If you want to see the difference between Democrats and Republicans in action, just consider the issue of congressional subpoenas.
In the House, Republicans have subpoenaed Hunter Biden to provide testimony in a case where there's no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, Biden has agreed to testify and has asked only for the hearing to be public. This has caused Republicans to flip out.
Over in the Senate, Democrats have subpoenaed Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo to provide testimony about gifts to Clarence Thomas, something that clearly did happen. Republicans have gone absolutely ballistic over this, desperately trying to stop the subpoena and then publicly telling Crow and Leo they should ignore it. Leo has told the Senate to fuck itself, and Republicans have assured him they'll mount a filibuster against any attempt to enforce his testimony.
Both sides, though.
"Republicans have subpoenaed Hunter Biden to provide testimony in a case where there's no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing."
Respectfully, it sure possible Hunter was an unregistered foreign agent based on the definition of the law. It also appears that Hunter lied on the form to get a firearm. Further, his sudden artistic ability is a bit questionable.
While I believe that the GOP is really blowing up this issue, without justification, I do not believe any wrongdoing is accurate either.
Thanks for your response. Just curious: have Republicans subpoenaed Hunter Biden to answer questions about the cases you mentioned? Or have they subpoenaed him for other cases?
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Speaker Johnson is known to be a fine art conoisseur and is deeply offended that Hunter Biden's "art" is being sold for quite a bit of money simply because of his celebrity. Though exquisite paintings of The Lord Jesus beseeching His Holy Father in Gesthemane can be had for a mere forty or fifty dollars, Biden is bringing in thousands for "channeling" Cezanne at Malibu or the Mayan artists of Tulum.
The Speaker is convinced that this is an elaborate ruse for rich Leftists to funnel money to President Biden in order to get him to favor their perverted causes.
Is it Impeachable? Certainly when Democrats do it!
See how easy it is to make shit up like the Pube's do? We should do it more often.
In the original WSJ editorial story (i.e. they hate hunter) that broke the Hunter art story, they interviewed three experts. All said Hunter's are pieces were each worth between 4 figures and 5 figures based on their artistic content.
masscommons - being honest, I have no clue what questions the Republicans might ask. Similar to many elements of our national politics, the goal will be to embarrass Joe Biden, and imply illegal ties. Getting to facts, is a far secondary goal.
However, my issue, 'no evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing' is way overstating the real situation. Do you honestly think Hunter didn't lie on the gun registration form? And no, just because lying is common is that a valid defense...
so... out of 1000 or so jan 6 insurrectionists, exactly how many were investigated or charged with lying on their gun registration forms?
Actually, selective prosecution at the level the DOJ is using in this case is a valid defense.
'Way' overstating, eh? How much would constitute just 'overstating' then? Of course, trolls can't help themselves when they do the superlative.
Remind us how many other Americans have been investigated by House committees for lying on their gun registration forms. And given he's been charged with doing exactly that, what do you think is left to investigate?
Between several hundred thousand and more than a million americans commit the gun crime Hunter did every year. (The feds only have funding to launch ~30,000 prosecutions a year, So it is simply a fact that no American not named bidden would ever be prosecuted under the facts that Hunter is being prosecuted.
Any wrongdoing by Hunter Biden, if any there was, is irrelevant to the matter. He is and has always been a private citizen, not subject to impeachment, and therefore any investigation into potential Federal criminal activity is exclusively the prerogative of the DOJ. The House may issue subpoenas to private citizens to obtain their testimony related to legislation, even if that is only a possibility. I read the Oversight Committee’s press release and the subpoena, and there is no mention of the proposed or contemplated legislation.
This issue was raised when the Democratic-majority House subpoenaed Trump’s tax filings; the question of whether ‘legislative intent’ was satisfied was settled in the courts.
Harlan Crow has also raised the legislative-purpose objection to being subpoenaed by the Senate. https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ethics-senate-subpoenas-thomas-alito-288f2601218064e12e5aade33d066d0b
There is however a bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee requiring a code of ethics for Justices of the Supreme Court. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/supreme-court-ethics-reform
It has been noted on many occasions over the past few years that Congress is not a law enforcement body. Their power to demand information rests on a valid legislative purpose for wanting the information, giving "legislative purpose" a somewhat expansive definition to include oversight of the other branches and impeachment inquiries. There is no valid legislative purpose for inquiring into crimes possibly committed by a private citizen. Thus, while there may be some evidence of crimes committed by Hunter, without some juristic connection between Hunter's alleged crimes and the government, specifically the president, Congress has no business investigating Hunter's alleged wrongdoing.
It would be more accurate to say, rather than "any wrongdoing", "any wrongdoing connected to the government". It is true, as far as I know, that there is NO evidence of any wrongdoing by Hunter Biden that is in any way connected to the government.
Well stated.
Republicans are the party of all corruption, all the time.
If a billionaire wanted to put his driveway through the Lincoln Memorial they'd be deeply offended, in fact morally outraged, that he couldn't do it.
It's always about naked power with them. Always has been, always will be. It's never about rules, or laws, or order.
I believe senate rules require both parties to agree to subpoenas while house rules only allow the majority to issue subpoenas
I don't think the rules require it; I think both require a vote of the chamber. In the Senate this almost inevitably requires votes from both parties, and of course in the House no subpoena is likely to make it out of a committee and onto the floor without the support of the majority party, so in effect it's correct, but I don't think it's because of specific rules.
Hunter Biden has not been subpoenaed to testify about his own possible crimes. He is being subpoenaed as part of the inquiry into President Biden's financial activities, while he was a private citizen. The suggestion is that Hunter Biden's company was funneling money secretly to his father from foreign sources. Of course, no actual crime or evidence of crime has been identified, and receiving money from a foreign business is not in itself illegal. Just ask Trump and his daughter.
Very good. Thank you.
And for how long has Jim Jordan defied a lawful subpoena from the Jan 6 committee? 600 days now?
Hey, we all know shit cannot stick to a repulsive. They are 100% Teflon. Absolutely nothing organic about them, including their brains, of which they have none.
It's not only Hunter Biden who has been subpoenaed. They've also issued subpoenas to James Biden, to the two Bidens' business associates (Devon Archer has already given evidence), and most contemptibly, to the owner of the gallery which has exhibited Hunter's art works.
The smug justification for the subpoena to Hunter is as follows:
Or to put it more succinctly, "We're on a fishing expedition desperately hoping you can provide evidence some of these 'crimes' we've been babbling about actually happened."
They piously lie that their "legislative purpose" is to see if a law should be passed to require relatives of presidents and candidates for the presidency to declare all their income from foreign interests; a law which needless to say their own putative presidential candidate would never endorse in a million years.
If that's all, Hunter doesn't even need to testify. He just needs to write a letter saying:
1. No
2. No
3. No
We knew already that congress was dysfunctional. this simply dots the i’s and crosses the t’s. Meanwhile our judicial system is having a nervous breakdown. This as Trump, who attempted to overthrow the government in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue on nationwide television, uses his wealth to subvert our judges, courts and laws. And adding insult to injury our once-Supreme Court is openly political with justices who appear to have been offered cash and other inducements by monied interests. Our democracy is teetering.