges, sent $3 million to the firm controlled by Rob Walker. The firm then gave $1.038 million to “Biden family accounts” after that transfer, most of which went to Hunter Biden. The memo indicates that Gilliar was the recipient of the rest of the Popoviciu money

$142,300 from a Kazakh businessman (to Hunter Biden to pay for a Porsche sports car).

That works out to be about $23 million in total payments from foreign sources. Of that, nearly $7.5 million can be fairly attributed as going to “Bidens,” but virtually all of it went to Hunter Biden. No money has been traced to Joe Biden.