Flashback: Hunter's Laptop Russian Disinformation

[ajax18]

Going back to me and my son, if he fails to pay his taxes, that has no fallout for me even though we transfer money back and forth between our accounts all the time.

So if I buy my parents a house but don't pay tax on that money, at least one of us is liable for tax evasion, right? Would it matter if my parents knew I didn't pay taxes on that money and didn't turn me in?

The idea of Hunter Biden getting paid millions of dollars to sit on boards of companies in which he has zero experience or discernible use to the company other than to potentially buy influence with his father, seems problematic to me. What I see is more problematic is that Hunter Biden isn't doing anything different than what Mitt Romney has done with some of his sons. In other words, this kind of thing happens in Washington all the time on both sides of the aisle and still happens amongst the political elite. Do you not see anything wrong with Hunter working for Burisma? It seems unethical to me.

[Doctor Steuss]

The idea of Hunter Biden getting paid millions of dollars to sit on boards of companies in which he has zero experience or discernible use to the company other than to potentially buy influence with his father, seems problematic to me.

I don't doubt for a second that Hunter's placement on boards was largely cosmetic and because of who he was related to rather than who he was himself.

That being said; before all of this, he graduated from Yale, and he was interim CEO of a hedge fund that he co-purchased. To say he had zero experience or discernible use is stretching it a bit, I think.

[ajax18]

The idea of Hunter Biden getting paid millions of dollars to sit on boards of companies in which he has zero experience or discernible use to the company other than to potentially buy influence with his father, seems problematic to me.

I don't doubt for a second that Hunter's placement on boards was largely cosmetic and because of who he was related to rather than who he was himself.

That being said; before all of this, he graduated from Yale, and he was interim CEO of a hedge fund that he co-purchased. To say he had zero experience or discernible use is stretching it a bit, I think.

Do lawyers normally make tens of millions of dollars for this kind of retainer? If Joe Biden were just a celebrity that would be different in my mind. But he's not. He's an elected official with authority over the world's most powerful miltary ever and the richest working class tax chatel ever as well. This kind of thing should be prohibited for the kin of elected officials

[honorentheos]

I don't doubt for a second that Hunter's placement on boards was largely cosmetic and because of who he was related to rather than who he was himself.

That being said; before all of this, he graduated from Yale, and he was interim CEO of a hedge fund that he co-purchased. To say he had zero experience or discernible use is stretching it a bit, I think.

Do lawyers normally make tens of millions of dollars for this kind of retainer? If Joe Biden were just a celebrity that would be different in my mind. But he's not. He's an elected official with authority over the world's most powerful miltary ever and the richest working class tax chatel ever as well. This kind of thing should be prohibited for the kin of elected officials

Ajax, this can't be true. Otherwise you'd have all kinds of heartburn over the Trump children, not to mention Trump himself, profiting off of his office in indisputable ways.

I don't say that because I agree Biden was doing so. I say that only because it's clearly the case with Trump while Biden is smeared by appearance on this count. One of those is the most obvious target for expressing concern over an elected official seeking person profit and who gave the biggest tax break to the rich since Reagan.

[ajax18]

Ajax, this can't be true. Otherwise you'd have all kinds of heartburn over the Trump children, not to mention Trump himself, profiting off of his office in indisputable ways.

I don't say that because I agree Biden was doing so. I say that only because it's clearly the case with Trump while Biden is smeared by appearance on this count. One of those is the most obvious target for expressing concern over an elected official seeking person profit and who gave the biggest tax break to the rich since Reagan.

Ok show me the proof that Trump's children are sitting on boards of companies owned by Russian oligarchs. And Trump is a wealthy celebrity. I could see a company wanting his children to sit on boards because of his influence even without Trump being elected as anything. And that was one of DJT's points about this. What if Don Jr. had done the same thing Hunter Biden had done? The double standard is glaringly obvious to me.

I'm fairly bipartisan on this. Let's take a look at who Mitch McConnel is married to.

Schweizer: Mitch McConnell, Wife Elaine Chao Financially Tied to the Chinese Government

Breitbart News senior contributor Peter Schweizer on Sunday detailed how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife Elaine Chao are financially tied to the Chinese Communist Party.

Schweizer said on Fox News Channel’s “The Next Revolution” that McConnell’s “position on China has softened over the years,” which he argued is due to the growing relationship between the Chinese government and the Chao’s company.


“Really, it goes to the fact that Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao, his wife, are financially tied to the Chinese government,” Schweizer outlined. “And it comes through the shipbuilding company that Elaine Chao’s family owns. That relationship was forged in December of 1993 when James Chao, Elaine Chao’s father, Elaine Chao, and the new son-in-law, Senator Mitch McConnell, visited Beijing, China, at the invitation of the China state shipbuilding corporation. This was a coup to Beijing because Tiananmen square had happened just four years earlier. Very few high officials went there. The result of that meeting and the deals that followed is that today the Chinese government finances the construction of the ships for the shipbuilding company, they build the ships, they provide the crews for the ship, and they provide the cargo for the ship. So, the Chinese government could pull the plug tomorrow on this business. And the reason they’re doing business with them, let’s make it clear, is because Mitch McConnell is a very powerful figure in Washington, D.C. And the problem is, Steve, that his position on China has softened over the years the closer that this commercial relationship has become, and he’s a direct beneficiary of what this business does.”

According to Schweizer, this is the “strategy” of the Chinese government across the globe.

“They seek out political elites and give them commercial deals,” Schweizer stated.

“They are wedded to the Chinese,” he added. “They don’t want to anger the Chinese because they could destroy their families financially.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/01 ... overnment/

Can anyone find me any data on Mitt Romney's children profiting from his position in Congress?

[Res Ipsa]

Going back to me and my son, if he fails to pay his taxes, that has no fallout for me even though we transfer money back and forth between our accounts all the time.

So if I buy my parents a house but don't pay tax on that money, at least one of us is liable for tax evasion, right? Would it matter if my parents knew I didn't pay taxes on that money and didn't turn me in?

The idea of Hunter Biden getting paid millions of dollars to sit on boards of companies in which he has zero experience or discernible use to the company other than to potentially buy influence with his father, seems problematic to me. What I see is more problematic is that Hunter Biden isn't doing anything different than what Mitt Romney has done with some of his sons. In other words, this kind of thing happens in Washington all the time on both sides of the aisle and still happens amongst the political elite. Do you not see anything wrong with Hunter working for Burisma? It seems unethical to me.

If you owed the taxes it’s your problem. I’m not aware of any law that requires a citizen to report tax evasion of another citizen. It’s possible that if the three of you agreed on a plan where you and your parents agreed to split the savings that resulted from you not paying the taxes that there would be legal consequences for your parents. But I’m not sure knowledge of your plans alone would be sufficient.

As to the families of government figures, there are all kinds of ethical quandaries. On the one hand, I don’t think that the spouses and children of high government officials should be required to have no employment while their family member is in office. On the other hand, we don’t want companies, foreign or domestic, to get special favors just because they employed a government official’s family members.

I don’t think there’s a good way to design a set of rules that would prevent individuals, governments and companies from giving special treatment to family members for the purpose of trying to curry favor with governmental officials. Sometimes there are obvious conflicts of interest that should be avoided. Elaine Chou (?) may have been fully qualified to be Secretary of Transportation, but being given a position where she was in charge of regulations that affected the profitability of her family’s shipping business is a pretty good example. Clarence Thomas’s wife should not be working for/with lobbying groups that file amicus briefs with the Court her husband sits on. Those are just two examples of obvious conflicts that I think should have been avoided.

Personally, I think Hunter was an idiot for taking the position just because of the potential for a conflict of interest to develop that would have required Joe to recuse himself from being involved. He was smart to resign that position when Joe announced his candidacy for President.

I don’t see anything about Hunter’s employment with Burisma that makes it any different than the employment of other children of government leaders. I think the integrity of the government official is far more important than who they’re kids are employed by.

[K Graham]

So if I buy my parents a house but don't pay tax on that money, at least one of us is liable for tax evasion, right? Would it matter if my parents knew I didn't pay taxes on that money and didn't turn me in?

Here you go again, asserting something as factual when the only evidence you have is headline nonsense from the fake news outlet known as Brietbart.

Hunter Biden paid off tax bill in 2021, but investigation continued: report

The idea of Hunter Biden getting paid millions of dollars to sit on boards of companies in which he has zero experience or discernible use to the company other than to potentially buy influence with his father, seems problematic to me. What I see is more problematic is that Hunter Biden isn't doing anything different than what Mitt Romney has done with some of his sons. In other words, this kind of thing happens in Washington all the time on both sides of the aisle and still happens amongst the political elite. Do you not see anything wrong with Hunter working for Burisma? It seems unethical to me.

Wrong, you're simply allowing Brietbart to determine what you have to be outraged about at all times. You seem entirely ignorant as to what it even means to be a member of a BOD. It is quite common for people to be selected for nothing more than their name recognition, and to receive compensation accordingly. There is nothing unethical or corrupt about it, and certainly nothing illegal.

Do you know who else was on the BOD at Burisma when Hunter Biden was there?

Joseph Cofer Black is an American former CIA officer who served as director of the Counterterrorism Center under George Bush.
Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president of Poland.
Karina Zlochevska is the young daughter of a Ukrainian Oligarch, Mykola Zlochevsky.
Christina Sofocleous was a 21 year old lawyer from Moscow.
Riginos Charalampous is an accountant from England.
Marina Pericleous was a young attorney from Cyprus who had just passed the bar.
Devon Archer, a former senior adviser to the John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.
Alan Apter was an investment banker and a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell.

At least Hunter Biden actually had experience serving on the Board of Amtrack.

Incidentally, Neil Armstrong became a member of Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company's board in 1973. He served on the board of Taft Broadcasting, also based in Cincinnati.

What does a former astronaut know about broadcasting or gas?

Armstrong joined Thiokol's board in 1989, after he was vice-chair of the Rogers Commission; the Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed due to a problem with the Thiokol-manufactured solid rocket boosters. When Armstrong left the University of Cincinnati, he became the chairman of Cardwell International Ltd., a company that manufactured drilling rigs. What does an astronaut know about drilling for oil??

He served on additional aerospace boards, first United Airlines in 1978, and later Eaton Corporation in 1980. He was asked to chair the board of directors for a subsidiary of Eaton, AIL Systems. He chaired the board through the company's 2000 merger with EDO Corporation, until his retirement in 2002

[K Graham]

Hi ajax,

When you read an article like this that tells you what the emails say but don't provide the emails, do you inherently think that's problematic journalism?

That's a good point. I had heard vague things about what the emails said but yeah I can't find where the emails are published. But it's harder to research as a conservative. Google along with most search engines are controlled by left leaning companies.

So let me get this straight. Your own source claims to know what the emails say but they won't provide the emails. But the real reason why you can't find the emails is because those evil Leftists control all internet search engines and they're the ones hiding it from you.

This is so, so ajax.

[K Graham]

Ajax, this can't be true. Otherwise you'd have all kinds of heartburn over the Trump children, not to mention Trump himself, profiting off of his office in indisputable ways.

I don't say that because I agree Biden was doing so. I say that only because it's clearly the case with Trump while Biden is smeared by appearance on this count. One of those is the most obvious target for expressing concern over an elected official seeking person profit and who gave the biggest tax break to the rich since Reagan.

Ok show me the proof that Trump's children are sitting on boards of companies owned by Russian oligarchs. And Trump is a wealthy celebrity. I could see a company wanting his children to sit on boards because of his influence even without Trump being elected as anything. And that was one of DJT's points about this. What if Don Jr. had done the same thing Hunter Biden had done? The double standard is glaringly obvious to me.

I'm fairly bipartisan on this. Let's take a look at who Mitch McConnel is married to.

Schweizer: Mitch McConnell, Wife Elaine Chao Financially Tied to the Chinese Government

Breitbart News senior contributor Peter Schweizer on Sunday detailed how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife Elaine Chao are financially tied to the Chinese Communist Party.

Schweizer said on Fox News Channel’s “The Next Revolution” that McConnell’s “position on China has softened over the years,” which he argued is due to the growing relationship between the Chinese government and the Chao’s company.


“Really, it goes to the fact that Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao, his wife, are financially tied to the Chinese government,” Schweizer outlined. “And it comes through the shipbuilding company that Elaine Chao’s family owns. That relationship was forged in December of 1993 when James Chao, Elaine Chao’s father, Elaine Chao, and the new son-in-law, Senator Mitch McConnell, visited Beijing, China, at the invitation of the China state shipbuilding corporation. This was a coup to Beijing because Tiananmen square had happened just four years earlier. Very few high officials went there. The result of that meeting and the deals that followed is that today the Chinese government finances the construction of the ships for the shipbuilding company, they build the ships, they provide the crews for the ship, and they provide the cargo for the ship. So, the Chinese government could pull the plug tomorrow on this business. And the reason they’re doing business with them, let’s make it clear, is because Mitch McConnell is a very powerful figure in Washington, D.C. And the problem is, Steve, that his position on China has softened over the years the closer that this commercial relationship has become, and he’s a direct beneficiary of what this business does.”

According to Schweizer, this is the “strategy” of the Chinese government across the globe.

“They seek out political elites and give them commercial deals,” Schweizer stated.

“They are wedded to the Chinese,” he added. “They don’t want to anger the Chinese because they could destroy their families financially.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/01 ... overnment/

Can anyone find me any data on Mitt Romney's children profiting from his position in Congress?

FOX is trying to make nice with Trump by attacking McConnell. They never did before, even though none of this stuff about his wife is new.

Why is Trump whining about connections with China when he and his daughter produce their own products there?

Is it "communist" China only when it serves their purpose?

t_1489057176546_name_12017_03_09T104122Z_1_OV678TUOB_RTRMADC_0_Trump_CHINA_TRADEMARKS.jpg

[Res Ipsa]

Ajax, this can't be true. Otherwise you'd have all kinds of heartburn over the Trump children, not to mention Trump himself, profiting off of his office in indisputable ways.

I don't say that because I agree Biden was doing so. I say that only because it's clearly the case with Trump while Biden is smeared by appearance on this count. One of those is the most obvious target for expressing concern over an elected official seeking person profit and who gave the biggest tax break to the rich since Reagan.

Ok show me the proof that Trump's children are sitting on boards of companies owned by Russian oligarchs. And Trump is a wealthy celebrity. I could see a company wanting his children to sit on boards because of his influence even without Trump being elected as anything. And that was one of DJT's points about this. What if Don Jr. had done the same thing Hunter Biden had done? The double standard is glaringly obvious to me.

I'm fairly bipartisan on this. Let's take a look at who Mitch McConnel is married to.

Schweizer: Mitch McConnell, Wife Elaine Chao Financially Tied to the Chinese Government

Breitbart News senior contributor Peter Schweizer on Sunday detailed how Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife Elaine Chao are financially tied to the Chinese Communist Party.

Schweizer said on Fox News Channel’s “The Next Revolution” that McConnell’s “position on China has softened over the years,” which he argued is due to the growing relationship between the Chinese government and the Chao’s company.


“Really, it goes to the fact that Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao, his wife, are financially tied to the Chinese government,” Schweizer outlined. “And it comes through the shipbuilding company that Elaine Chao’s family owns. That relationship was forged in December of 1993 when James Chao, Elaine Chao’s father, Elaine Chao, and the new son-in-law, Senator Mitch McConnell, visited Beijing, China, at the invitation of the China state shipbuilding corporation. This was a coup to Beijing because Tiananmen square had happened just four years earlier. Very few high officials went there. The result of that meeting and the deals that followed is that today the Chinese government finances the construction of the ships for the shipbuilding company, they build the ships, they provide the crews for the ship, and they provide the cargo for the ship. So, the Chinese government could pull the plug tomorrow on this business. And the reason they’re doing business with them, let’s make it clear, is because Mitch McConnell is a very powerful figure in Washington, D.C. And the problem is, Steve, that his position on China has softened over the years the closer that this commercial relationship has become, and he’s a direct beneficiary of what this business does.”

According to Schweizer, this is the “strategy” of the Chinese government across the globe.

“They seek out political elites and give them commercial deals,” Schweizer stated.

“They are wedded to the Chinese,” he added. “They don’t want to anger the Chinese because they could destroy their families financially.”

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2021/01 ... overnment/

Can anyone find me any data on Mitt Romney's children profiting from his position in Congress?

As I said, I think Chao’s appointment was an obvious conflict of interest. Again, Peter is hawking his latest book and I don’t think he has a great track record when it comes to sensational claims. I note that he isn’t talking about any evidence that Chao or McConnell have used their governmental positions to do special favors for the family company. And, frankly, McConnell isn’t the only politician whose position on China has evolved over the years. And Peter doesn’t give any example of McConnell acting against the interest of the US and in favor of China. It’s all insinuation.

Your Romney position is impossible to answer because we don’t know what opportunities they would have had or how much they would have been paid if they weren’t Mitt Romney’s kids. How much of Mitt Romney’s success is due to trading on George Romney’s name. I suspect if we took a comprehensive look at Senators Kids, I doubt we’d find many of them flipping burgers for a living.

Lots and lots of Americans do business with Russia, which means lots and lots of Americans do business with Russian Oligarchs. There are lots of countries around the world where corruption in a part of doing business. So, doing business with and in those countries means doing business with corrupt people. And the US has Oligarchs that are also corrupt. So, unless we we lock the families of government officials in under ground bunkers, people will seek them out to try and curry favor through them.