from
https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4350910-with-hunters-indictment-democrats-face-a-moment-of-maddening-truth/

With Hunter’s indictment, Democrats face a moment of maddening truth
BY JONATHAN TURLEY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/09/23 10:30 AM ET

AP Photo/Julio Cortez
FILE – President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, arrives for a court
appearance, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del.

Author Aldous Huxley once said, “you shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you mad.”

Such a moment of madness has arrived in Congress as members prepare to
vote on the formal approval of an impeachment inquiry. The second
indictment of Hunter Biden shattered long-standing denials and
narratives repeated by the White House and members of Congress. What is
left in its wake is now plain to the public: corruption.

The vote is not whether to impeach President Biden, but whether members
support the investigation into these growing allegations of corruption
by the Biden family. According to recent polling, nearly 70 percent of
voters (and 40 percent of Democrats) believe that Biden has acted
unlawfully or unethically or both. Yet with almost half of the
Democratic Party viewing Biden’s conduct as worthy of investigation, it
is not clear whether a single Democratic member will vote to look into
these allegations.

In September, I testified at the first impeachment inquiry hearing and
stated that the evidence had clearly passed the threshold for such an
inquiry. While there was no requirement to hold a formal vote to start
this process (as the Democrats did with Trump), I encouraged the members
to hold such a vote.

Since that hearing, the evidence has only mounted against President
Biden. It is now clear that Biden lied when he maintained as a
candidate, and later as president, that he had no knowledge of his son’s
business dealings with foreign interests. Even Hunter himself
contradicted the president on this claim.

It is also now clear that he lied in denying that his son never made
money in China. The indictment confirms massive transfers from Chinese
sources.

It is also clear that Hunter was engaged in raw influence peddling. This
included threatening at least one Chinese businessman that his father
was sitting next to him and would retaliate against him if he did not
send millions to the Bidens.

President Biden also lied when he claimed this week that he had not had
any “interactions” with his son’s business associates. There are emails,
audiotapes and testimony now disproving that claim.

Millions of dollars flowed to Biden family members through a labyrinth
of shell companies and accounts. Hunter Biden sent emails saying that up
to half of his income went to his father while they used shared accounts
and credit cards for expenses.

Even Biden associates now admit that they were selling “the Biden brand”
and influence with Joe Biden. Advocates simply argue that they were
merely selling the “illusion” of influence.

It is now time to see if a single Democratic member will stand against
corruption and support an inquiry into the president’s role and later
cover-up of this corruption. That includes the use of White House staff
to spread false claims and attack critics.

I have previously discussed four possible articles of impeachment that
warrant investigation.

One of the false narratives being bandied about is that there is no
proof that the influence peddling Biden’s son and brothers benefited the
president himself. Thus, the argument goes, even though he was the
subject of the influence peddling, Joe Biden did not legally or
constitutionally benefit from the payments to constitute bribery or
other crimes.

That is utter nonsense. The courts have repeatedly found that benefits
to family members (far more modest than the millions in this case) can
constitute bribery for a politician. That has also been the position of
the Justice Department in past cases. Regardless of whether Hunter or
his associates were speaking truthfully about handing over percentages
of these funds to Joe Biden, he practically and legally benefited from
the millions going to his family.

Even if members insist that they are not yet convinced, it makes no
sense to insist that there is no direct evidence while opposing efforts
to establish such evidence. These members have opposed any investigation
into the allegations from the start.

Polling suggests most people believe there was a massive influence
peddling operation built around Joe Biden, and that the president lied
about not knowing about these deals. It is now time to get answers
directly from the key players, from Hunter Biden to the president himself.

There is more at stake for the members than a Democratic president. The
Democratic Party has already embraced censorship and abandoned its long
advocacy of free speech. Democrats are now running on the pledge to
expand censorship on social media. The question is whether, as a party,
it will now vote to shield corruption, even with almost half of
Democratic voters calling for answers.

The Democratic Party that I was raised in and supported was more than
the party of censorship and corruption. It fought for free speech and
good government. There were principles that came before personalities.

That is why we have reached a point of inescapable clarity. There is no
principled basis to oppose an investigation into these chilling
allegations. Stripped of the false narratives and faux constitutional
claims, what remains are raw politics and utter madness.

The only question is, who will step forward on the Democratic side to
demand not impeachment but answers?

So let’s call the vote.

Jonathan Turley is the J.B. and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public
Interest Law at the George Washington University Law School.

TAGS HUNTER BIDEN HUNTER BIDEN JOE BIDEN JOE BIDEN
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a425couple <a425couple@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:Ty3dN.1340$Ama9.1245@fx12.iad:

> from
> https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4350910-with-hunters-indic
> tment-democrats-face-a-moment-of-maddening-truth/
>
> With Hunter’s indictment, Democrats face a moment of maddening truth
> BY JONATHAN TURLEY, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR - 12/09/23 10:30 AM ET
>
> AP Photo/Julio Cortez
> FILE – President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden, arrives for a court
> appearance, July 26, 2023, in Wilmington, Del.
>
> Author Aldous Huxley once said, “you shall know the truth, and the
> truth shall make you mad.”
>
> Such a moment of madness has arrived in Congress as members prepare to
> vote on the formal approval of an impeachment inquiry. The second
> indictment of Hunter Biden shattered long-standing denials and
> narratives repeated by the White House and members of Congress. What
> is left in its wake is now plain to the public: corruption.
>
Indictment of Hunter Biden on tax charges has absolutely no bearing on
Joe Biden. Your "corruption" is entirely imaginary and you have ZERO
proof.

xxx

Al, mayor of hypothetical city, is term limited out
His son, Ben, need a new truck but has bad credit, so Al loans his son
the money to buy the truck.
Ben then works for GM, and Al runs for governor
GM pays Ben for his work, and Ben pays back the loan from Al

Conservaturds now claim that GM is bribing Al.

Bullshit!!