Former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov pleaded not guilty to charges of lying to the FBI about Joe Biden and his son Hunter, and a judge ordered him to remain in jail out of concern he might flee the country. Prosecutors argued that Smirnov's alleged ties to Russian intelligence agents and access to significant funds made him a flight risk, while his attorney emphasized his cooperation with U.S. authorities and family ties in the United States. The case has significant implications for the Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Biden and the broader GOP effort to paint the president as corrupt.
Gal Luft, the "missing" witness touted by Republicans in their probe into alleged Biden family corruption, is now facing a laundry list of federal charges. Luft, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, has been accused of being an unregistered foreign agent for China, engaging in international arms trafficking, violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, and lying to investigators, among other charges. The House Oversight Committee had claimed that Luft could provide evidence of a "quid pro quo" deal involving an Obama-era Biden and an unnamed country, but no concrete evidence has been presented. Luft alleges that the case against him is political persecution by the Biden administration. He now faces 36 charges that carry a maximum of 100 years in prison.
A Rasmussen poll found that 78% of likely US voters have closely followed reports of Hunter Biden, and a Harvard-Harris survey found that 60% believe he sold access to the president. CNN's coverage of Trump's cautious ramp descent in 2020 versus Biden's recent fall shows a clear bias. Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh tried to one-up Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by claiming Palestinians have been in Israel for 1.5 million years, despite Homo sapiens only being around for 300,000 years. NBC's Ben Collins claimed that Republicans see DEI as fear of black and gay people, but conservatives see problems with racial quotas and politically policed speech.
Gal Luft, a witness in the House Oversight Committee's Biden family corruption investigation, is living as a fugitive in an undisclosed location after skipping bail while awaiting extradition to the US on seven charges. He claims he is the victim of political persecution by the US to protect Joe Biden and his family. Luft alleges that Chinese state-controlled energy company CEFC paid $100,000 a month to Hunter Biden and $65,000 to his uncle Jim in exchange for their FBI connections and use of the Biden name to promote China's Belt and Road Initiative around the world.
Members of the House Oversight Committee failed to provide any evidence of federal crimes committed by President Joe Biden or his family at a press conference on Wednesday. The nearly hour-long session led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer came one week after Mr Comer and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley alleged in a letter that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has in its records a report detailing “an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions”. Despite promises to prove Mr Biden’s criminality, Mr Comer’s presentation on Wednesday did not allege any criminal acts by Mr Biden or his family.
