Thursday, May 6, 2021

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Senator Demands Answers From WH For Hunter Biden’s Continued Stake In Chinese Firm...HENRY RODGERS SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT May 05, 2021

 

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Senator Demands Answers From WH For Hunter Biden’s Continued Stake In Chinese Firm

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HENRY RODGERSSENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT
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Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines sent a Wednesday letter to President Joe Biden asking him about his son, Hunter Biden, who continues to hold a minority stake in a Chinese private equity firm 100 days into Biden’s term, the Daily Caller has learned.

Hunter Biden holds a 10% equity stake in BHR Partners through his company, Skaneateles LLC, according to business records about Chinese corporations based on China’s National Credit Information Publicity System reviewed by the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

Daines urged the president to make sure Hunter Biden is fully divested from the Chinese private equity firm and mentioned the DCNF’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s investments in BHR Partners.

“I write regarding reports of potential conflicts of interest with members of your family and foreign investments that could result in undue influence on U.S. government policy or officials. As President of the United States, it is critical to avoid any appearance of conflict of interests with foreign governments, particularly adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China,” Daines writes in the letter.

“As you know, in December you stated: ‘My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise, that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict, with the appropriate distance from, the presidency and government.’ Despite this pledge, recent reports have shown that Hunter Biden has maintained investments in BHR Partners, which is owned in part by the Bank of China,” he continued.

“I am concerned that these investments run contrary to your pledge and could result in undue influence on the U.S. government. I urge you to ensure your family is fully divested from such firms and honor the commitments you have made to mitigate any risk or appearance of conflicts of interest,” Daines concluded.

READ THE LETTER HERE: 

(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) Sen… by Henry Rodgers

Biden said in October 2019 that if he was elected president, no members of his family would do business with any foreign corporations or countries. (RELATED: 100 Days Into Biden’s Presidency, Hunter Still Owns Stake In Chinese Private Equity Firm, Business Records Show)

“No one in my family will have an office in the White House, will sit in on meetings as if they are a cabinet member, will, in fact, have any business relationship with anyone that relates to a foreign corporation or a foreign country,” Biden told reporters in Iowa. “Period. Period. End of story.”

BHR is co-owned by the Chinese state-controlled Bank of China, business records reviewed by the DCNF show. The firm manages $2.1 billion in assets, according to its website. Hunter Biden acquired his 10% stake in BHR by investing $420,000 in October 2017, according to an October 2019 statement his lawyer released. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Continues To Hold Stake In Chinese Private Equity Firm, Records Show, Despite Reports That He Was Planning To Divest)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in February that Hunter Biden was in the process of divesting from the firm.

“He has been working to unwind his investment but I would certainly point you — he’s a private citizen — I would point you to him or his lawyers on the outside,” Psaki said. However, it is unclear how much he has received from his investment or if he has pulled out yet.

The firm’s business file was last updated on July 28, 2020, according to the records reviewed by the DCNF. (RELATED: Hunter Still Owns 10% Of Chinese Private Equity Firm 24 Days Into Biden’s Presidency)

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment about the letter and about Hunter Biden’s minority stake in the Chinese private equity firm.

Biden Admin Considers Changing Trump’s Pandemic Border Closures To Allow ‘Vulnerable’ Migrants Into US: Report...KAYLEE GREENLEE REPORTER May 05, 2021

 

Biden Admin Considers Changing Trump’s Pandemic Border Closures To Allow ‘Vulnerable’ Migrants Into US: Report

(Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Biden administration is reportedly considering changes to a Trump-era public health order that allows for asylum-seeking migrants to be rapidly expelled to their country of origin, BuzzFeed News reported Wednesday.

The Biden administration’s unofficial plan could grant humanitarian exceptions to some migrants allowing them to enter the U.S. regardless of former President Donald Trump’s implementation of Title 42, a public health order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic allowing officials to expel migrants at the southern border, BuzzFeed reported.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said the southern border “is not open,” BuzzFeed reported. “Individuals and families under the CDC’s Title 42 public health authority,” are still expelled from the U.S.

“DHS is continually working, in consultation with the CDC, to improve the process for humanitarian exception requests under Title 42 as part of our efforts to restore safe, humane, and orderly processing at our borders,” the spokesperson told BuzzFeed.

DHS officials are considering a program geared towards offering humanitarian exceptions to migrants in vulnerable situations, documents obtained by BuzzFeed reportedly said. Mexican organizations would provide CBP officials with biographical information and biometrics of migrants who would be the exception to Title 42 expulsions.

A potential partnership between the countries would streamline the process and ensure migrants are tested for COVID-19 before entry, according to documents obtained by BuzzFeed. Migrants who arrive at a U.S. official port of entry would not be eligible for the program. (RELATED: Hundreds of Mexican Children Were Deported While The Biden Admin Finds Sponsors For Others)

President Joe Biden was criticized for leaving Title 42 in place and allowing thousands of migrants, including asylum seekers, to be expelled at the border without hearing their cases, according to BuzzFeed. Even with the new possible program, border officials will likely continue denying entry to most migrants who arrive at the southern border.

The Trump administration implemented Title 42 in March 2020 to rapidly expel migrants without granting them an opportunity to make credible fear cases, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported. The Biden administration lifted the order for unaccompanied migrant minors who are taken into federal custody after they’re apprehended, the DCNF reported.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials encountered over 172,000 migrants in March including nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children, according to the agency. Over 680 unaccompanied migrant minors were in CBP custody as of Tuesday while nearly 22,200 were in Department of Health and Human Services shelters, the agency reported.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has sent 35 cases for entry on humanitarian grounds to the U.S. government daily, Attorney Lee Gelernt told Buzzfeed.

“We are hoping to see a more formal, expanded program ramp up quickly. Any formal NGO process, to be meaningful, will need to allow a significant number of people in each day at multiple ports,” Gelernt said, according to BuzzFeed.

DHS did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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