By DAVID
CATRON
Rep.
Adam Schiff (YouTube screenshot)
They have far more to lose from the “whistleblower” scandal than does the president.
The Democrats increasingly resemble those wannabe jihadis
who blow themselves to rags by mishandling homemade explosives. Their animus
for President Trump is such that they consistently underestimate the danger to
themselves presented by “bombshell” revelations when managed with insufficient
care. The already questionable credibility of Elizabeth Warren was recently
damaged when, based on a now-debunked New York Times story,
she precipitously demanded the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Brett
Kavanaugh. A similarly impulsive Democratic response to the “explosive” claims
made by an anonymous intelligence official about a telephone conversation
between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will
inevitably explode in their faces.
Joe Biden is particularly vulnerable on this score. The
substance of the call involved Trump’s request for an investigation into the
business dealings of Biden’s son, Hunter, according to the “whistleblower.” The
erstwhile VP is extraordinarily foolish to draw further attention to a son who
has long been suspected of improperly leveraging his father’s prominent role in
Ukrainian relations with the United States. Biden, however, is not exactly
renowned for his critical thinking skills. Consequently, he responded
defensively to a reporter’s question about his son’s Ukrainian activities
during a Saturday event in Iowa by calling for an investigation into the
whistleblower’s accusation:
“You should be looking at Trump.… Why is he on the phone with a foreign leader,
trying to intimidate a foreign leader?”
This is rich, considering that Biden has bragged in public
about using his own position in the Obama administration to get a Ukrainian
prosecutor fired. In 2018, Biden spoke to a meeting of the Council on Foreign
Relations and boasted that he had threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S.
loan guarantees from Ukraine if Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin wasn’t
immediately canned: “I
looked at them and said: ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired,
you’re not getting the money.’” The ostensible reason for this heavy-handed
pressure to get rid of Shokin was the man’s corruption. Presumably, it was just
a coincidence that this particular prosecutor was planning an investigation
into Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian company for which Hunter Biden worked as a
“consultant.”
Biden was not alone in denouncing President Trump for his
alleged attempt to “intimidate” Ukrainian president Zelensky. Julián Castro,
another unemployed Obama administration official pursuing the Democratic
presidential nomination, tweeted the
following: “Donald Trump is a criminal. He must be impeached immediately.”
Saturday, Castro began a speech with another demand that
the House take immediate action to remove the president: “Let me begin with a
message for our House Democratic friends — it is time for you to do your job
and impeach Donald Trump.” This was a big applause line for his audience, but
it contained no constitutional justification for such action by the House. As
Jonathan Turley, Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington
University, writes:
Trump is accused of pressing the Ukrainian
president eight times to work with his attorney Rudy Giuliani to investigate
Biden. There is no allegation of an express promise of money in exchange for
such an investigation. Such a quid pro quo could be the basis for a criminal
charge, but the current allegations are short of the “quid” in the “pro quo.”
While one could legitimately say that an express promise was hardly necessary …
it still is not a crime for a president to ask a foreign leader to investigate
crimes.
Not that trivial matters such as evidence or law have
much influence on what Castro says. He will say just about anything to change
the dynamic of his campaign. His support among Democratic primary voters is
still stuck at 1
percent in most polls. A similar level of desperation is
why Kamala Harris has also joined the chorus of Trump denunciations, while
issuing a ridiculous call for the mystery whistleblower to simply ignore
current law, which does not allow uncorroborated accusations
to be taken directly before Congress: “I absolutely urge this whistleblower to
go directly to Congress, whether in closed session or open.” The downward
trajectory of her campaign has reduced her support to mid-single
digits, and she, like Castro, will say anything to change that
deadly dynamic.
Elizabeth Warren has also piled on, though for different
reasons. Unlike Biden, whose campaign can’t possibly be aided by dwelling on
the president’s imaginary offenses against Ukraine, Sen. Warren can use it to
finally replace the former VP as the front-runner for the Democratic
nomination. She can have the best of both political worlds by denouncing
Trump and reminding all of Joe Biden’s supporters that his
skullduggery in Ukraine while part of the Obama administration destroys his
“electability” argument. Thus she declares,
“After the Mueller report, Congress had a duty to begin impeachment. By failing
to act, Congress is complicit in Trump’s latest attempt to solicit foreign
interference to aid him in US elections. Do your constitutional duty and
impeach the president.”
And she has a willing accomplice in Rep. Adam Schiff,
Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, who has been
gunning for Trump for nearly three years. But Schiff can’t call an anonymous
whistleblower before his committee, and the relevant statute doesn’t apply to
the president in the absence of a quid pro quo arrangement. Rep. Schiff went on
CNN Sunday and threatened to
defund the nation’s intelligence apparatus unless the Trump administration
prostrates itself before Congress. Schiff has forgotten about the separation of
powers doctrine, and that certain functions — like the conduct of foreign
policy — are reserved to the executive branch. No amount of bluster from Rep.
Schiff or desperate Democratic presidential candidates will alter that reality.
In other words, the Democrats are again making wild
charges based on the claims of someone who has no firsthand
knowledge of the conversation during which the impeachable
offenses allegedly took place. These charges have been denied by
the Ukrainian government and declared ridiculous by
the president, yet the Dems are yammering about impeachment. Like all of the
other “bombshells” invented to destroy Trump, this one will blow up in their
faces. It will destroy Joe Biden’s faltering campaign, and the Democrats
will continue to
sink even lower in the esteem of the voters. When the smoke clears after this
fake scandal blows what remains of Democratic credibility to ribbons, the
president will have been re-elected, the GOP will control the House, and the
voters will have been vindicated.
________________
RELATED
ARTICLE
Joe Biden’s Scandals Will Sink His Candidacy
Here’s the truth: Joe Biden’s family has capitalized off
of sweetheart deals only available because of his political connections.
From Hunter profiting off of his father’s diplomacy to
using his father’s name and position to get business, the Biden family is no
stranger to quid pro quo.
And Biden is already not handling this subject well –
over the weekend he lied
about whether or not he ever discussed business with his son.
Quid Pro Joe
Joe Biden Has A Tangled History Of Swampy
Dealings And Quid Pro Quo Including Pressuring For The Removal Of A Ukrainian
Prosecutor And Letting His Son Hunter Piggyback Off Of His Diplomatic
Meetings
____________________________________________________________
The Facts:
IN 2016, JOE BIDEN PRESSURED UKRAINE TO FIRE
A PROSECUTOR GENERAL WHO WAS INVESTIGATING BURISMA HOLDINGS, A FIRM WHICH HAD
PAID HUNTER BIDEN’S ROSEMONT CAPITAL $3.4 MILLION FOR REPRESENTATION
From 2014 to 2015, Hunter Biden and his business partners
were paid
$3.4 million to represent Burisma Holdings as part of an effort to have
“well-connected Democrats” defend the
company from U.S. and Ukrainian investigations.
The New York Times
reported that, in 2016, Vice President Biden had sought for
and succeeded in ousting a Ukrainian Prosecutor General that had been
investigating Hunter Biden’s client Burisma.
IN 2009, HUNTER BIDEN PIGGYBACKED OFF OF HIS
FATHER’S DIPLOMATIC TRIPS TO OBTAIN ACCESS TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AND IN
PARTICULAR CHINA
Connected by a strong relationship between their dads,
Hunter Biden and Christopher Heinz, the son of John Kerry, created
Rosemont Capital in June 2009
Rather than occupy an office in New York City, Rosemont chose to
operate out of the political hub of Washington D.C., just miles from their fathers’
offices.
Less than a year after opening, Rosemont Capital secured
access to multiple foreign leaders including access to China “at the highest
levels.”
From 2011 to 2013, multiple foreign business meetings
drew public scrutiny from outsiders including one
that took place just hours after “Hunter Biden’s father, the Vice President,
met with Chinese President Hu in Washington.”
Rosemont Capital and Hunter Biden drew public scrutiny
for piggybacking off
of Joe Biden’s diplomatic trips to hold business meetings including flying on
Air Force Two during Biden’s Asia pivot ventures.
JOE BIDEN AND HIS SON HUNTER HAVE A TANGLED
HISTORY WITH THE BANKING COMPANY MBNA FULL OF SWAMPY DEALINGS AND APPARENT QUID
PRO QUO
In 1996, shortly after a top executive at MBNA bank bought a
house from his father Joe Biden, Hunter Biden was hired by the company to a
six-figure position.
While Biden was a Senator, Hunter Biden’s partners secured $25
million in federal earmarks for the University of Delaware and received firm
fees totaling $1.5 million for its work on behalf of the school.
Additionally, records show that Senator Obama also sought
over $3.4 million in earmarks for clients that Hunter Biden represented.
JOE BIDEN’S FAMILY MEMBERS, JAMES AND FRANK
HAVE MADE A PRACTICE OF USING JOE’S NAME IN CONTROVERSIAL BUSINESS DEALINGS
Joe Biden’s brother, Frank Biden, used the
Biden name to underwrite his Mavericks in Education project which was
ultimately deemed a failure.
In 2010, James Biden was brought on
to Hill International, a firm tasked with building low cost housing in Iraq,
with the firm saying the Biden last name helped him
get in the door.
____________________________________________________________
IN 2016, JOE BIDEN PRESSURED UKRAINE TO FIRE
A PROSECUTOR GENERAL WHO WAS INVESTIGATING BURISMA HOLDINGS, A FIRM WHICH HAD
PAID HUNTER BIDEN $3.4 MILLION FOR REPRESENTATION
From 2014 To 2015, Hunter Biden And His
Business Partners Were Paid $3.4 Million To Represent Burisma Holdings In An
Effort To Have “Well-Connected Democrats” Defend The Company From U.S. And
Ukrainian Investigations
Hunter Biden Joined Burisma Holding’s Board
In April 2014, During The Midst Of An “Investigation Into Money Laundering.” “Hunter
Biden, 45, a former Washington lobbyist, joined the Burisma board in April
2014. That month, as part of an investigation into money
laundering, British officials froze London bank accounts containing $23
million that allegedly belonged to Mr. Zlochevsky.” (The
New York Times, 12/8/15)
- Hunter
Was Paid By Burisma Holdings “As Much As $50,000 Per Month In Some
Months.” “He would be paid as much as $50,000 per
month in some months for his work for the company, Burisma Holdings.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
Administration.” “Hunter
Biden and his American business partners were part of a
broad effort by Burisma to bring in well-connected Democrats during a period
when the company was facing investigations backed not just by domestic
Ukrainian forces but by officials in the Obama administration.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
Among The American Companies Brought In By
Hunter, Was “Blue Star Strategies, A Consulting Firm Run By
Clinton Administration Veterans That Had Done Substantial Work In Ukraine.” “Among
the Americans brought in by Hunter Biden’s American business partners to help
fend off the investigations was Blue Star Strategies, a consulting firm run by
Clinton administration veterans that had done substantial work in Ukraine.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
From Mid-April 2014 To Late 2015, Hunter’s
Company, Rosemont, Was Paid $3.4 Million For His Work On Behalf Of Burisma
Holdings. “Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine appears to have been well
compensated. Burisma paid $3.4 million to a company called Rosemont Seneca
Bohai LLC from mid-April 2014, when Hunter Biden and Mr. Archer joined the
board, to late 2015, according to the financial data provided by the Ukrainian
deputy prosecutor. The payments continued after that, according to people
familiar with the arrangement.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
The New York Times Reported That, In 2016,
Vice President Biden Had Sought For And Succeeded In Ousting A Ukrainian
Prosecutor General That Had Been Investigating Hunter Biden’s Client Burisma
The New York Times
Reported That, In 2016, Former Vice President Biden Threatened To Withhold $1
Billion In U.S. Loans Unless Ukraine Dismissed Their Prosecutor General, The
Pressure Worked And He Was Soon Ousted By The Ukrainian Parliament. “It
was a foreign policy role Joseph R. Biden Jr. enthusiastically embraced during
his vice presidency: browbeating Ukraine’s notoriously corrupt government to
clean up its act. And one of his most memorable performances came on a trip to
Kiev in March 2016, when he threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States
loan guarantees if Ukraine’s leaders did not dismiss the country’s top
prosecutor, who had been accused of turning a blind eye to corruption in his own
office and among the political elite. The pressure campaign worked. The
prosecutor general, long a target of criticism from other Western nations and
international lenders, was soon voted out by the Ukrainian Parliament.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
“Among Those Who Had A Stake In The Outcome”
Of Biden’s Confrontation Of Ukraine’s Prosecutor Was His Son, Hunter Biden Who
Sat On The Board Of An Energy Company Whose Owner “Had Been In The Sights Of
The Fired Prosecutor General.” “Among those
who had a stake in the outcome was Hunter Biden, Mr. Biden’s younger son, who
at the time was on the board of an energy company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch
who had been in the sights of the fired prosecutor general.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
It’s Also Been Revealed That Hunter’s Work
For Burisma Prompted “Concerns” At The State Department “That The Connection
Could Complicate Vice President Biden’s Diplomacy In Ukraine.” “Hunter
Biden’s work for Burisma prompted concerns among State Department officials at
the time that the connection could complicate Vice President Biden’s diplomacy
in Ukraine, former officials said.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
Former Vice President Biden Has Always
Claimed That He “Acted To Carry Out United States Policy
Without Regard To Any Activities Of His Son,” But A Decision By The Current
Ukrainian Prosecutor General To Reverse Himself And Reopen An Investigation
Into The Energy Company Has Pushed The Issue Back Into The Spotlight. “The former vice president’s
campaign said that he had always acted to carry out
United States policy without regard to any activities of his son, that he
had never discussed the matter with Hunter Biden and that he learned of his
son’s role with the Ukrainian energy company from news reports. But new details
about Hunter Biden’s involvement, and a decision this year by the current
Ukrainian prosecutor general to reverse himself and reopen an investigation
into Burisma, have pushed the issue back into the spotlight just as the senior
Mr. Biden is beginning his 2020 presidential campaign.” (The
New York Times, 5/1/19)
IN 2009, HUNTER BIDEN PIGGYBACKED OFF OF HIS
FATHER’S DIPLOMATIC TRIPS TO OBTAIN ACCESS TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS AND IN
PARTICULAR CHINA
Connected By A Strong Relationship Between
Their Dads, Hunter Biden And Christopher Heinz, The Son Of John Kerry, Created
Rosemont Capital In June 2009
In June 2009, In A Move That Was “Not Exactly
A Bolt Out Of The Blue” Given Their Family’s Close Ties, Joe Biden And John
Kerry’s Sons Went Into Business Together In Private Equity. “One
of his closest political allies in Washington is former senator and former
Secretary of State John Kerry. ‘Lunch Bucket Joe’ he ain’t; Kerry is more
patrician than earthy. But the two men became close while serving for several
decades together in the US Senate. The two ‘often talked on matters of foreign
policy,’ says Jules Witcover in his Biden biography. So their sons going into
business together in June 2009 was not exactly a bolt out of the blue.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Backed By Family Money From A “Vast Ketchup
Fortune,” Chris Heinz, John Kerry’s Stepson, And A “39-Year-Old Hunter” Joined
Forces To Build Upon A Network Of Existing Investment Funds. “The
39-year-old Hunter joined forces with the son of another powerful figure in
American politics, Chris Heinz. Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania had
tragically died in a 1991 airplane crash when Chris was 18. Chris, his
brothers, and his mother inherited a large chunk of the family’s vast ketchup
fortune, including a network of investment funds and a Pennsylvania estate,
among other properties.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Along With Devon Archer, “A
Longtime Heinz And Kerry Friend,” Hunter And Chris Teamed Up To Establish A
Series Of Related LLCs Under A Firm Called Rosemont Capital. “Joining them in the
Rosemont venture was Devon Archer, a longtime Heinz and Kerry friend. The three
friends established a series of related LLCs. The trunk of the tree was
Rosemont Capital, the alternative investment fund of the Heinz Family Office.”
(New
York Post, 3/15/18)
The Small Fund “Grew Quickly,” And According
To A “Securities And Exchange Commission Investigation, Rosemont Described
Themselves As ‘A $2.4 Billion Private Equity Firm.’” “The
small fund grew quickly. According to an email revealed as part of a Securities
and Exchange Commission investigation, Rosemont described themselves as ‘a $2.4
billion private equity firm co-owned by Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz,’ with
Devon Archer as ‘Managing Partner.’” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
In Addition To Rosemont Capital, The Partners
Attached Several Branches To The Organization, Including “Rosemont Seneca
Partners, LLC, Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners, And Rosemont Realty.” “The
partners attached several branches to the Rosemont Capital trunk, including Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC, Rosemont Seneca Technology
Partners, and Rosemont Realty.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Rather Than Occupy An Office
In New York City, Rosemont Chose To Operate
Out Of The Political Hub Of Washington D.C., Just Miles From Their Fathers’
Offices
“Rather Than Set Up Shop In
New York City, The Financial Capital Of The World, Rosemont Seneca Leased Space
In Washington, DC.,” Just Miles From Their Fathers’ Offices. “Rather
than set up shop in New York City, the financial capital of the world, Rosemont
Seneca leased space in Washington, DC. They occupied an all-brick building
on Wisconsin Avenue, the main thoroughfare of exclusive Georgetown. Their
offices would be less than a mile from John and Teresa Kerry’s 23-room
Georgetown mansion, and just two miles from both Joe Biden’s office in the
White House and his residence at the Naval Observatory.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
“Over The Next Seven Years, As Both Joe Biden
And John Kerry Negotiated Sensitive And High-Stakes Deals With Foreign
Governments, Rosemont Entities Secured A Series Of Exclusive Deals Often With
Those Same Foreign Governments.” “Over
the next seven years, as both Joe Biden and John Kerry negotiated sensitive and
high-stakes deals with foreign governments, Rosemont entities secured a series
of exclusive deals often with those same foreign governments.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Rosemont Was Not Alone In Its Foreign
Ventures, In China The Firm Joined Forces With Another “Politically Connected
Consultancy Called The Thornton Group.” “Rosemont Seneca joined
forces in doing business in China with another politically connected
consultancy called the Thornton Group.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
At The Time, “The Massachusetts-Based Firm”
Was “Headed By James Bulger, The Nephew Of The Notorious Mob Hitman James
‘Whitey’ Bulger.” “The
Massachusetts-based firm is headed by James Bulger, the nephew of the notorious
mob hitman James ‘Whitey’ Bulger. Whitey was the leader of the Winter Hill
Gang, part of the South Boston mafia. Under indictment for 19 murders, he
disappeared. He was later arrested, tried, and convicted.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Less Than A Year After Opening And While Joe
Biden Was Vice President, Rosemont Capital Had Secured Access With Multiple
Foreign Leaders Including Access To China “At The Highest Levels”
Less Than A Year After
Opening Rosemont Seneca’s Doors, Hunter Biden And Devon Archer Had Secured
Access To China “At The Highest Levels” Alongside Its US Partner The Thornton
Group. “Less
than a year after opening Rosemont Seneca’s doors, Hunter Biden and Devon
Archer were in China, having secured access at the highest levels. Thornton
Group’s account of the meeting on their Chinese-language website was telling:
Chinese executives ‘extended their warm welcome’ to the ‘Thornton Group, with
its US partner Rosemont Seneca chairman Hunter Biden (second son of the now
Vice President Joe Biden).’” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Even Though Rosemont Was
Both “New And Small” The Group Met With “The Largest And Most Powerful
Government Fund Leaders In China.” “According to the Thornton Group, the three Americans met
with the largest and most powerful government fund leaders in China — even though
Rosemont was both new and small.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
While “Some Of The Deals” That Rosemont
Secured Will Remain Hidden, The Transactions That Are Traceable Reveal A
“Troubling Pattern” Of “Profitable Deals” “Struck With Foreign Governments On
The Heels Of Crucial Diplomatic Missions” Carried Out By Biden And Kerry. “Some
of the deals they secured may remain hidden. These Rosemont entities are, after
all, within a private equity firm and as such are not required to report or
disclose their financial dealings publicly. Some of their transactions are
nevertheless traceable by investigating world capital markets. A troubling
pattern emerges from this research, showing how profitable deals were struck
with foreign governments on the heels of crucial diplomatic missions carried
out by their powerful fathers. Often those foreign entities gained favorable
policy actions from the United States government just as the sons were securing
favorable financial deals from those same entities.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Rosemont Capital And Hunter Biden Drew Public
Scrutiny For Piggybacking Off Of Joe Biden’s Diplomatic Trips To Hold Business
Meetings Including Flying On Air Force Two During Biden’s Asia Pivot Ventures
From 2011 To 2013, Multiple Foreign Business
Meetings Drew Public Scrutiny From Outsiders Including One, After Just Hours
Before, “Hunter Biden’s Father, The Vice President, Met With Chinese President
Hu In Washington.” “The timing of this meeting was also curious.
It occurred just hours before Hunter Biden’s father, the vice president, met with
Chinese President Hu in Washington as part of the Nuclear Security Summit.
There was a second known meeting with many of the same Chinese financial titans
in Taiwan in May 2011. For a small firm like Rosemont Seneca with no track
record, it was an impressive level of access to China’s largest financial
players. And it was just two weeks after Joe Biden had opened up the US-China
strategic dialogue with Chinese officials in Washington.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Again In 2013, “Hunter Biden
Was Jetting Across The Pacific Ocean Aboard Air Force Two With His Father,”
While The Vice President Was On His Way To Asia For An Extended Official
Trip. “On
one of the first days of December 2013, Hunter Biden was jetting across the
Pacific Ocean aboard Air Force Two with his father and daughter Finnegan. The
vice president was heading to Asia on an extended official trip.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
Former Vice President Biden Was Visiting
“Japan, China, And South Korea,” As Part Of The Obama Administration’s “Asia
Pivot” In Their International Strategy. “Tensions
in the region were on the rise. The American delegation was visiting Japan,
China, and South Korea. But it was the visit to China that had the most
potential to generate conflict and controversy. The Obama administration had
instituted the ‘Asia Pivot’ in its international strategy, shifting attention
away from Europe and toward Asia, where China was flexing its muscles.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
For Hunter, “The Trip Coincided With A Major
Deal That Rosemont Seneca Was Striking With The State-Owned Bank Of China.” “For
Hunter Biden, the trip coincided with a major deal that Rosemont Seneca was
striking with the state-owned Bank of China. From his perspective, the timing
couldn’t have been better.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
With The Bank Of China, Rosemont Seneca
Helped To Create A “$1 Billion Investment Fund Called Bohai Harvest RST (BHR).”
“Rosemont
Seneca and the Bank of China created a $1 billion investment fund called Bohai
Harvest RST (BHR), a name that reflected who was involved. Bohai (or Bo Hai),
the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea, was a reference to the Chinese stake in
the company. The “RS” referred to Rosemont Seneca. The “T” was Thornton.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
The Funds Were “Backed By The Chinese
Government, And In Short, “The Chinese Government Was Literally Funding A
Business That It Co-Owned Along With The Sons Of Two Of America’s Most Powerful
Decision Makers.” “The fund enjoyed an unusual and special
status in China. BHR touted its ‘unique Sino-US shareholding structure’ and
‘the global resources and network’ that allowed it to secure investment
‘opportunities.’ Funds were backed by the Chinese government. In short, the Chinese government was literally funding a business that
it co-owned along with the sons of two of America’s most powerful decision
makers.” (New
York Post, 3/15/18)
JOE BIDEN AND HIS SON HUNTER HAVE A TANGLED
HISTORY WITH THE BANKING COMPANY MBNA FULL OF SWAMPY DEALINGS AND APPARENT QUID
PRO QUO
In 1996, Shortly After A Top Executive At The
MBNA Credit Card Bank Bought A House From His Father Joe Biden, Hunter Biden
Was Hired By The Company To A Six-Figure Position
Since The 90’s, Joe Biden Has Had “A Pretty
Cozy Relationship” With MBNA, That Resulted In An Executive Purchasing His Home
During A Weak Market, Extensive Campaign Donations, And The Bank Hiring His
Son. “Biden and MBNA have indeed developed a pretty cozy
relationship. John Cochran, the company’s vice-chairman and chief marketing
officer, did pay top dollar for Biden’s house, and MBNA gave Cochran a lot of
money—$330,000—to help with ‘expenses’ related to the move. A few months after
the sale, as Biden’s re-election effort got under way, MBNA’s top executives
contributed generously to his campaign in a series of coordinated donations
that sidestepped the limits on contributions by the company’s political action
committee.” (National
Review, 8/23/08)
In 1996, MBNA Executive John Cochran Paid
$1.2 Million For Biden’s Home, A “Good Deal For Biden.”
“Biden bought the house in 1975 but had been thinking on-and-off about selling
it for years; he almost sold it before his disastrous run for the presidency in
1988. But the deal didn’t happen until MBNA came along. … According to MBNA
officials, the company asked [MBNA executive John] Cochran to move to Delaware.
At the same time, Biden was looking for a buyer for his house. How the two got
together is not clear. When asked, an MBNA spokesman declined to offer any
details, saying only, ‘That’s a very personal question.’ However it happened,
in February 1996 Cochran bought Biden’s house for $1.2 million. The price was
not twice the home’s value, as [Republican challenger] Raymond Clatworthy’s
pollsters claimed, but there is evidence to suggest it was a pretty darned good
deal for Biden.” (National
Review, 8/23/08)
The Home Was Appraised At $1.2 Million.
“The appraisal that Biden gave the News-Journal during last year’s
campaign—showing that the house was worth $1.2 million—was done several years
earlier, at the time Biden took out loans for his sons’ education. In January
1996, as the purchase deal was under way, another appraisal was made, also
putting the house’s value at $1.2 million. A spokesman for Cochran provided TAS
with a copy of that appraisal.” (National
Review, 8/23/08)
· But
Nearby Houses Had Been Selling Below Their Appraised Value, And Biden’s House
Needed “Quite A Bit Of Work.” “It is customary for appraisers to evaluate
homes in relation to similar properties in the area, or ‘comparables.’ In the
case of Biden’s house, the appraiser compared the home to another large old
house about a quarter of a mile away. That house—which was in similar
condition—was judged to be worth $1,013,000. It sold in August 1995 for
$800,000 (it should be noted that the house did not have a pool, which Biden’s
does; on the other hand the house had central air conditioning, which Biden’s
did not, and it was on a larger lot). The appraiser also looked at two other
newer houses in the area. One was appraised at $1,230,000 and sold for
$1,007,500. The other was appraised at $1,163,000 and sold for an even $1
million. In all three cases, the homes sold for a good deal less than their
appraised value. In comparison, it appears Cochran simply paid Biden’s full
asking price. And, according to people familiar with the situation, the house
needed quite a bit of work; contractors and their trucks descended on the house
for months after the purchase.” (National
Review, 8/23/08)
Shortly After The 1996 Election, MBNA Hired
Biden’s Son For A Lucrative Job, In Which He Was “Groomed For A Senior
Management Position.” “And then, a short time after the election,
MBNA hired Biden’s son [Hunter Biden] for a lucrative job in which, according
to bank officials, he is being groomed for a senior management position.” (National
Review, 8/23/08)
While Biden Was A Senator, Hunter Biden’s
Partners Secured $25 Million In Federal Earmarks For The University Of Delaware
And Received Firm Fees Totaling $1.5 Million For Its Work On Behalf Of The School
Biden And Obama Campaign Spokesmen Have
Claimed That Hunter Biden “Has Never Lobbied Sen. Biden’s Office Or
Committees.” “Sen. Biden’s campaign says Hunter Biden
didn’t lobby his father. … The Obama-Biden campaign spokesman, David Wade, said
that Hunter Biden ‘has never lobbied Sen. Biden’s office or committees,
period.’” (The
Wall Street Journal, 8/25/08)
But William Oldaker, A Partner In Hunter
Biden’s Firm, Spoke With Biden’s Office About The University Of Delaware, A
Client That Has Paid The Firm At Least $1.5 Million From 2002 To 2008. “And
while Oldaker has said he does not lobby Biden personally, he has spoken with
Biden’s staff about some clients. One example was the University of Delaware,
which Oldaker approached in 2002, shortly after founding the firm with Hunter
Biden and Robert Belair. Since then, the university has paid Oldaker’s firm
$1.5 million. The payoff: as of 2006, $24.8 million in earmarks for defense
research, a student-exchange program, and a drug-and-alcohol-studies program.”
(ABC News, 8/24/08)
- With
Help From Biden’s Firm, The University Of Delaware Secured Almost $25
Million In Federal Earmarks And “Paid Hunter Biden’s Firm Fees Totaling
$1.5 Million For Its Work On Behalf Of The School.” “The
scrutiny of Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Barack Obama’s choice for the vice-presidential
slot on the Democratic ticket, continues with a report today concerning
Sen. Biden’s son, R. Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden is a partner in the
lobbying firm of Oldaker, Biden & Belair, a Washington, D.C., firm
which lobbies on behalf of clients in Sen. Biden’s native Delaware. One
such client, the University of Delaware, has received almost $25 million
in federal earmark dollars for defense research and other activities. The
University has paid Hunter Biden’s firm fees totaling $1.5 million for its
work on behalf of the school.” (AOL,
8/24/08)
- University
Earmarks Increased Significantly After Oldacker And The National Group
Began Lobbying On Their Behalf. “Though the
university’s main source of federal funding is still annual grants of
about $100 million, the university has secured another $68 million from
the Delaware delegation in the five years since The National Group’s
lobbyists began working for UD. In the three years before The National
Group began lobbying for UD, the university averaged about $7.4 million a
year in earmarks obtained through the Delaware delegation, according to
Sen. Biden’s office.” (The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal, 6/8/08)
- Oldaker
Was A Former Biden Campaign Adviser And Treasurer During Biden’s “Failed
1988 Presidential Bid.” “For instance, William
Oldaker, another named partner and former general counsel at the Federal
Election Commission, has been Sen. Biden’s campaign treasurer for
Congress. Oldaker has advised Biden on campaign issues, first during the
Senator’s failed 1988 presidential bid.” (ABC News, 8/24/08)
Robert Belair, Another Named Partner At
Oldaker, Biden & Belair, Has “On Occasion Spoken With Biden’s Staff”
Regarding Clients With Judiciary Committee Issues. “Belair,
the firm’s other named partner, said he has never personally lobbied Sen.
Biden, but has on occasion spoken with Biden’s staff for a client with issues
before the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose membership includes Biden. Belair
said he does not think there is any conflict of interest because he has worked
for this client, SEARCH Group, a law enforcement research organization, for
decades long before he ever met or began working with Hunter Biden.” (ABC
News, 8/24/08)
The Sunlight Foundation’s Bill Allison
Admitted That Hunter’s Firm Got “Get A Better Deal Than Someone Fresh Off The
Street, And I’m Not Sure That’s The Way Our Government Is Supposed To Work.” “We’re
all human and we tend to favor those we have connections with. … I just think
[Oldaker’s firm’s] going to get a better deal than
someone fresh off the street, and I’m not sure that’s the way our government is
supposed to work.” (The [Wilmington, DE] News Journal,
6/8/08)
Additionally, Records Show That Senator Obama
Also Sought Over $3.4 Million In Earmarks For Clients That Hunter Biden
Represented
“Obama’s Campaign Has Taken
A Hard Stance Against The World Of Lobbying In The Nation’s Capital.” “Obama’s campaign has taken
a hard stance against the world of lobbying in the nation’s capital.” (The
Washington Post, 8/27/08)
But Obama Sought Over $3.4 Million In
Earmarks For Clients Of Biden’s Lobbyist Son. “Sen. Barack Obama
sought more than $3.4 million in congressional earmarks for clients of the
lobbyist son of his Democratic running mate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of
Delaware, records show. Obama succeeded in getting $192,000 for one of the
clients, St. Xavier University in suburban Chicago.” (The Washington Post,
8/27/08)
· Obama
Campaign Spokesman, David Wade, Claims That “Hunter Biden Never Appealed
Directly To Obama.” “Campaign spokesman David Wade also said Hunter Biden
never appealed directly to Obama.” (The Washington Post, 8/27/08)
JOE BIDEN’S FAMILY HAS MADE A PRACTICE OF
USING JOE’S NAME IN CONTROVERSIAL AND OFTEN, UNSUCESSFUL, BUSINESS DEALINGS
Joe Biden’s Brother, Frank Biden, Used The
Biden Name To Bolster His Mavericks In Education Project Which Was Ultimately
Deemed A Failure
“Mavericks Has Become A Poster Child For The
Problems That Have Long Dogged Charter Schools In Florida.” (Miami
New Times, 12/29/11)
Mavericks High Schools Are Tuition-Free
Charter Schools Targeted Towards Students That Haven’t Succeeded At Mainstream
Schools. “Biden heads a nonprofit, Mavericks High Schools, which
operates eight tuition-free charter schools in Florida. Among them are high
schools in Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach in Broward County, Palm Springs in
Palm Beach County, and two in Miami-Dade County. All serve troubled teens who
have not done well in mainstream schools.” (Sun
Sentinel (Florida), 10/2/11)
Frank Biden Is Often Referred To As The
President Of Mavericks High School. “Biden, president of the
charter Mavericks High School in West Palm Beach and director of the Florida
Charter School Alliance, was the guest of Charter Schools USA, which operates
45 schools in the state, including eight Renaissance Charter Schools in Palm
Beach and St. Lucie counties.” (Palm
Beach Post (Florida), 8/11/14)
Frank Biden Used His Family Name To Assure At
Least One School Board That His Mavericks In Education Project Was Sustainable. “In
February, Frank Biden urged the Palm Beach County School Board to approve a
charter school proposal from the company, known as Mavericks in Education. ‘I
give you my word of honor on my family name that this system is sustainable,’
Biden told the board in the videotaped Feb. 2 special meeting. ‘This school
will be sustained.’ Afterward, the board voted to approve the Mavericks
proposal, overriding a staff recommendation to deny the application because of
questions about its fiscal soundness and academic quality.” (The
Washington Posts’ The Answer Sheet Blog,
12/10/11)
In June 2014, An Inspector General Found That
A Mavericks School Couldn’t Verify That Students Received Five Hours Of
Instruction Required To Receive Nearly $320,000 In Funding.
“The school district has withheld nearly $320,000 in state taxpayer money from
a Palm Springs charter school after they were unable to prove to auditors that
they are teaching students a full five periods during the school day, according
to a draft audit report released this week by School District Inspector General
Lung Chiu.” (The
Palm Beach Post, 6/16/14)
A Former Career Coordinator At Mavericks High
School, Kelly Shaw, Alleged In 2011 That The School Was Purposefully Inflating
Student Attendance And Enrollment To Increase Public Funding. “Insiders
at the Mavericks High of South Miami-Dade, a Homestead charter school for
at-risk students, also say the school has broken state law to bring in more
money. Kelly Shaw, a former career coordinator at the school, filed a
whistleblower suit in June accusing school administrators of defrauding the
school district by inflating student attendance and enrollment figures, to
increase the amount of money the school collected.” (Miami
Herald, 12/10/11)
An Audit Of Mavericks Charter School In Palm
Springs Found The State Had Given $160,000 More Than It Was Entitled After The
School Overstated Enrollment. “A Palm Beach County
charter school got nearly $160,000 more in state education money than it was
entitled to receive after overstating 2011-12 enrollment, a draft audit
released last week by the school district’s inspector general claims.” (The
Palm Beach Post, 1/6/13)
- The
Inspector General Found At Least 56 Students Who Were Improperly Counted
By The School, Despite The Students Failing To Show Up For Any Of 11-Day
Survey Period. “According to the draft audit from
Inspector General Lung Chiu, Mavericks High School in Palm Springs counted
and was given funds for at least 56 students who did not attend the school
at all during two 11-day “survey periods” last year required by the state
Department of Education. The survey periods are used to establish
enrollment figures on which the department bases its per-student funding
to schools.” (The
Palm Beach Post, 1/6/13)
Once An Investigation Had Begun, The
Mavericks School In Palm Beach At First Admitted To Miscounting 14 Students And
Then Found Another 28 Students. “After the Palm Beach
County School District started investigating, the audit report claims,
officials at Mavericks identified 14 students on May 4 they claimed a former
data processor had mistakenly included in their February attendance survey.
Then, on May 11, Mavericks officials said they had found another 28 students
who they mistakenly included in their October 2011 attendance survey, the audit
report says.” (The
Palm Beach Post, 1/6/13)
The Seven Mavericks High Schools Graduate
17.1 Percent Of Students For Whom There Is Information, While The State Of
Florida Graduates 75.6 Percent. (Data
Publications And Reports: Students, Accessed 8/26/14)
In 2010, James Biden Was Brought On To Hill
International, A Firm Tasked With Building Low Cost Housing In Iraq, With The
Firm Saying The Biden Last Name Helped Him Get In The Door
On November 23, 2010, HillStone
International, A Subsidiary Of Hill International, Announced James Biden As An
Executive Vice President. (Hill
International, 11/23/10)
- In
The Announcement, Hill International Highlighted James Biden’s Connection
To His Brother Joe Biden’s Senate Bid. “At the age of
22, Biden was the finance chairman of his then 29-year-old brother's bid
for a U.S. Senate seat in Delaware and successfully
enlisted the support of national unions, political leaders and financiers
across the country.” (Hill
International, 11/23/10)
In 2011, Hill International And HillStone
International Were Contracted By South Korean Firm TRAC Development Group For A
Housing Project In Iraq. “Hill International (NYSE:HIL), the
global leader in managing construction risk, announced today that it has
received a contract from TRAC Development Group, a South Korean real estate
developer, to provide project management and construction management services
in connection with a major housing development in Iraq. In addition, Hill's
majority-owned subsidiary HillStone International, LLC has received a contract
to supply building structural systems to TRAC for the development.” (Hill
International, 6/2/11)
- Hill
International Will Be Responsible For 100,000 Homes And Related
Infrastructure. “The total development includes the
construction of 500,000 housing units plus related infrastructure which
was granted to TRAC by the National Investment Commission of Iraq. The
total development is estimated to cost approximately $35 billion. The Hill
and HillStone contracts are each for the first phase of the development
only, which includes construction of the first 100,000 housing units plus
related infrastructure.” (Hill
International, 6/2/11)
- Hill
Received This Contract Six Months After Biden Joined The Firm. “About
six months after Biden joined the firm, Hill announced that it was
appointed by TRAC to build 100,000 homes.” (Fox
Business, 10/22/12)
David Richter, President Of Hill
International, Said It Helps To Have The Vice President’s Brother As A Partner.
“David Richter, the president of Hill International (HIL), a mid-sized outfit
that manages construction projects, was speaking last year at a private meeting
with investors when he was asked about the recent success of his newest
subsidiary, HillStone International. How was it that HillStone, a newcomer in
the business of home building, landed a massive and potentially lucrative
contract to build 100,000 homes in war-torn Iraq? Richter didn’t mince words.
It really helps, he said, to have “the brother of the vice president as a
partner,” according to a person who was present. The “brother” Richter was
referring to during the meeting is James Biden, the younger brother of Vice
President Joe Biden.” (Fox
Business, 10/22/12)
Irv Richter Claimed The Last Name Biden Helps
Him Get In The Door, But Obama Would Be Better. “Listen,
his name helps him get in the door, but it doesn’t help him get business,”
Richter said of Biden. “People who have important names tend to get in the door
easier but it doesn’t mean success. If he had the name Obama he would get in
the door easier.” (Fox
Business, 10/22/12)
Complied
by the Republican National Committee
