OK, Laptop was real. MSM corruption

[bolverk 29,738]

In this post and the next, I'm going to post, in full, two article from the NYTimes about the laptop situation. The first one, which was published the past Wednesday, seems to be the one that has set off this new clamor about Hunter Biden's laptop. The second article was initially published in October 2020 and updated this past fall.

I'm not going to do any editorializing here, because I'd like everyone to make their own judgments regarding what, if any, evidence is publicly known about alleged crimes by Hunter or Joe. Hopefully, everyone will read and digest them before carrying on with an honest discussion about the laptop and allegations of malfeasance by Hunter or his dad.

Spoilering both for length.

Spoiler

Hunter Biden Paid Tax Bill, but Broad Federal Investigation Continues
The Justice Department inquiry into the business dealings of the president’s son has remained active, with a grand jury seeking information about payments from around the world.

WASHINGTON — In the year after he disclosed a federal investigation into his “tax affairs” in late 2020, President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, paid off a significant tax liability, even as a grand jury continued to gather evidence in a wide-ranging examination of his international business dealings, according to people familiar with the case.

Mr. Biden’s failure to pay all his taxes has been a focus of the ongoing Justice Department investigation. While wiping out his liability does not preclude criminal charges against him, the payment could make it harder for prosecutors to win a conviction or a long sentence for tax-related offenses, according to tax law experts, since juries and judges tend to be more sympathetic to defendants who have paid their bills.

But Mr. Biden’s taxes are just one element of the broader investigation stemming from work he did around the world. Hunter Biden is a Yale-educated lawyer; his professional life has intersected with his father’s public service, including working as a registered lobbyist for domestic interests and, while his father was vice president, pursuing deals and clients in Asia and Europe.

As recently as last month, the federal grand jury heard testimony in Wilmington, Del., from two witnesses, one of whom was a former employee of Hunter Biden whose lawyer was later subpoenaed for financial records that reflected money Mr. Biden received from a Ukrainian energy company.

The investigation, which began as a tax inquiry under the Obama administration, widened in 2018 to include possible criminal violations of tax laws, as well as foreign lobbying and money laundering rules, according to the people familiar with the inquiry.

But prosecutors face a number of hurdles to bringing criminal charges, the people familiar with the investigation said, including proving that Mr. Biden intentionally violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, which requires disclosure to the Justice Department of lobbying or public relations assistance on behalf of foreign clients.

The Justice Department has given no public indication that it has made decisions about any element of the case, and Mr. Biden has not been charged with any crime.

When he disclosed the investigation after the 2020 election, Hunter Biden said that “a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately.”

Mr. Biden’s lawyer, the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware, which is overseeing the investigation, all declined to comment.

It is not clear whether the criminal probe is focused solely on Hunter Biden, or if he is among a group of individuals and companies being scrutinized. Prosecutors have also asked about potential FARA violations by a Washington consulting firm, Blue Star Strategies, that worked for the Ukrainian energy company in an arrangement that Mr. Biden helped broker, according to documents and the people familiar with the investigation.

For President Biden, the long-running case is both politically and personally fraught. Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy company, became a flashpoint in his father’s race in 2020 against President Donald J. Trump and helped set off the events that led to Mr. Trump’s first impeachment.

The elder Mr. Biden now oversees the Justice Department that is carrying out the investigation. And Hunter Biden, who in recent years has pursued a career as a painter, has acknowledged serious drug addiction and other problems during the period when he was seeking international business, while dealing with the illness and death of his brother Beau.

The investigation is being overseen by David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware. He worked in the office during the Bush and Obama administrations, and was nominated to run it by Mr. Trump. Mr. Weiss has been permitted to remain in office until the Biden case is resolved.

Hunter Biden told associates in recent months that he paid the federal taxes that had been the subject of Justice Department scrutiny. He told one associate that the tax liability was more than $1 million, and that he had to take out a loan to pay it off.

Federal tax prosecutors generally fight to keep jurors from knowing whether defendants have paid their back tax bills, arguing that the crime happens when the return is falsely filed or not filed at all, said Jeffrey Neiman, a former Justice Department tax prosecutor and a partner at Marcus, Neiman, Rashbaum & Pineiro. Such knowledge could influence jurors, even if a judge asks them not to consider it.

Mr. Neiman said that defense lawyers encourage clients to pay their back taxes if they believe they could be indicted on federal tax crimes, as it often helps with sentencing.

Mr. Biden’s extensive work with foreign businesses came under scrutiny from prosecutors looking into whether he should have registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent.

Investigators have examined Mr. Biden’s relationships with interests in Kazakhstan, a Chinese energy conglomerate and Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company, according to people familiar with the investigation.

They said prosecutors had investigated payments and gifts Mr. Biden or his associates had received from foreign interests, including a vehicle paid for using funds from a company associated with a Kazakh oligarch and a diamond from a Chinese energy tycoon. Prosecutors also sought documents related to corporate entities through which Mr. Biden and his associates conducted business with interests around the world.

But there has been debate within the Justice Department over whether the available evidence proves that Mr. Biden intended to violate FARA, which the government must prove in order to secure a criminal conviction. The prosecutors have discussed approaching potential FARA violations as a civil matter, which would require Mr. Biden to register retroactively as a foreign agent, but would avoid criminal charges, according to the people familiar with the case.

Such a resolution could complicate a potential money laundering case, since money laundering is typically charged in connection with another crime.

Over the last two years, federal prosecutors in Delaware have issued scores of subpoenas for documents related to Hunter Biden’s foreign work and for bank accounts linked to him and his associates, including two formerly close business partners, Eric Schwerin and Devon Archer, according to people familiar with the investigation.

Last year, prosecutors interviewed Mr. Archer and subpoenaed him for documents and grand jury testimony, the people said. Mr. Archer, who was sentenced last month in an unrelated securities fraud case in which a decision to set aside his conviction was reversed, had served with Mr. Biden on Burisma’s board, starting in 2014.

People familiar with the investigation said prosecutors had examined emails between Mr. Biden, Mr. Archer and others about Burisma and other foreign business activity. Those emails were obtained by The New York Times from a cache of files that appears to have come from a laptop abandoned by Mr. Biden in a Delaware repair shop. The email and others in the cache were authenticated by people familiar with them and with the investigation.

In some of the emails, Mr. Biden displayed a familiarity with FARA, and a desire to avoid triggering it.

In one email to Mr. Archer in April 2014, Mr. Biden outlined his vision for working with Burisma. In the email, Hunter Biden indicated that the forthcoming announcement of a trip to Ukraine by Vice President Biden — who is referred to in the email as “my guy,” but not by name — should “be characterized as part of our advice and thinking — but what he will say and do is out of our hands.”

The announcement “could be a really good thing or it could end up creating too great an expectation. We need to temper expectations regarding that visit,” Hunter Biden wrote.

Vice President Biden traveled to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, about a week after the email.

In the same April 2014 email, Hunter Biden indicated that Burisma’s officials “need to know in no uncertain terms that we will not and cannot intervene directly with domestic policymakers, and that we need to abide by FARA and any other U.S. laws in the strictest sense across the board.”

He suggested enlisting the law firm where he worked at the time, Boies Schiller Flexner, to help Burisma through “direct discussions at state, energy and NSC,” referring to two cabinet departments and the National Security Council at the White House.

The firm “can devise a media plan and arrange for legal protections and mitigate U.S. domestic negative press regarding the current leadership if need be,” Mr. Biden wrote in the email.

Mr. Biden, Mr. Archer, Boies Schiller Flexner and Blue Star Strategies did not register under FARA on behalf of Burisma.

In another set of emails examined by prosecutors, Hunter Biden and Mr. Archer discussed inviting foreign business associates, including a Burisma executive, to a dinner in April 2015 at a Washington restaurant where Vice President Biden would stop by. It is not clear whether the Burisma executive attended the dinner, although the vice president did make an appearance, according to people familiar with the event.

Prosecutors also subpoenaed records related to a lawsuit brought by the former employee of Mr. Biden’s, Lunden Alexis Roberts, in Arkansas state court, according to her lawyer.

Ms. Roberts sued Mr. Biden for child support and paternity in 2019, after one of his companies ceased paying her and providing her with health insurance, according to court records.

Mr. Biden and Ms. Roberts reached a settlement out of court in the paternity case in March 2020.

Last year, prosecutors traveled to Little Rock, Ark., and asked Ms. Roberts and her lawyer about Mr. Biden’s finances, including which corporate entity he used to pay her, and whether that entity had received payments from Burisma, according to a person familiar with the questioning.

And last month, in response to another subpoena, Ms. Roberts testified before the grand jury in Delaware, according to her lawyer.

 

[bolverk 29,738]

Spoiler

What We Know and Don’t About Hunter Biden and a Laptop
President Trump’s allies have promoted claims of corruption aimed at the former vice president’s son in an effort to damage the Biden campaign.

President Trump’s allies have long promoted claims of corruption about Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s son Hunter in a bid to damage Mr. Biden’s presidential campaign. The accusations intensified in recent days when some of Mr. Trump’s associates, including his personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, provided material for a New York Post article detailing some of the allegations. The Post reported that the F.B.I. had seized a computer that purportedly belonged to Hunter Biden.

The Biden campaign has rejected the accusations. Many questions remain about the origins of the allegations themselves, the laptop and what, if anything, agents are investigating.

What are the allegations Mr. Trump and his allies are making?
The Post article relied on documents purportedly taken from the computer to try to buttress an unsubstantiated argument peddled by Mr. Giuliani and other Trump supporters: that as vice president, Mr. Biden had shaped American foreign policy in Ukraine to benefit his son. The events are the latest chapter in a more than two-year effort by the president and his allies to uncover damning information about the Bidens, a pursuit that also helped prompt Mr. Trump’s impeachment.

Mr. Biden has long said he knew nothing about his son’s business activities in Ukraine. But the article suggested that the former vice president met with an adviser to a Ukrainian energy company whose board Hunter Biden sat on, Burisma Holdings. The article referred to an email that the adviser, Vadym Pozharskyi, sent to Hunter Biden thanking him for “giving an opportunity to meet your father” and to spend “some time together.”

A Biden campaign spokesman said Mr. Biden’s official schedules did not show a meeting between the two men. A lawyer for Hunter Biden, George Mesires, told The Washington Post that “this purported meeting never happened.”

The New York Post reporter who wrote most of the article refused to put his name on it because of concerns about its credibility, two Post employees have said.

How did the laptop surface?
A computer repair shop owner in Wilmington, Del., named John Paul Mac Isaac has said Hunter Biden left a damaged Apple computer at his shop in April 2019 and asked to recover any data. Mr. Isaac said in an interview with The New York Times last week outside the shop that he is legally blind and could not be sure whether the man was Hunter Biden but asked his name to fill out a work order, and the man identified himself as Hunter Biden. Mr. Isaac said the man came to his shop twice but never returned to retrieve the computer or an external hard drive on which its contents had been stored.

At some point, he decided to examine the material, calling it “alarming” and “embarrassing” but declining to discuss specifics. Mr. Isaac also said he made a copy of the computer’s contents.

How did the F.B.I. learn about the laptop?
Mr. Isaac said he told the bureau. He said he eventually decided to contact the F.B.I. after he began fearing for his safety because he knew what was on the laptop, which The New York Post said included a graphic video. “If I was somebody important, I would want to keep some of this stuff private,” he said. “Nobody wants their dirty laundry aired.”

Mr. Isaac said he met with F.B.I. agents in late 2019 and provided them with a timeline of events. The agents returned about two weeks later in mid-December with a grand jury subpoena allowing them to seize the laptop and the external hard drive. The subpoena was signed by a federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office in Wilmington who handles criminal investigations such as fraud, and Mr. Isaac acknowledged receiving it.

The agents also gave him a receipt for what they took, according to a photograph of it published by Fox News. The receipt included an F.B.I. code, 272D, the bureau’s internal classification for money laundering investigations, and “BA” for its Baltimore field office. Officials separately confirmed that the F.B.I. seized the laptop and an external hard drive as part of an investigation, though they did not detail the inquiry or whether it involved money laundering or Hunter Biden. They also confirmed that the agent who signed the receipt works in Wilmington and is overseen by the Baltimore office.

What happened after the F.B.I. took the equipment?
Mr. Isaac said he did not hear back from investigators. He said that he wondered why the laptop’s existence had not been disclosed during the impeachment proceedings against Mr. Trump, and that he began to fear that agents might be trying to bury the information he found on the laptop.

Mr. Trump’s impeachment focused on his dealings with Ukraine, and in particular his attempts to press the president of Ukraine to announce investigations that could benefit Mr. Trump politically, including one into Burisma and the Bidens. In an effort to counter the accusations that Mr. Trump abused his power, some of his supporters, including Mr. Giuliani, also promoted allegations of corruption about Hunter Biden’s work in the country while his father was vice president.

Mr. Isaac said “it just didn’t feel right” that the existence of the laptop was not widely known. “Somebody besides me should have known about it,” he said. Mr. Isaac said he called a couple of members of Congress, whom he did not identify, but did not hear back.

Mr. Isaac declined to discuss his next steps, but The New York Post reported that in September, he gave the copy of the hard drive to Mr. Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert J. Costello. Mr. Giuliani later provided it to the tabloid, a handoff in which Stephen K. Bannon, a former adviser to Mr. Trump who was indicted in an unrelated fraud case, also played an unspecified role. Since the Post article was published, a clamorous Mr. Giuliani has pushed the allegations and said they prove the Bidens are corrupt. Mr. Giuliani also said in an interview that he alerted Mr. Trump that the tabloid would be publishing an article about the laptop in case he was asked about it.

What about concerns over Russian disinformation?
No concrete evidence has emerged that the laptop contains Russian disinformation.

With pressure mounting on the F.B.I. to respond to questions from Congress about the laptop, the bureau wrote to one of the president’s staunchest allies in Congress, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, suggesting that it had not found any Russian disinformation on the laptop.

John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, also told Fox Business Network that the “laptop is not part of some Russian disinformation campaign.” But Mr. Ratcliffe, who has been criticized for embracing the president’s political agenda in a traditionally apolitical job, did not make clear whether the intelligence agencies or the F.B.I. authenticated the laptop’s contents or whether he was simply saying that they had not gathered evidence that Russia altered any of the material.

The laptop prompted concerns about Russian disinformation because the intelligence community has warned for months about Russian attempts to influence the election, including by spreading disinformation about the Biden family. Russia has conducted a hacking campaign to find information damaging to the Biden campaign, most notably through a hack on Burisma.

Intelligence officials have also warned the White House that Russian intelligence officers were using Mr. Giuliani, who provided the hard drive copy to the tabloid, as a conduit for disinformation aimed at undermining Mr. Biden’s presidential run.

What don’t we know?
A lot. Mr. Isaac, who said he voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, declined to answer many questions about the laptop and his contacts with the F.B.I. He also would not talk about his communications with the Trump loyalists who orchestrated the plan to make the computer’s contents public just before the election.

It is also not clear what the F.B.I. did with the laptop or what Justice Department officials knew about the sensitive F.B.I. investigation at the time. F.B.I. officials have declined to discuss the inquiry.

 

[Sawbonz 27,663]

3 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

The right is just mad because "but his emails!" didn't work in 2020.

Womp womp.

Fool me once shame on you fool me twice, won’t get fooled again!

[Covri 6,253]

[The Ace of Aces 5,194]

Let me get this right: Donald Trump was involved in a criminal conspiracy to defame Joe Biden. So when the Trump criminal organization acquired a laptop that allegedly has evidence to advance the same conspiracy less than one month before an election, every media outlet in the world should stop everything and presort on said “findings” from a criminal conspiracy?

Sure, Jan.

 

[RDCanecutter 26,484]

6 hours ago, TexArcher said:

How do you say, "Go fuck a goat" in Russian?

"Idi na goatski."

[jimmyjazz 46,300]

Does anybody truly believe that President Obama allowed his Vice President to craft foreign policy that favored said VP's son?

Really?

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

Does anybody truly believe that President Obama allowed his Vice President to craft foreign policy that favored said VP's son?

Really?

Dude, Obama was BLACK.

[jimmyjazz 46,300]

Just now, Biff Tannen said:

Dude, Obama was BLACK.

[Biff Tannen 45,751]

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

[Longhorn_Fan68 33,900]

56 minutes ago, Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand said:

I'll be honest. A small part of me HOPES Joe Biden went full Trump and a signed check shows up showing Joe paying off a media outlet to kill this ...???..."story"? ... just to see MAGA's head explode. 

they wouldn't make the connection, and that's the problem.

[TexArcher 38,081]

9 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Dude, Obama was BLACK.

And he was NOT one of the good ones.

Because there are no good ones. 

-- Laura Ingraham, probably.

[Bateshorn 9,942]

I used to hang out at the same strip club as Hunter Biden. That’s all I got. AMA.

[The Ace of Aces 5,194]

17 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Does anybody truly believe that President Obama allowed his Vice President to craft foreign policy that favored said VP's son?

Really?

These Neanderthals think an election was stolen despite zero evidence, an impossibility and somehow only one race was “stolen” and not the hundreds of R wins. They’re mouthbreathing idiots who deserve no benefit of any doubt. 

[RDCanecutter 26,484]

15 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

These Neanderthals think an election was stolen despite zero evidence, an impossibility and somehow only one race was “stolen” and not the hundreds of R wins. They’re mouthbreathing idiots who deserve no benefit of any doubt. 

Maybe all the other races would've been won by libtards but they cleverly sacrified those spots to the R candidates so they could pull the same trickery undetected to make Sleepy Joe Brandon our robotic holographic king.

You have to think like a Demon-crat if you hope to beat a Demon-crat.

Better luck next time, Sheeple.

[Bullneck 19,232]

12 hours ago, Passive Aggressive Coach said:

How horrible is this for any democracy? Trump was right. Story was deleted from all media right before the election. I know the CR here will defend it but this is one of the worst things ever in an election. Laptop was all real but all stories got scrubbed and even the NY post got banned from social media,  CBS needs to apologize to Trump. Trump was right all the time. I wont even post his speeches to the UN and NATO. He was right on it all in his rough way (different subject).

CR defend what happened...

 

 

When are you planning on posting the link that explains:

1.  What was on the laptop,

2. What illegal documents (phrase that anyway you'd like) were on the laptop,

3. What office Hunter held at the time he committed whatever you think was illegal

4. What should be done?  Someone call the Justice Department (they might be a tad busy at the moment)?  Or the DC police? Or Scotland Yard? Or Interpol?

In other words, why is this a story?  Or more of a story than Moscow Mitch and his wife?  Or more of a story about Republican Senators in Moscow on the 4th of July? Or certain Republicans voting not to sanction Russia and their trade status?

Who gives a shit?

[Celery Man 21,017]

36 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I used to hang out at the same strip club as Hunter Biden. That’s all I got. AMA.

did he tip well

[HornOnTheBayou 8,954]

40 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I used to hang out at the same strip club as Hunter Biden. That’s all I got. AMA.

Well, is it true? Bigger than Tommy Lee's?

[Goredho 17,427]

This seems relevant to this topic, at least until Hunter’s laptop is used to as evidence in crimes committed by his father:

In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.

 

[bolverk 29,738]

12 hours ago, Passive Aggressive Coach said:

(1) Story was deleted from all media right before the election. I know the CR here will defend it but (2) this is one of the worst things ever in an election. (3) Laptop was all real but all stories got scrubbed and even (4) the NY post got banned from social media,  CBS needs to apologize to Trump.

(1) False. See the article from October 22, 2020, right before the election. https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/6234aa276c90860020516e75/republican-conspiracy-russia-ukraine/

(2) Worse than Nixon sabotaging peace talks with North Vietnam before the 1968 election? Worse than Watergate? Worse than Manafort handing over internal polling information to a Russian operative? Worse than Roger Stone working with Wikileaks to leaked DNC emails stolen by the Russians?

(3) Again, false. See (1).

(4) Did they though? 

12 hours ago, Passive Aggressive Coach said:

(5)I want a debate here. 

(5) False. You made this thread late at night when few were awake and didn't even respond the few posters who replied last night. 

11 hours ago, Passive Aggressive Coach said:

The president's son had business interests in Ukraine and (6) China. He got paid. Biden took pics with some of the oligarchs. Story was real all suppressed as "russian disinformation".

(7)

 

(6) Not by China, he didn't. Even the Wall Street Journal and Fox News disagree:

Bobulinski said that, in 2017, Hunter Biden consulted with his father about forming a new venture with CEFC China Energy Co. to invest in real estate and technology in the U.S. Bobulinski was brought into the venture by James Gilliar, an English businessman who purportedly knew the Bidens through Rob Walker, a former Clinton administration official. 

Bobulinski became a partner and CEO of the venture, which was named SinoHawk Holdings LLC. The company was incorporated in Delaware in May 2017.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal fell through; SinoHawk never received money from or completed deals with the Chinese oil company. According to the newspaper, Hunter, Joe Biden’s brother James, Gilliar and Walker were also involved — but there was no role for Joe Biden.

Bobulinski claimed otherwise.

"Everything I’m saying is corroborated by emails, WhatsApp chats, agreements, documents and other evidence," he told reporters gathered Oct. 22, before gesturing to three phones that he claimed contained incriminating evidence and said he would hand over to authorities.

Bobulinski provided some of his records to outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. Both reported that they do not show Joe Biden had business dealings with SinoHawk Holdings or took money from the Chinese company.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/oct/29/tony-bobulinski-hunter-biden-and-china-explainer/

(7) And, just to be clear, that twitter account is reposting shit about Ukraine from a pro-Kremlin news channel (see below), is posting anti-vaxx shit, and c) is posting shit about buying and selling gemstones.

 

 

In sum, you're spreading disinformation. I'll be generous here and assume you believe everything you posted last night and are just an easily duped victim or stooge (aka useful idiot). Believing otherwise would mean you're a liar, hell-bent on malicious intent. Which is it? Care to debate?

[Degenerate Gardner 4,085]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

I used to hang out at the same strip club as Hunter Biden. That’s all I got. AMA.

How often did he talk about Comet Pizza? Constantly, hourly or just daily?

[JimmyJames 12,271]

13 minutes ago, bolverk said:

(1) False. See the article from October 22, 2020, right before the election. https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/6234aa276c90860020516e75/republican-conspiracy-russia-ukraine/

(2) Worse than Nixon sabotaging peace talks with North Vietnam before the 1968 election? Worse than Watergate? Worse than Manafort handing over internal polling information to a Russian operative? Worse than Roger Stone working with Wikileaks to leaked DNC emails stolen by the Russians?

(3) Again, false. See (1).

(4) Did they though? 

(5) False. You made this thread late at night when few were awake and didn't even respond the few posters who replied last night. 

(6) Not by China, he didn't. Even the Wall Street Journal and Fox News disagree:

Bobulinski said that, in 2017, Hunter Biden consulted with his father about forming a new venture with CEFC China Energy Co. to invest in real estate and technology in the U.S. Bobulinski was brought into the venture by James Gilliar, an English businessman who purportedly knew the Bidens through Rob Walker, a former Clinton administration official. 

Bobulinski became a partner and CEO of the venture, which was named SinoHawk Holdings LLC. The company was incorporated in Delaware in May 2017.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal fell through; SinoHawk never received money from or completed deals with the Chinese oil company. According to the newspaper, Hunter, Joe Biden’s brother James, Gilliar and Walker were also involved — but there was no role for Joe Biden.

Bobulinski claimed otherwise.

"Everything I’m saying is corroborated by emails, WhatsApp chats, agreements, documents and other evidence," he told reporters gathered Oct. 22, before gesturing to three phones that he claimed contained incriminating evidence and said he would hand over to authorities.

Bobulinski provided some of his records to outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. Both reported that they do not show Joe Biden had business dealings with SinoHawk Holdings or took money from the Chinese company.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/oct/29/tony-bobulinski-hunter-biden-and-china-explainer/

(7) And, just to be clear, that twitter account is reposting shit about Ukraine from a pro-Kremlin news channel (see below), is posting anti-vaxx shit, and c) is posting shit about buying and selling gemstones.

 

 

In sum, you're spreading disinformation. I'll be generous here and assume you believe everything you posted last night and are just an easily duped victim or stooge (aka useful idiot). Believing otherwise would mean you're a liar, hell-bent on malicious intent. Which is it? Care to debate?

He’s a fucking paid troll who spreads disinformation all over the net. We’ve got a few here because while it’s not Twitter or Facebook this site is actually just influential enough politically to matter. 

[AnTiM 1,672]

3 minutes ago, JimmyJames said:

He’s a fucking paid troll who spreads disinformation all over the net. We’ve got a few here because while it’s not Twitter or Facebook this site is actually just influential enough politically to matter. 

This.

[AnTiM 1,672]

20 minutes ago, bolverk said:

(1) False. See the article from October 22, 2020, right before the election. https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/the-third-rail/6234aa276c90860020516e75/republican-conspiracy-russia-ukraine/

(2) Worse than Nixon sabotaging peace talks with North Vietnam before the 1968 election? Worse than Watergate? Worse than Manafort handing over internal polling information to a Russian operative? Worse than Roger Stone working with Wikileaks to leaked DNC emails stolen by the Russians?

(3) Again, false. See (1).

(4) Did they though? 

(5) False. You made this thread late at night when few were awake and didn't even respond the few posters who replied last night. 

(6) Not by China, he didn't. Even the Wall Street Journal and Fox News disagree:

Bobulinski said that, in 2017, Hunter Biden consulted with his father about forming a new venture with CEFC China Energy Co. to invest in real estate and technology in the U.S. Bobulinski was brought into the venture by James Gilliar, an English businessman who purportedly knew the Bidens through Rob Walker, a former Clinton administration official. 

Bobulinski became a partner and CEO of the venture, which was named SinoHawk Holdings LLC. The company was incorporated in Delaware in May 2017.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal fell through; SinoHawk never received money from or completed deals with the Chinese oil company. According to the newspaper, Hunter, Joe Biden’s brother James, Gilliar and Walker were also involved — but there was no role for Joe Biden.

Bobulinski claimed otherwise.

"Everything I’m saying is corroborated by emails, WhatsApp chats, agreements, documents and other evidence," he told reporters gathered Oct. 22, before gesturing to three phones that he claimed contained incriminating evidence and said he would hand over to authorities.

Bobulinski provided some of his records to outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. Both reported that they do not show Joe Biden had business dealings with SinoHawk Holdings or took money from the Chinese company.

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/oct/29/tony-bobulinski-hunter-biden-and-china-explainer/

(7) And, just to be clear, that twitter account is reposting shit about Ukraine from a pro-Kremlin news channel (see below), is posting anti-vaxx shit, and c) is posting shit about buying and selling gemstones.

 

 

In sum, you're spreading disinformation. I'll be generous here and assume you believe everything you posted last night and are just an easily duped victim or stooge (aka useful idiot). Believing otherwise would mean you're a liar, hell-bent on malicious intent. Which is it? Care to debate?

And this.

[JimmyJames 12,271]

2 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

I used to hang out at the same strip club as Hunter Biden. That’s all I got. AMA.

The thing I always really loved about strip clubs was the smell. 

Not sure if laptops were allowed in those joints though. 

[TwiceHorn 31,624]

Probably also worth noting that one of the news entities that initially passed on the laptop story was  . . .  wait for it  . . . Fox News.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fox-news-passed-on-chance-to-break-hunter-biden-laptop-story-over-credibility-concerns-report

Regardless, legitimate news outlets treated the allegations with skepticism and NYP lacked the proof to counter the skepticism.

Shit even now we're dealing with "sources confirm," not a public statement from the FBI or some more reputable organization.

This is like claiming the orange shitgibbon is vindicated for all his election fraud wishcasting if and when someone actually finds a little bit of pro-Biden vote fraud.

Edited March 20, 2022 by TwiceHorn

[Celery Man 21,017]

correct me if I'm wrong or not reading closely enough, but also.... "sources confirm" generally that Hunter B didn't pay taxes appropriately and has been under investigation for that on money he made trading off his dad's name? That would be a election cycle story of note in a different fucking timeline than this one, where "candidate is not involved in loose cannon family member's shenanigans" hearkens back to a simpler time.

[Bama Chick 28,596]

Is “deplatforming” the new right wing dog whistle for “I posted unsubstantiated bullshittery and a website deleted it therefore I’ve been deprived of muh rights!”?

[Underdog 28,808]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Does anybody truly believe that President Obama allowed his Vice President to craft foreign policy that favored said VP's son?

Really?

This roided up knuckle dragging, mouth breathing twat does… 

 

[MaybeACoordinator 8,350]

12 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

correct me if I'm wrong or not reading closely enough, but also.... "sources confirm" generally that Hunter B didn't pay taxes appropriately and has been under investigation for that on money he made trading off his dad's name? That would be a election cycle story of note in a different fucking timeline than this one, where "candidate is not involved in loose cannon family member's shenanigans" hearkens back to a simpler time.

I think we need a whole new set of laws to govern this stuff. Either that or a DoJ willing to enforce those already on the books, because this is only going to get worse. 

Somebody way up thread said Joe got no material benefit from Hunter's seat on Burisma's board. Come on -- they saw to it that even with his truly impressive partying, he wouldn't have to be calling dad from Vegas at 5 AM for bail money and a lawyer or asking for "loan" for the foreseeable future. In some not inconsiderable way that makes Joe beholden to Burisma. It's more subtle than a straight pay-off but not much.

Influence peddling -- it's real, y'all.

[MaybeACoordinator 8,350]

 

I knew Jose Altuve was gonna take it badly when the Astros lost Correa but not that badly.

[Bateshorn 9,942]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

did he tip well

Just the tip. Just to see how it feels.

[Bateshorn 9,942]

2 hours ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

Well, is it true? Bigger than Tommy Lee's?

[Bateshorn 9,942]

1 hour ago, Degenerate Gardner said:

How often did he talk about Comet Pizza? Constantly, hourly or just daily?

Dunno know, it was loud and I was staring at his giant magnum dong. Which he often took pictures of with his lap top camera. 

[Blotto 23,585]

had to neg the OP purely on the general principle that I cant tolerate really fucking stupid people. 

[RDCanecutter 26,484]

I have an idea for an app that would tell you when a Trumpkin or a Russian is lying. I need a good coder to help me put all the subtle nuances into a script.

Basically, I want this: You hear or see a Russian or a Trumpkin say something, so you hold up your phone, tap the "Are They Lying?" app, and right there, on the spot, the app tells you "Yes."

[MaybeACoordinator 8,350]

12 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Just the tip. Just to see how it feels.

Some grandfatherly advice https://youtu.be/90oh_Yi_x4k

 

[Bateshorn 9,942]

10 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

Some grandfatherly advice https://youtu.be/90oh_Yi_x4k

 

[bolverk 29,738]

9 minutes ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

I think we need a whole new set of laws to govern this stuff. Either that or a DoJ willing to enforce those already on the books, because this is only going to get worse. 

Somebody way up thread said Joe got no material benefit from Hunter's seat on Burisma's board. Come on -- they saw to it that even with his truly impressive partying, he wouldn't have to be calling dad from Vegas at 5 AM for bail money and a lawyer or asking for "loan" for the foreseeable future. In some not inconsiderable way that makes Joe beholden to Burisma. It's more subtle than a straight pay-off but not much.

Influence peddling -- it's real, y'all.

Based on all the publicly available evidence, I fail to see how Joe or Burisma benefitted from this at all. But, yeah, it certainly looks like Hunter and his partners were trying to get business based off their connection to his daddy. At the end of the day though, the Obama/Biden administration, the EU, the World Bank, and the IMF, all pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor for being too lenient on corrupt fuckery, including Burisma which ended up being fined several million dollars. So, Joe must've not been all that beholden to Burisma.

I definitely agree that influence peddling does happen and this way may have been an attempt at it by Burisma through Hunter, but it certainly backfired on them. And, yes, it sure would be nice if a law could be written that the family and friends of powerful people wouldn't be allowed to profit off their last names and connections. As the old adage goes, "it's not what you know; it's who you know." I'm sure there are more posters on this site than just Johnny Sack who've benefitted from their family connections.

 

[henrygandorf 29,197]

i guess it’s good that some of our fellow cr knifefight gang of toughs actually responded to the op’s multiple posts, but facts were never the issue. the issue(s):

1. the redhats think the “msm” (collectively) did something shady, which in their minds represents incontrovertible proof that everything they’ve ever said (collectively) is most likely false. checkmate and such. 

2. they’re also big mad that their october surprise (part 2) just couldn’t get them over the hump. we all know that’s trump’s one-point plan for winning an election. i only point that out in case anyone forgot why he got impeached. the first time. 

it’s incredible the amount of stars they think had to align to prevent the worst president in history from getting re-elected. 

[David Dennison 18,952]

15 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

i guess it’s good that some of our fellow cr knifefight gang of toughs actually responded to the op’s multiple posts, but facts were never the issue. the issue(s):

1. the redhats think the “msm” (collectively) did something shady, which in their minds represents incontrovertible proof that everything they’ve ever said (collectively) is most likely false. checkmate and such. 

2. they’re also big mad that their october surprise (part 2) just couldn’t get them over the hump. we all know that’s trump’s one-point plan for winning an election. i only point that out in case anyone forgot why he got impeached. the first time. 

it’s incredible the amount of stars they think had to align to prevent the worst president in history from getting re-elected. 

It's always fun to remind them that the MSM includes Fox News. 

[mchookem 16,415]

2 hours ago, JimmyJames said:

He’s a fucking paid troll who spreads disinformation all over the net. We’ve got a few here because while it’s not Twitter or Facebook this site is actually just influential enough politically to matter. 

i mean it is THE LARGEST POLITICAL FORUM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS! 😎

[hobbes2702 13,083]

57 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Based on all the publicly available evidence, I fail to see how Joe or Burisma benefitted from this at all. But, yeah, it certainly looks like Hunter and his partners were trying to get business based off their connection to his daddy. At the end of the day though, the Obama/Biden administration, the EU, the World Bank, and the IMF, all pressured Ukraine to fire a prosecutor for being too lenient on corrupt fuckery, including Burisma which ended up being fined several million dollars. So, Joe must've not been all that beholden to Burisma.

I definitely agree that influence peddling does happen and this way may have been an attempt at it by Burisma through Hunter, but it certainly backfired on them. And, yes, it sure would be nice if a law could be written that the family and friends of powerful people wouldn't be allowed to profit off their last names and connections. As the old adage goes, "it's not what you know; it's who you know." I'm sure there are more posters on this site than just Johnny Sack who've benefitted from their family connections.

 

Hunter Biden didn’t even work for Burisma when the malfeasance occurred. Its a fucking joke

[Beau Vine 54,471]

2 hours ago, JimmyJames said:

He’s a fucking paid troll who spreads disinformation all over the net. We’ve got a few here because while it’s not Twitter or Facebook this site is actually just influential enough politically to matter. 

@immamac will be along shortly to add rep to his account to keep him from getting crowd-sourced.

[Nivek 17,000]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

i guess it’s good that some of our fellow cr knifefight gang of toughs actually responded to the op’s multiple posts, but facts were never the issue. the issue(s):

1. the redhats think the “msm” (collectively) did something shady, which in their minds represents incontrovertible proof that everything they’ve ever said (collectively) is most likely false. checkmate and such. 

2. they’re also big mad that their october surprise (part 2) just couldn’t get them over the hump. we all know that’s trump’s one-point plan for winning an election. i only point that out in case anyone forgot why he got impeached. the first time. 

it’s incredible the amount of stars they think had to align to prevent the worst president in history from getting re-elected. 

I think it is important to challenge the lies spread by liars on here.   Bolverk did a nice job providing evidence and the OP is a shitposter who ran away in typical form.   Just like Johnny Sack does everytime I challenge him.  He runs and hides.   

We should not let the right-wing morons and russian trolls spread lies.  

[Mdhorn 5,990]

8 hours ago, mdmost said:

The laptop, his giant dong, the Right's obsession with both...

Let the Right legislate your bedroom, and they'll legislate your pants next.  Just ask women how small government is legislating their wombs.  

[henrygandorf 29,197]

25 minutes ago, Nivek said:

I think it is important to challenge the lies spread by liars on here.   Bolverk did a nice job providing evidence and the OP is a shitposter who ran away in typical form.   Just like Johnny Sack does everytime I challenge him.  He runs and hides.   

We should not let the right-wing morons and russian trolls spread lies.  

ok, sure.

except that anyone who believes any of the shit these same 3 guys post will not care how truthful and obvious the rebuttals are.

[wildcat09 29,439]

Damnit I miss all the fun on the weekends. The trolls need to step their game up during the week when I’m procrastinating at work.

[tchookem 3,919]

I want a debate here.

I think it is important to challenge the lies spread by liars on here.   Bolverk did a nice job providing evidence and the OP is a shitposter who ran away in typical form.   Just like Johnny Sack does everytime I challenge him.  He runs and hides.   
We should not let the right-wing morons and russian trolls spread lies.  

CR EcHo chAmbEr.

[Willfully Horn 8,065]

2 hours ago, MaybeACoordinator said:

I think we need a whole new set of laws to govern this stuff. Either that or a DoJ willing to enforce those already on the books, because this is only going to get worse. 

Somebody way up thread said Joe got no material benefit from Hunter's seat on Burisma's board. Come on -- they saw to it that even with his truly impressive partying, he wouldn't have to be calling dad from Vegas at 5 AM for bail money and a lawyer or asking for "loan" for the foreseeable future. In some not inconsiderable way that makes Joe beholden to Burisma. It's more subtle than a straight pay-off but not much.

Influence peddling -- it's real, y'all.

If you can’t take their money, and then tell them to fuck off, you won’t be good at politicking.