Treasury Department Agrees to Hand over Hunter Biden Files

The House Oversight Committee said Tuesday that the U.S. Treasury Department is providing the investigatory committee with access to Hunter Biden’s Suspicious Activity Reports after months of delay.

The revelation is the latest chapter in the committee’s ongoing investigation into the president’s son and his associates. The lawmakers concerned with the issue argue the president could be compromised if foreign sources have knowledge of his or his son’s alleged wrongdoing.

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Commentary: Righteous Tyrants

They sure don’t make tyrants like they used to.

Tyrants once rose to power the old-fashioned way: defeating the opposition on the battlefield or at the faux ballot box. Despite their atrocities, these despots at least had some swagger—perhaps a way with the ladies, a good sense of humor, strong persuasive abilities, commanding verbal skills, pride in their appearance.

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New Bill Would Ban Feds from Working with Big Tech to Censor Americans

Leading Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives filed new legislation that would ban federal employees from working with big tech companies to censor Americans.

The bill comes as ongoing reports show that federal law enforcement and the White House have regularly communicated with social media companies like Facebook and Twitter, pressuring the companies to remove posts and accounts for a range of issues, including questioning the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Special Counsel Investigating Trump Was Key Figure in IRS Targeting Scandal

Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate former president Donald Trump’s possession of classified information, was a key figure in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s infamous targeting of conservative non-profits, according to a 2014 report by Republicans on the House Oversight Committee.

On Oct. 8, 2010, Smith, then-Chief of the DOJ Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section at the time, called a meeting with former IRS official Lois Lerner “to discuss how the IRS could assist in the criminal enforcement of campaign-finance laws against politically active nonprofits,” according to testimony from Richard Pilger, then director of the section’s Election Crimes Branch and subordinate of Smith’s, to the Oversight Committee. Lerner eventually resigned from the IRS in 2015 following criticism of her targeting of conservative groups when denying or delaying tax-exempt status.

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Treasury Dept Flagged 93 Financial Transfers Between Biden Associates and a Chinese Investment Fund, Report Shows

Businesses and associates linked to the Biden family allegedly exchanged over $2 million in wire transfers with a Shanghai investment fund controlled by the Bank of China over a five year period, according to a Treasury Department document obtained by Republican members of the House Oversight Committee.

Biden-linked operatives allegedly exchanged $2,461,962.60 in total with the Shanghai firm through 93 wire transactions between 2014 and 2019, according to a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) obtained by House Oversight Republicans, which also identified Hunter Biden as a “politically exposed person.” The revelation comes amid a House Oversight Committee investigation into the Biden family’s financial dealings.

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House Republicans Request Government Watchdog Investigate Foreign Investments in American Farmland

More than 100 House Republicans are asking a government watchdog to probe foreign investments in U.S. farmland, including those by China, which they say may present national and food security concerns.

Led by Reps. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania and James Comer of Kentucky, the lawmakers on Saturday called on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study foreign farmland ownership and how the U.S. government is monitoring acquisitions, a letter shows. There has been an uptick in foreign investments and ownership, which may be “underreported” due to the U.S. Agriculture Department’s (USDA) unreliable data, the Republicans say.

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Oversight Republicans Investigate Why DOE Hasn’t Spent COVID Relief Funds, Role of Teachers Unions

Oversight Republicans have launched an investigation into how the U.S. Department of Education has handled billions of COVID-19 relief dollars, raising the alarm about the major learning loss experienced by students.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona demanding documents and answers as to why most of the money has reportedly remained unspent.

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‘Misled the Public:’ Oversight Launches Investigation into Nursing Home COVID Deaths

Republicans on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis and the House Oversight Committee have joined forces in an investigation over the thousands of nursing home deaths in New York state during COVID, saying New York Democrats ignored previous inquiries.

The controversy began in 2020 when thousands of New York nursing home residents died during the pandemic, drawing extra scrutiny to then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s policy of sending elderly patients recovering from COVID-19 into nursing homes.

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Maricopa County Admits Deleting Hundreds of Thousands of Records They Previously Archived Away from Subpoenas

During a House Oversight Committee hearing addressing the results of the audit of the independent Maricopa County ballot audit ordered by the Arizona Senate, one of the Maricopa County Supervisors who fought the audit admitted that hundreds of thousands of election related files were deleted. Instead of producing them in response to the legislative subpoena, he said the county “archived” them.

Responding to a question from Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) asking him whether it was appropriate to delete files on a server after an election, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said, “I would say it is appropriate to maintain files, and that is exactly what we did. We deleted — the files that have been discussed, they were archived.” 

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Rep. Andy Biggs Says During Congressional Hearing ‘We Don’t Know’ Whether Trump or Biden Won in Arizona

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing Thursday on the results of the audit of the independent Maricopa County ballot audit ordered by the Arizona Senate. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) found the audit results troubling, leading him to question whether Joe Biden really won the election in Arizona.

At the beginning of the hearing, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) asked Biggs who won the presidential election in Arizona. Biggs responded, “We don’t know. There are a lot of issues with this election that took place.” He said the only reason the hearing is being conducted is because the chair, Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12), wants to see any election integrity legislation scuttled. 

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House Oversight Chairwoman Demands Information About Financing of Parler

Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, is demanding information from the alternative social media company Parler with regards to its finances, as reported by The Hill.

Maloney sent a letter to the tech company baselessly accusing Parler of having a role in the organization of the mostly peaceful protests that took place at the United States Capitol on January 6th. In the letter, she claims that “numerous Parler users have been arrested and charged for their roles, with the Department of Justice citing in several instances the threats that individuals made through Parler.”

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Rep. Green Selected to Serve on House Foreign Affairs Committee

U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) was selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to serve as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Green said in a tweet, “I’m honored to be selected by the Steering Committee to join the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I look forward to working with @RepMcCaul and the committee to confront the global challenges facing the US during this difficult time.”

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Rep. Jim Jordan Slams Democrats for Handling of Border Crisis: ‘Fabricating Stories of Cruelty’

  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) slammed Democrats for their handling of the crisis at the southern border during a recent hearing before the House Oversight Committee. “What we’re going to hear from Democrats this morning is astonishing. It will be truly astonishing. For months they’ve declared there wasn’t even a crisis on the southern border” Jordan began his remarks. He quoted previous comments from the Democrats, who’ve called it a “fake crisis” and “fear-mongering of the worst kind.” “But weeks later, Democrats sure have changed their tune. The Chairman just recently said ‘Congress cannot ignore the humanitarian crisis at the border.’ For years now, Republicans have been warning about the crisis and working to find solutions, and all the while Democrats have denied there was even a problem. This is not about politics. It’s always been about preserving the integrity of our border and preventing the humanitarian crisis that we are all now witnessing,” Jordan continued. He criticized Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07) for failing to hold a hearing on the border earlier in the year. “Instead he prioritized political hearings like, well, like the hearing we first had—Michael Cohen. Think about this. The president made his emergency supplemental request only…

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House Committee Holds Barr, Ross in Contempt of Congress

  A day after the U.S. House passed a resolution authorizing its committees to take the Trump administration to court and pursue criminal contempt cases to enforce their subpoenas, the House Oversight Committee took the next step. The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday voted in favor of holding Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress because of the Trump administration’s refusal to comply with the committee’s subpoena for information about why a U.S. citizenship question was added to the 2020 census. Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a vocal supporter of impeaching U.S. President Donald Trump, voted with Democrats. Trump claimed executive privilege Wednesday in refusing to hand over documents to Democratic lawmakers investigating the census question. “I think it’s ridiculous that we would have a census without asking” about citizenship, Trump told reporters at the White House. The House panel’s chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, delayed the contempt vote until later in the day to give the committee’s 42 members time to consider Trump’s executive privilege claim. But he questioned why Trump was asserting executive privilege just before the contempt vote when the subpoenas for information were issued two months ago. ‘Blanket…

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North Carolina’s Rep Mark Meadows Says Declassification of Russia Probe Documents Is ‘Right Around the Corner’

by Henry Rogers   North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows said that important documents relating to the origins of the counterintelligence investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign will be released soon on Monday. In an appearance on Fox News’ Fox and Friends, the House Oversight Committee member responded to the former committee chair Trey Gowdy’s comments that the FBI possibly withheld “game-changing” evidence regarding the origins of the Russia probe. Meadows said he agreed with Gowdy that former Trump campaign associate George Papadopoulos was being taped and recorded by FBI informants and that the unreleased transcript was never released to the FISA court. “[Gowdy] has seen documents that actually I have not seen,” Meadows said. “But we have come to the same conclusion and that is, indeed, George Papadopoulos was actually taped and recorded,” saying the documents would expose exculpatory information on the question of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. “I think the delay is over,” Meadows continued. “I think the president is serious. I’ve spoken to him recently and I think declassification is right around the corner and hopefully the American people will be able to judge for themselves.” Meadows also said he and Papadopoulos have spoken about the possible declassification…

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Attorney General Barr Threatens to Skip House Judiciary Hearing Over Disagreement with Democrats

by Chuck Ross   Attorney General William Barr may cancel his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday over disagreements with Democrats over the proposed format for the highly anticipated hearing. According to CNN, Democrats, led by New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, proposed allowing committee staffers to ask Barr questions during a second round of questioning at Thursday’s hearing. Nadler also wants to be able to question Barr in a closed session about the redacted parts of the Mueller report. But Barr reportedly opposes that format, saying that he should only face questioning from members of Congress in a public congressional hearing. Staffers typically do not ask questions of witnesses during public hearings. Barr is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Both hearings are expected to focus on the special counsel’s Russia report. The standoff will escalate tensions between Nadler and Barr. The Democrat has been heavily critical of Barr’s handling of the rollout of the special counsel’s report, which said that investigators found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government. Nadler threatened to subpoena Barr if he skips the hearing. “The witness is not going to tell the committee how to conduct its…

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House Oversight Republicans, Including Rep. Green, Demand Committee Chairman Submit Transcript of Cohen’s Testimony to DOJ For Investigation

House Oversight Committee Republicans on Wednesday introduced a resolution, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07), that directs Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD-07) to submit an official copy of the transcript of Michael Cohen’s testimony to the Department of Justice for investigation and potential prosecution. Full text of the resolution can be found here. “If Chairman Cummings fails to refer Mr. Cohen to the Department of Justice for perjury, it will forever mar the reputation of the Oversight Committee and call into question the integrity of the entire House. Mr. Chairman, do what you said you’d do and hold Mr. Cohen accountable for lying before our committee,” Green said in a press release. Green has been a critic of Cohen’s in the past. On March 2, on the Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to Green about his opening statements and questions posed to Michael Cohen during the hearing in Washington the day before. The congressman admitted that this was a strategic move that would allow a light to be shown on the true intentions…

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US House Committee Considers Subpoenas Over Census Citizenship Question

A U.S. House of Representatives committee is set to consider Tuesday whether to issue subpoenas to Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross seeking documents related to the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the country’s 2020 census. Ross said last year he made the decision based on a request from the Justice Department to better enforce the Voting Rights Act. But states and rights groups have challenged the move, arguing it would discourage immigrants from participating, and thus result in undercounting how many people live in certain parts of the country. The census is meant to include every person in the United States at the time, no matter their citizenship or immigration status. An accurate count is important, with the results used for a number of purposes such as determining how many congressional representatives are apportioned to each state, how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending is allocated, and how local jurisdictions make decisions such as where to build a new road or school. The House Oversight Committee is discussing a resolution from Chairman Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, to subpoena from Barr and Ross documents and communications about the request to…

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Commentary: The Clintons Corrupt Everything They Touch

Bill and Hillary Clinton

by George Rasley, CHQ Editor   In a break with the Clinton-loving American establishment media, the UK’s Daily Mail recently detailed how Marc Elias, a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer who launched what would become known as the anti-Trump “dirty dossier” denied involvement in the project for a year, even as reporters pressed him for information. But a pair of New York Times reporters said Tuesday night on Twitter that Elias and others involved had lied about their ties to the arrangement. “Folks involved in funding this lied about it, and with sanctimony, for a year,” Times reporter Maggie Haberman tweeted after The Washington Postlinked the dossier to Elias and his law firm Perkins Coie. Kenneth Vogel, another Times journalist, tweeted: ‘When I tried to report this story, Clinton campaign lawyer @marceelias pushed back vigorously, saying “You (or your sources) are wrong”.’ This kind of lying has become par for the course in Washington, but it is especially prevalent about anything that involves the Clintons. The Uranium One scandal that has broken wide open this week isn’t new – it goes back to 2010 – and the relationship between foreign government contributions to the Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton’s speaking fees and policy-making by Hillary Clinton…

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