Russian prisoner swap raises debate over ramifications: ‘Are we actually feeding the beast?’
(WASHINGTON) — Two dozen prisoners from seven countries were freed in a historic swap on Thursday, including several wrongfully detained American citizens held in Russia.
President Joe Biden called the deal, the largest of its kind since the Cold War, “a feat of diplomacy and friendship.”
Among those released were two wrongfully detained American citizens held by Moscow — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan — as well as Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Muza, a legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Alongside the celebration and relief of the prisoners returning home, the exchange of innocent Americans for Russian criminals raised the debate of whether this would encourage foreign adversaries to target and wrongfully detain Americans to use as leverage.
“It’s a plausible critique,” ABC News contributor Elizabeth Neumann, a former Homeland Security official, said. “Are we actually feeding the beast by doing this prisoner swap, making it more likely that they are going to actually go and unlawfully detain more people so that they have bargaining chips so that we will in the future release whoever we might arrest that is important to Putin?”
Thomas Graham, a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the message the prisoner swap sends to others “is something that any White House official or government official would ask.”
“You do the best you can to try to limit the possibility of creating incentives to seize other Americans instead,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s modus operandi is to round up Americans on false charges to then get his “henchmen” who are imprisoned abroad back, Neumann said.
A key player for Russia in this historic swap is Vadim Krasikov, according to retired Marine Col. Stephen Ganyard, a former deputy assistant U.S. secretary of state. The convicted assassin had been serving a life sentence in Germany for a 2019 killing. In a February interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, Putin signaled that Russia was willing to swap Krasikov for Gershkovich.
“The Russians held out until they could get access to this KGB assassin,” Ganyard said. “Putin will bring his KGB agents home.”
Russia can be expected to continue to detain Americans to achieve that goal, he said.
“It’s pretty standard procedure for the Russians to have a number of us folks held under charges that are clearly manufactured as a way to make sure that they always have some sort of negotiating leverage or reasoning for the U.S. to want to talk to them,” Ganyard said.
Graham said at this time it does not appear there are a lot of Russians in American prisons who the Kremlin wants back.
“I think the deal has minimal implications for anything that the Russians might do as far as seizing Americans is concerned at this point,” he said.
For Neumann, prisoner swap negotiations are steeped in this dilemma when countries are dealing with hostile nations, though are often the only way to bring unlawfully detained citizens home.
“I think that is always a struggle when you are doing these negotiations, of recognizing that you are creating an incentive structure,” she said. “I don’t know that I’ve heard a plausible argument that the alternative is, ‘No we’re not going to negotiate at all, we’re just going to let these people die in a Russian prison.'”
“That’s not how we take care of our citizens,” she continued.
Referencing former President Theodore Roosevelt’s quote on critics — that the “credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena” — she said it is easy to question prisoner swap negotiations from the sidelines.
“But until you actually get into the arena and do the fight, you don’t actually appreciate how difficult these decisions are,” she said. “It is a pretty stereotypical critique. It’s also one in which nobody has ever come up with a plausible alternative to meet our obligation to take care of our American citizens that are unlawfully detained.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan addressed that obligation during a White House briefing Thursday.
“It is difficult to send back a convicted criminal to secure the release of an innocent American,” he said, calling it one of the “hard decisions” involved in these exchanges. “And yet sometimes the choice is between doing that or consigning that person basically to live out their days in prison in a hostile foreign country or in the hands of a hostile power.”
He said the U.S. assessed and analyzed that risk in this case and found that the benefit outweighs the risk. He also noted that Americans have been unjustly detained in times when the U.S. did engage in prisoner exchanges and during times when they did not.
In the face of that risk, the U.S. government has attempted to warn American citizens.
After the release of basketball star Brittney Griner in a prisoner swap in 2022, Biden “strongly” urged all Americans to take precautions when traveling abroad and to review the State Department’s travel advisories, including warnings about the risk of being wrongfully detained by a foreign government. Russia currently has a Level 4 Do Not Travel warning from the State Department, the highest level possible.
“He was very clear about that warning, because what’s going to happen next is over time, we’ll see the Russians take in people on trumped-up charges so that they have negotiation leverage, or at least discussion leverage with the U.S. at some point in the future,” Ganyard said.
When asked Thursday during remarks on the prisoner swap how to prevent such incentives in the future, Biden responded, “I’m advising people not to go certain places, tell them what’s at risk, what’s at stake.”
Graham said he does not think Russia picks up just anybody because they need someone to trade.
“It’s people who have violated their laws,” he said, pointing to Griner, who pleaded guilty to drug charges, as an example. “Americans need to recognize, particularly if traveling in Russia, that the laws there are different from those in the United States and are much more severe in prosecuting certain things.”
(CHICAGO) — Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination in the 2024 presidential election, closing out four days of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Harris delivered remarks to the crowd of delegates and party members at the United Center Thursday, highlighting the night’s “For the Future” theme and voicing her vision for America’s next presidential administration.
The presidential hopeful delivered a message of unity as Democrats look to appeal to independent voters and bring the nation together after the election in November.
“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight, and I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris said. “You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.”
Throughout her nearly hour-long long remarks, Harris took aim at former President Donald Trump and presented her top policies for a Harris-Walz White House.
Read Harris’ full remarks at the DNC below.
To my husband, Doug, thank you for being an incredible partner to me and father to Cole and Ella. And happy anniversary. I love you so very much.
To Joe Biden — Mr. President. When I think about the path we have traveled together, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show. And your character is inspiring. Doug and I love you and Jill. And I am forever thankful to you both.
And to Coach Tim Walz, you are going to be an incredible Vice President. And to the delegates and everyone who has put your faith in our campaign — your support is humbling.
America, the path that led me here in recent weeks, was no doubt… unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys.
My mother Shyamala Harris had one of her own. I miss her every day, especially now and I know she’s looking down tonight and smiling. My mother was 19 when she crossed the world alone, traveling from India to California with an unshakeable dream to be the scientist who would cure breast cancer. When she finished school, she was supposed to return home to a traditional arranged marriage. But, as fate would have it, she met my father, Donald Harris — a student from Jamaica — they fell in love and got married.
And that act of self-determination made my sister Maya and me. Growing up, we moved a lot. I will always remember that big Mayflower truck, packed with all our belongings. Ready to go to Illinois, to Wisconsin and wherever our parents’ jobs took us. My early memories of my parents together are joyful ones.
A home filled with laughter and music Aretha, Coltrane and Miles.
At the park, my mother would tell us to stay close, but my father would just smile, and say, “Run, Kamala Run” “Don’t be afraid” “Don’t let anything stop you.” From my earliest years, he taught me to be fearless. But the harmony between my parents did not last. When I was in elementary school, they split up and it was mostly my mother who raised us. Before she could finally afford to buy a home, she rented a small apartment in the East Bay. In the Bay, you either live in the hills or the flatlands. We, lived in the flats. A beautiful working-class neighborhood of firefighters, nurses and construction workers — all who tended their lawns with pride.
My mother worked long hours. And, like many working parents, she leaned on a trusted circle to help raise us. Mrs. Shelton, who ran the daycare below us and became a second mother. Uncle Sherman, Aunt Mary, Uncle Freddy and Auntie Chris. None of them family by blood. And all of them family by love. Family who taught us How to make gumbo. How to play chess. And sometimes even let us win. Family who loved us. Believed in us. And told us we could be anything. Do anything.
They instilled in us the values they personified, community, faith and the importance of treating others as you would want to be treated.
With kindness. Respect. And compassion. My mother, was a brilliant, five-foot-tall, brown woman with an accent. And, as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her. But she never lost her cool. She was tough. Courageous.
A trailblazer in the fight for women’s health. And she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle mentioned the other night — She taught us to never complain about injustice.
But…do something about it. She Also taught us— Never do anything half-assed. That’s a direct quote.
I grew up immersed in the ideals of the Civil Rights Movement. My parents had met at a civil rights gathering. And they made sure we learned about civil rights leaders, including lawyers like Thurgood Marshall and Constance Baker Motley. Those who battled in the courtroom to make real the Promise of America. So, at a young age, I decided I wanted to do that work.
I wanted to be a lawyer. And when it came time to choose – the type, of law I would pursue – I reflected on a pivotal moment in my life. When I was in high school, I started to notice something about my best friend Wanda. – She was sad at school. – And there were times she didn’t want to go home. So, one day, I asked if everything was alright. And she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her step-father.
And I immediately told her she had to come stay with us. And she did. That is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor. To protect people like Wanda. Because I believe everyone has a right: -To safety. -To dignity. -And to justice.
As a prosecutor, when I had a case, I charged it not in the name of the victim. But in the name of. “The People.” For a simple reason. In our system of justice, a harm against any one of us is a harm against all of us. I would often explain this, to console survivors of crime. To remind them: -No one should be made to fight alone. -We are all in this together. Every day in the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and said five words: “Kamala Harris, for the People.”
And to be clear: My entire career, I have only had one client. The People. And so, on behalf of The People, On behalf of every American. Regardless of party. Race. Gender. Or the language your grandmother speaks. On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey. On behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with.
People who work hard. Chase their dreams. And look out for one another. On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth. I accept your nomination for President of the United States of America. With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past -the bitterness, -cynicism, -and divisive battles of the past.
A chance to chart a New Way Forward. Not as members of any one party or faction. But as Americans. I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a President for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country aboVe party and self. To hold sacred America’s fundamental principles. From the rule of law. To free and fair elections.
To the peaceful transfer of power. I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads. And listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work. – As a young courtroom prosecutor in Oakland, I stood up for women and children against predators who abused them. – As Attorney General of California, I took on the Big Banks. – Delivered $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure. And helped pass a Homeowner Bill of Rights— one of the first of its kind. I stood up: – For veterans and students being scammed by Big for-Profit colleges. – For workers who were being cheated out of the wages they were due. – For seniors facing elder abuse. I fought against cartels who traffic in guns, drugs, and human beings. Who threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities. Those fights were not easy. And neither were the elections that put me in those offices.
We were underestimated at every turn. But we never gave up. Because the future is always worth fighting for. And that’s the fight we are in right now. A fight for America’s future. Fellow Americans, this election is not only the most important of our lives. It is one of the most important in the life of our nation. In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man.
But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious. Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames. And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans.
And separately, found liable for committing sexual abuse. And consider what he intends to do if we give him power again. Consider his explicit intent to set free the violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists. Political opponents. Anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active-duty military against our own citizens.
Consider the power he will have— especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.
How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States. Not to improve your life. Not to strengthen our national security. But to serve the only client he has ever had: Himself. And we know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in “Project 2025.” Written by his closest advisors. And its sum total is to pull, our country back into the past. But America, we are not going back. We are not going back to when Donald Trump tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. We are not going back to when he tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act.
When insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions. We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools. We are not going to let him end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and child care. America, we are not going back. We are charting. A. New. Way. Forward. Forward—to a future with a strong and growing middle class. Because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success. And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from. My mother kept a strict budget. We lived within our means. Yet, we wanted for little. And she expected us to Make the most of the opportunities that were available to us. And to be grateful for them. Because opportunity is not available to everyone.
That’s why we will create what I call an Opportunity economy. An Opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed. Whether you live in a rural area, small town, or big city. As President, I will bring together: – Labor and workers, – Small business owners and entrepreneurs, – And American companies. To create jobs. Grow our economy. And lower the cost of everyday needs. Like health care. Housing. And groceries. We will: – Provide access to capital for small business owners, entrepreneurs, and founders. – We will end America’s housing shortage. – And protect Social Security and Medicare. Compare that to Donald Trump. He doesn’t actually fight for the middle class. Instead, he fights for himself and his billionaire friends. He will give them another round of tax breaks, that will add 5 trillion dollars to the national debt.
All while— he intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax —call it, a Trump tax— that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost 4 thousand dollars a year. Well, instead of a Trump tax hike, we will pass a middle class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans. Friends, I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives. Especially on matters of heart and home. But tonight, too many women in America are not able to make those decisions. Let’s be clear about how we got here.
Donald Trump hand-picked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now he brags about it. His words: Quote – “I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.” End quote. Over the past two years, I have traveled across our country. And women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs. Stories of: – Women miscarrying in a parking lot… – Getting sepsis… – Losing the ability to ever have children again… – All—because doctors are afraid of going to jail for caring for their patients. – Couples just trying to grow their family… cut off in the middle of IVF treatments. – Children who have survived sexual assault, potentially forced to carry the pregnancy to term. This is what is happening in our country. Because of Donald Trump. And understand, — he is not done. As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would: – Limit access to birth control, – Ban medication abortion, – And enact a nation-wide abortion ban with or without Congress. -And. Get this, he plans to create a National. Anti-Abortion. Coordinator. And force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions.
Simply put. They are. Out. Of. Their. Minds. And one must ask: Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women? Well. We. trust. women. And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as President of the United States, I. Will. Proudly. Sign. It. Into. Law. In this election, Many other fundamental freedoms are at stake. -The freedom to live safe from gun violence— in our schools, communities, and places of worship. -The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. -The freedom to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and live free from the pollution that fuels the climate crisis. -And the freedom that unlocks all the others. The freedom to vote. With this election, We finally have the opportunity To pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. And let me be clear. After decades in law enforcement, I know the importance of safety and security, especially at our border. Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades. The Border Patrol endorsed it. But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign.
So he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. Well, I refuse to play politics with our security. Here is my pledge to you: As President, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed. And I will sign it into law. I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants— And reform our broken immigration system. We can create an earned pathway to citizenship— And secure our border. America, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and our values abroad. As Vice President, I have: – Confronted threats to our security, – Negotiated with foreign leaders, – Strengthened our alliances, – And engaged with our brave troops overseas. As Commander-in-Chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families.
And I will always honor, and never disparage, their service and their sacrifice. I will make sure that: – we lead the world into the future on space and Artificial Intelligence. – that America—not China— wins The competition for the 21st century. – And that we strengthen—not abdicate— our global leadership. Trump, on the other hand, threatened to abandon NATO. He encouraged Putin to invade our allies. Said Russia could—quote— “do whatever the hell they want.” Five days before Russia attacked Ukraine, I met with President Zelensky to warn him about Russia’s plan to invade.
I helped mobilize a global response— over 50 countries—to defend against Putin’s aggression. And as President, I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies. With respect to the war in Gaza. President Biden and I are working around the clock. Because now is the time to get a hostage deal and ceasefire done. Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself. Because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that the terrorist organization Hamas caused on October 7th. Including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival. At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again.
The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that – Israel is secure – the hostages are released – the suffering in Gaza ends – and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity. Security. Freedom. And self-determination. And know this: I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists. And I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim-Jong-Un, who are rooting for Trump. Because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors.
They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable— because he wants to be an autocrat. As President, I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals. Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand— and where the United States of America belongs. Fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go —in everyone I meet— I see a nation ready to move forward. Ready for the next step, in the incredible journey that is America. I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation.
That inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach. An America, where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognize that we have so much more in common than what separates us. That none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed. And that, in unity, there is strength. Our opponents in this race are out there, every day, denigrating America. Talking about how terrible everything is. Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are. America, Let us show each other— and the world— who we are. And what we stand for. Freedom.
Opportunity. Compassion. Dignity. Fairness. And endless possibilities. We are the heirs to the greatest democracy, in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done.
Guided by optimism and faith, To fight for this country we love. To fight for the ideals we cherish. And to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth. The privilege and pride of being an American. So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there And let’s vote for it. And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told. Thank you. God bless you. May God bless the United States of America.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Education will send an email to Americans with student debt on Wednesday, laying out options for how roughly 25 million could have some, or all, of their debt canceled this fall.
The email is the first step of the Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule announced in April — and still being finalized — for narrower, targeted debt relief.
The proposed rule has been in the works as a plan B ever since President Joe Biden’s initial effort to cancel some or all debt for 43 million people was overturned by the Supreme Court last summer.
If it’s implemented as drafted, and survives the expected Republican-led lawsuits, it could give some amount of debt relief to 25 million people, on top of the nearly 4.8 million people that have already had their debts canceled under Biden’s tenure.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will outline in the email the pathways for debt relief — most of which are targeting people with runaway interest or who have been paying their debt for over two decades — and inform borrowers that they have until Aug. 30 to inform their servicers if they’d like to opt-out.
The Education Department “is in the process of finalizing who will be eligible for student debt relief, but we want to make you aware of this potential relief,” Cardona writes in the email.
Biden, in a statement on Wednesday, said the goal is to notify borrowers of the upcoming debt relief programs in advance, so they can “benefit swiftly once the rules are final.” Moving quickly to get relief out the door is sure to be important to the program’s success, given the barrage of lawsuits from Republicans on any debt relief or student loan system reform Biden has attempted so far.
“Despite attempts led by Republican elected officials to block our efforts, we won’t stop fighting to provide relief to student loan borrowers, fix the broken student loan system, and help borrowers get out from under the burden of student debt,” Biden said.
Biden’s hallmark reform to student debt repayment, the SAVE Plan, was put on hold by a court earlier this month after Republicans argued it was overstepping the administration’s authority. The plan has been touted as the most affordable loan repayment plan for borrowers, tying monthly payments to borrowers’ incomes and allowing debt relief after 10 years for people who took out small initial loan balances.
Here is who the latest debt relief plan would apply to, under this new plan:
The largest group will be people who have runaway interest, which is more than half of all borrowers. Roughly 25 million people owe a larger debt now than when they initially took out their loans due to ballooning interest. The new rule would not cancel their loans entirely, but rather reduce or cancel the interest that’s built up, according to a draft rule of the plan.
Some people would get up to $20,000 of interest canceled, while those who make below a certain income — $120,000 as a single person or $240,000 as a married couple — will get their entire runaway interest canceled.
The Department of Education estimated that over 90% of people, or roughly 23 million, will fall into the second bucket and be fully reset back to their initial loan amount.
The second largest group will be people who have been paying down their loans for 20 years or more, but still haven’t paid it off. This could apply to 2.6 million borrowers, the Department of Education estimated. People would be eligible if they have undergraduate loans they’ve been paying since or before July 1, 2005, or if they have graduate school loans they’ve been paying since or before July 1, 2000.
The rule will also provide debt relief to a few hundred thousand people who already qualify under programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness but have never applied, and to those who paid for a degree from a school that didn’t provide students with the financial security it advertised.
A vaster component of the rule, which would evaluate borrower “hardship” as a qualifier for debt relief, is also still in the works but not likely on the same timeline.
(WASHINGTON) — After nearly two years of House Republicans vowing to investigate President Joe Biden and his family’s business dealings — while repeatedly falling short in substantiating their most significant claims — the House Judiciary, Oversight, and Ways and Means Committees on Monday released a nearly 300-page impeachment inquiry report filled with familiar allegations against the president, who has already announced he will not seek a second term.
The report, released on the first day of the Democratic National Convention and the morning of the day the president is slated to speak, rehashes many of the allegations Republicans previously made against President Biden while alleging that they have uncovered “impeachable conduct.”
However, the report does not recommend specific articles of impeachment; it instead says that the decision on the next steps will be left to the larger congressional body.
There appear to be no new bombshells in the report. The report details six so-called key findings alleging that the Biden family received $27 million from foreign entities using shell companies, $8 million in questionable loans, special treatment for Hunter Biden and White House obstruction of the impeachment inquiry into the president.
While the report is highly detailed and cites a wide array of documents and testimony, it provides few, if any, instances of Joe Biden himself being directly and knowingly involved in illegal or improper activities – mainly focusing on the actions of his son, Hunter Biden and his allies, and the president’s brother, Jim Biden.
The report appears to serve as a roadmap for House Republicans if they move to draft articles of impeachment for the House to then take up when Congress returns on Sept. 9.
It’s not clear yet what the next steps will be, including if articles of impeachment will even be drafted and formally introduced. If articles are introduced, one of the House committees — likely Judiciary led by Jim Jordan — would then hold a markup to pass the articles out of committee for House floor consideration. It’s not clear if Speaker Mike Johnson would hold an impeachment vote on the floor. Republicans have hesitated for months to move forward with impeaching Biden because they do not have enough votes to clear the measure, and many believe Biden’s actions do not merit impeachment.
Congress is only in session for three weeks in September and out on recess until after the November 2024 election. Notably, since Biden has dropped his reelection bid, House Republicans have already trained their sights on the new presumptive Democratic ticket, launching fresh investigations into both Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz.
One of the key allegations in the report says that James Biden and Hunter Biden received a total of nearly $8 million in loans from entertainment attorney Kevin Morris, who represented Hunter Biden; family friend Joey Langston; and car dealer John Hynansky.
The vast majority of the alleged loans — more than $6 million of it — came from Morris, who allegedly paid more than $1.9 million of Hunter Biden’s tax liabilities, helped the president’s son buy a new house in Venice, California, and hire security. But, the report added, “Mr. Morris’s wealth allowed him to cover these tax debts and other debts for Hunter Biden without regard to expectation of repayment.”
The report suggests Morris’ financial assistance “creates the perception, at the very least, there was an unspoken quid pro quo or unlawful campaign contribution for which Mr. Morris would erase Hunter Biden’s IRS troubles—and by extension, help the Biden campaign rid itself of a serious liability—and receive some benefit in return.”
But the report does not provide any direct evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden himself in relation to this financial assistance.
Notably, multiple previous associates of Hunter Biden told the Oversight Committee over the course of the investigation that President Biden had no involvement with Hunter’s business dealings. Rob Walker, a longtime business associate of Hunter Biden, said in a closed-door interview in January that President Biden “was never involved” in Hunter Biden’s business dealings. “To be clear, President Biden — while in office or as a private citizen — was never involved in any of the business activities we pursued. Any statement to the contrary is simply false,” Walker said in his opening statement.
The report also claims the White House obstructed the Committees’ investigation into President Biden’s alleged retention of classified documents by preventing White House officials from testifying, erroneously asserting executive privilege and limiting access to materials from the National Archives.
Biden’s alleged retention of classified documents was independently investigated by Special Counsel Robert Hur, who recommended against charging Biden. While Hur says he found evidence that Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified information,” he determined that charges were not warranted because “evidence does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Hur’s decision to not recommend charges against Biden relied in part on his finding that Biden would come off as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” to a jury, a statement the president has slammed.
The report sharply criticized the White House for asserting executive privilege over the audio of Biden’s interview with Hur, arguing that the recording itself was necessary to understand Biden’s “mental state” and overall culpability. The DOJ defended its decision not to turn over the recordings by arguing the audio was “cumulative” and releasing them would harm “the evenhanded administration of justice” by preventing future cooperation from witnesses.
In June, House Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress over his failure to turn over the audio recordings, though the DOJ declined to prosecute Garland due to a longstanding policy against prosecuting an attorney general. A Republican-led effort to hold Garland in inherent contempt for his failure to turn over the audio tapes, which would have led to Garland being fined $10,000 per day until he complied with a congressional subpoena, failed in July.