Hunter Biden Breaks His Silence on Ukraine Scandal; Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund

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By Townhall. Hunter Biden has decided to step down from the board of BKR, a Chinese private equity firm, and vows to avoid foreign work should his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, become president.

“Hunter always understood that his father would be guided, entirely and unequivocally, by established U.S. policy, regardless of its effects on Hunter’s professional interests,” Hunter’s attorney, George Mesires, said in a statement. “He never anticipated the barrage of false charges against both him and his father by the President of the United States.” . . .

“Under a Biden Administration, Hunter will readily comply with any and all guidelines or standards a President Biden may issue to address purported conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such conflicts, including any restrictions related to overseas business interests,” Mesires said. “In any event, Hunter will agree not to serve on boards of, or work on behalf of, foreign owned companies.”

“He will continue to keep his father personally uninvolved in his business affairs, while availing himself as necessary and appropriate to the Office of the White House Counsel to help inform his application of the Biden Administration’s guidelines or standards to his business decision-making,” Mesires said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has been at the center of the Ukraine scandal. While Biden was handling international relations with Ukraine on behalf of the Obama administration, Hunter was being paid $50,000 a month by Ukrainian gas company Bursima despite having no natural energy experience. (Read more from “Hunter Biden Breaks His Silence on Ukraine Scandal” HERE)

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Expert: Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund

By Breitbart. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden announced Sunday that he was stepping down from his board position at BHR Equity Investment Fund Management, but he likely still has millions of dollars of value in the company.

Hunter Biden has a 10 percent stake in BHR, which he acquired through a company he created named Skaneateles LLC in 2017.

Although Hunter Biden’s lawyer has said that his client’s stake in the company is only valued at $420,000, a FactCheck.org analysis estimates it’s value to be millions.

“It is difficult to imagine, if not incomprehensible, that a 10% stake in those economics is worth only $420K,” Steven Kaplan of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business told FactCheck.org. “The distinction they appear to be making is they capitalized the management company with $4.2 M even if the fund manages $2 B. The value of that management company is likely far in excess of $4.2 M if they are managing $2 B.” (Read more from “Expert: Hunter Biden Likely Still Has Millions in China-Backed Investment Fund” HERE)

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WATCH: Gen. Mattis WARNS ISIS ‘Will Resurge’

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On Sunday, ABC’s “This Week” played a Saturday-taped interview with former Secretary of Defense General James Mattis.

During the interview, host Chuck Todd asked Mattis about the ongoing situation with Turkey and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Mattis asserted that “if we don’t keep the pressure on,” a reemergence of ISIS is “a given.”

MATTIS: Well, what we see is the continued reliance that we have on allies. The fight against ISIS was fought largely by the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have lost, during several years of fighting in Syria, for example, less than a dozen troops, each one a tragedy, but the Syrian Democratic Forces, primarily the Kurds, have lost well over 11,000 killed, over 23,000 wounded. So, you see how we are fighting this enemy, doing it in a way by, with, and through allies that spreads the load, so it’s not just the American people, the American taxpayer, the American troops carrying the full load.

TODD: Do you feel as if, are we still doing this fight now? Or have we just pulled back, and it’s now up to the Kurds on their own?

MATTIS: Well, it’s in a situation of disarray right now. Obviously, the Kurds are adapting to the Turkish attacks. And we’ll have to see if they’re able to maintain the fight against ISIS. It’s going to have an impact. The question is, how much?

(Read more from “WATCH: Gen. Mattis Says ISIS ‘Will Resurge’” HERE)

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Democrat Rep: We’re Considering Jailing the President’s Allies If They Don’t Comply With Impeachment Inquiry

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), one of the key members of the progressive Congressional “squad,” reiterated a claim Sunday that Democrats are quietly considering jailing allies of President Donald Trump if they do not comply with the House’s impeachment inquiry.

Tlaib told local Detroit news program, Deadline Detroit, that Democrats, who have issued a number of subpoenas to Trump friends, family members, and administration officials, have discussed detaining those who don’t show up to testify, the Hill reports.

“There have been actual serious conversations about what the logistics would look like … if we did have to force someone through a court order to come before the Congressional committee,” she said.

Congress typically negotiates with potential witnesses who receive subpoenas but have concerns about testifying. Jailing those who refuse to comply with a demand for testimony would be a novel approach, which Tlaib acknowledged: “This is pretty uncharted territory for many of us and even for Congress.”

This isn’t the first time Tlaib has talked about jailing ideological opponents, particularly those allied with the president, who could have information as to whether Trump discussed a deal with Ukrainian officials, returning cancelled foreign aid if Ukrainian prosecutors pursued Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, and investigated an energy corporation that placed Hunter Biden on its board. (Read more from “Democrat Rep.: We’re Considering Jailing the President’s Allies If They Don’t Comply With Impeachment Inquiry” HERE)

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Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake; Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

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By Newsweek. contingent of U.S. Special Forces was caught up in Turkish shelling against U.S.-backed Kurdish positions in northern Syria, days after President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart he would withdraw U.S. troops from certain positions in the area. A senior Pentagon official said shelling by the Turkish forces was so heavy that the U.S. personnel considered firing back in self-defense.

Newsweek has learned through both an Iraqi Kurdish intelligence official and the senior Pentagon official that Special Forces operating on Mashtenour hill in the majority-Kurdish city of Kobani fell under artillery fire from Turkish forces conducting their so-called “Operation Peace Spring” against Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S. but considered terrorist organizations by Turkey. No injuries have been reported.

Instead of returning fire, the Special Forces withdrew once the shelling had ceased. Newsweek previously reported Wednesday that the current rules of engagement for U.S. forces continue to be centered around self-defense and that no order has been issued by the Pentagon for a complete withdrawal from Syria. . .

The Turkish Defense Ministry issued a statement in response to Newsweek’s report, denying that its military had targeted U.S. forces. The ministry affirmed that “Turkish border outposts south of Suruc came under Dochka and mortar fire from the hills located approximately 1,000 meters southwest of a U.S. observation post.” (Read more from “Turkey Attacks U.S. Special Forces in Syria, Apparently by Mistake” HERE)

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Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’

By Breitbart. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday the Trump administration decided to pull back less than 50 U.S. troops from northern Syria in order to make sure they were not caught in a pending fight between Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces.

“When Turkey notified us of an imminent military operation, we relocated a small contingent of less than 50 special operations soldiers out of the immediate zone of attack,” he said. “This decision was made to ensure that American troops were not caught up in the fighting between Turkish and Kurdish forces.”

“The safety of our men and women in uniform remains our top priority,” he added.

Esper said Turkey’s decision put the U.S. in a tough situation, given that Turkey is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. He said:

The impulsive action of President Erdogan to invade northern Syria has put the United States in a tough situation, given our relationship with our NATO ally Turkey, who has fought alongside the United States in the past, and the Syrian Democratic Forces who helped us destroy the physical caliphate of ISIS, and the safety of U.S. military personnel.

(Read more from “Pentagon Chief on Decision to Move Troops in Syria: ‘We Put the Safety of Our Soldiers First’” HERE)

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Harry Reid Praises Trump as ‘a Very, Very Smart Man’

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Harry Reid had high praise for President Trump calling him “smart” and hard to beat in a recent appearance.

“I used to think that Donald Trump was not too smart. I certainly don’t believe that anymore,” the former Senate majority leader told David Axelrod in an interview preview that aired Friday on CNN. “I don’t think he’s intellectually a powerhouse, but he is basically a very, very smart man. No matter what the subject, any argument he involves himself in, it’s on his terms.”

The 79-year-old Nevada Democrat said the Democratic presidential contenders should not be under the illusion that Trump would be beaten easily in 2020.

In August, he warned that his party’s presidential candidates were taking far-left positions that were hurting their chances of beating Trump. He specifically pointed to “Medicare for all” and decriminalized border crossings as two potentially hazardous positions for Democrats.

Reid held his Nevada Senate seat from 1987-2017 and was the leader of the Democratic conference from 2005 to 2017. He announced he would not be running for reelection in 2016 after an injury left him blind in one eye. Sen. Chuck Schumer from New York is now the leader of the Senate Democrats. (Read more from “Harry Reid Praises Trump as ‘a Very, Very Smart Man'” HERE)

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NYC Plans Statues to Honor Seven Women — Two of Them Were Actually Men

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New York City has selected seven women to honor with statues placed around the city, two of whom were actually born male.

The statues were planned as part of the “She Built NYC” initiative spearheaded by the first lady of NYC, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s wife Chirlane McCray, meant to celebrate the women who had a hand in making the city what it is today.

McCray, along with former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen, announced the project in June of 2018, saying that they would take nominations from the public and a committee would narrow down the suggestions to choose a winner. . .

[Marsha] Johnson and [Sylvia] Rivera, neither of whom were born female, are set to be honored with a joint monument in Manhattan. . .

Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian-American woman who was the first American to be recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, reportedly received the most votes from New Yorkers when McCray asked for public submissions — but she was still passed over when the final selections were made.

(Read more from “NYC Plans Statues to Honor Seven Women — Two of Them Were Actually Men” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Doctor Admits: Strong Demand for Aborted Babies’ Livers, Kidneys, Intestines

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A Planned Parenthood doctor has revealed that there is a strong demand for aborted babies’ livers and kidneys from organizations that harvest the bodies provided by the abortion giant.

Dr. Thomas Moran was giving evidence in a lawsuit the organization has filed against David Daleiden and his colleagues over undercover videos that show Planned Parenthood senior executives negotiate over the sale of body parts from abortions.

Moran, who is a medical director of Planned Parenthood Southwest, San Diego, told the court about how he ended up being secretly recorded while talking to Daleiden and other undercover researchers at a Planned Parenthood Conference in 2015.

Moran agreed that the undercover researchers did not seek him out; rather, Moran and his colleagues approached the booth where Daleiden and his associates were posing as legitimate tissue and organ buyers. . .

Moran agreed that “as a result of abortions that would be performed there, including abortions [he] did, they would sometimes place a demand for certain organs, including livers.” (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Doctor Admits: Strong Demand for Aborted Babies’ Livers, Kidneys, Intestines” HERE)

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What Are the Chances Trump Wins?

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With the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry picking up steam and the White House digging in, people’s outlook on the 2020 election is beginning to shift — at least it is in the gambling world.

Though he remains the favorite to win, again, oddsmakers show Trump’s chances slipping with the impeachment effort escalating. On the other side of the aisle, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is enjoying some significant positive movement, while former Vice President Joe Biden — who’s quickly becoming the former frontrunner — saw his chances drop sharply, and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ odds plummeted post-heart attack.

According to odds and sports betting line site OddsShark as of Tuesday, Trump’s odds dropped somewhat — from +110 to +125 — since the Democrats first announced their impeachment inquiry on Sept. 25. After falling from +110 to +120 the first week the inquiry was announced, Trump’s odds remained the same the following week before dropping to +125 this week as the impeachment battle ratcheted up on both sides. . .

Sports Betting Dime (SBD) presents similar numbers. The betting line site gives Trump slightly better odds: +110, which the site notes are “990 points better than his next closest competitor.” As of Oct. 10, Warren moved up to +230 from the previous week, similar to OddsShark’s listing. Biden is likewise way down at +700, Yang is again in a distant third at +1500, and Sanders’ odds are at a grim +2000. Though OddsShark shows Clinton officially off the board, SBD still gives her +2500 odds. . .

The shifting outlook on the 2020 election has been significantly impacted by the Democrats’ impeachment campaign. Recent polling shows momentum in favor of impeaching the president. A Fox News Poll released this week shows a dramatic increase in those saying they believe Trump should be impeached. (Read more from “What Are the Chances Trump Wins?” HERE)

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Trump Ambassador’s Lawyer Says He’ll Defy Administration and Testify to Dems’ Impeachment Probe

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Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to stop him, United States Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland will testify in House Democrats’ impeachment probe against President Donald Trump next week, his lawyers says.

In a Friday morning statement, an attorney for Ambassador Sondland said, “Notwithstanding the State Department’s current direction not to testify, Ambassador Sondland will honor the Committees’ subpoena, and he looks forward to testifying on Thursday.” The statement adds that the diplomat “has no agenda apart from answering the Committees’ questions fully and truthfully.”

Earlier this week, Sondland was scheduled to voluntarily give testimony to a trio of House Committees but was blocked from doing so at the last minute by the Trump administration.

“I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify,” President Trump said of the decision, “but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public to see.”

The chairmen of the relevant committees responded later that day with a subpoena for Sondland’s testimony and documents related to the investigation.

Sondland’s attorney says that while his client can provide testimony to the impeachment investigation, the subpoenaed documents are another matter entirely. The ambassador “respects the Committee’s interest in reviewing all relevant materials,” the statement explains, “however, federal law and State Department regulations prohibit him from producing documents concerning his officials responsibilities.”

The White House, however, has unequivocally stated that it will not cooperate with the impeachment probe in a letter sent out Tuesday night. Chief among the reasons it listed is the fact that the probe was announced without an authorizing vote of the full House of Representatives, as has been done in past presidential impeachment cases.

Sondland is a key figure in the controversy surrounding President Trump’s communications with Ukrainian government officials. In testimony given last week, former U.S. envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker told lawmakers that he consulted with Sondland in August about a proposed anti-corruption statement to be given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the testimony and a corresponding text message, Volker and Sondland discussed whether or not the statement should mention Burisma — the energy company that employed former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter — and allegations of interfering in the 2016 elections. Volker testified that the statement was ultimately scrapped. (For more from the author of “Trump Ambassador’s Lawyer Says He’ll Defy Administration and Testify to Dems’ Impeachment Probe” please click HERE)

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2020 Dems Take Aim at Churches, Schools, and Conscience Rights in Favor of LGBT Issues

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At last night’s CNN LGBT town hall, 2020 Democrats showed the public where they stand on the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity as well as what they want to do to people and organizations who disagree with them.

Beto O’Rourke wants to punish religious organizations whose teachings don’t support same-sex marriage by stripping them of tax-exempt status: “There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break, for anyone or any institution, any organization in America that denies the full human rights and the full civil rights of every single one of us.” Cory Booker promised to use the federal government to “go after schools” on transgender issues. Pete Buttigieg said that invoking religious liberty in the face of gay and transgender policy demands “is an insult to faith.” Elizabeth Warren made it very clear that she wants to use people’s tax dollars to pay for transgender surgery. Joe Biden threw his support behind the so-called “Equality Act,” which would put sexual orientation and gender identity on the same level as race and sex in federal discrimination law and would also gut religious liberty protections for dissenters.

So, what to make of all this? While this policy area has proven itself to be yet another race to the Left in this progressive purity contest of a primary, it’s also yet another issue where one has to wonder how the eventual nominee will defend policies like these to general election voters outside Democrats’ electoral safe haven in a national race against President Donald Trump. (For more from the author of “2020 Dems Take Aim at Churches, Schools, and Conscience Rights in Favor of LGBT Issues” please click HERE)

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