Senate Probes Biden-Linked, Chinese Military-Boosting Tech Sale Grassley Compares to Uranium One
By Haris Alic
The Senate Finance Committee is probing the Obama administration’s 2015 decision to approve the sale of a U.S. company with insight into “military applications” to the Chinese government and an investment firm run by former Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter Biden.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the committee’s chairman, sent a letter to the Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Thursday requesting documents relating to the sale of Henniges, a Michigan-based automotive company, to Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Bohai Harvest RST (BHR). The latter was formed in 2013 by a merger between a subsidiary of the Bank of China and Rosemont Seneca, a firm started by Hunter Biden and Chris Heinz, the stepson of former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Since AVIC was a subsidiary of the Chinese government and Henniges, the producer of “dual-use” anti-vibration technology with military application, the deal required approval from the Obama administration’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The panel — made up of representatives from 16 different federal bodies, including the departments of State, Treasury, and Defense — is required to review any transaction that could lead to a foreign person gaining control of an American business.
In question is whether CIFUS was influenced by Obama administration officials, most notedly Joe Biden and John Kerry, who had an interest in seeing the deal move forward.
“The direct involvement of Mr. Hunter Biden and Mr. Heinz in the acquisition of Henniges by the Chinese government creates a potential conflict of interest,” Grassley wrote.
The senator noted in his letter that AVIC’s bid for Henniges should have immediately set off alarm bells in the Obama White House. In 2007, AVIC “reportedly involved in stealing sensitive data regarding the Joint Strike Fighter program,” which it later “reportedly incorporated … into China’s J-20 and J‑31 aircraft.”
Even more troubling, however, is that bid was facilitated at the same time China was staking out a more adversarial role in global affairs. At the time, Beijing was suspected of undermining U.S. cybersecurity by underwriting hackers stealing governmental data. There was also simmering tension over disputes in the South China Sea.
Despite the threat to national security, the $600 million deal was approved by CIFUS, with AVIC purchasing 51 percent of the company and BHR taking ownership of the other 49 percent. Upon purchase, an industry newsletter stated the deal was the “biggest Chinese investment into US automotive manufacturing assets to date.”
In his letter to Mnuchin, Grassley compared the deal to the Uranium One scandal, which arose when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton approved the sale of a Canadian mining company to Rosatom, the state-owned Russian nuclear energy conglomerate. It later emerged that both investors in the company and Russian energy officials had donated heavily to the Clinton Foundation.
“As with the Uranium One transaction, there is cause for concern that potential conflicts of interest could have influenced CFIUS’ approval of the Henniges transaction,” Grassley wrote. “Accordingly, Congress and the public must fully understand the decision-making process that led to the Henniges approval and the extent to which CFIUS fully considered the transaction’s national security risks.”
This is not the first time that Hunter Biden’s ties to China have caused grief for his father’s political career. As Peter Schweizer, a senior contributor at Breitbart News, revealed in his bestselling book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, Hunter Biden signed the $1.5 billion deal creating BHR in 2013 only ten days after visiting China aboard Air Force Two with his father.
Ted Lieu Deletes One Antisemitic Tweet — But Leaves Others Up
By Joel B. Pollak
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) deleted a tweet Thursday in which he accused U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman of dual loyalty — the same antisemitic theme used in the past by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
The Israeli government denied Omar and Tlaib entry into the country, based on their support for boycotting Israel. Omar said earlier this year that Americans who support Israel owe “allegiance to a foreign country,” and Tlaib said that U.S. Senators who support Israel “forgot what country they represent.” Both statements were condemned at the time as antisemitic, as they evoke the slur of “dual loyalty” that has often been used as a pretext to persecute Jews.
Lieu had tweeted: “Dear @USAmbIsrael: You are an American. Your allegiance should be to America, not to a foreign power. You should be defending the right of Americans to travel to other countries. If you don’t understand that, then you need to resign.” He madethe same accusation on CNN as he was interviewed by anchor Wolf Blitzer. “He doesn’t seem to understand that his allegiance is to America, not to a foreign power,” Lieu told Blitzer, saying that Friedman should have been fighting for Omar and Tlaib to have the right to enter Israel, despite Israeli law.
On Thursday evening, Lieu deleted his tweet, and tweeted: “It has been brought to my attention that my prior tweet to @USAmbIsrael raises dual loyalty allegations that have historically caused harm to the Jewish community. That is a legitimate concern. I am therefore deleting the tweet.” He did not apologize, however.
In addition, Lieu left up several tweets making the same accusation against several Republican legislators (and using the “dual loyalty” slur in praising Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI) for criticizing Israel’s decision).
Lieu represents California’s 33rd congressional district, which has a sizable Jewish population.
Justin Amash Stands with Anti-Jewish Congresswomen, Demands Open Border in Israel for Omar and Tlaib
Amash is once again showing cultural solidarity with Tlaib and Omar.
By Shane Trejo
Rep. Justin Amash (I-MI), who left the Republican Party due to his hatred of President Donald Trump earlier this year, is demanding that the state of Israel let his anti-Semitic “colleagues” Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) into their country.
Amash apparently believes that Israel permitting the far-left socialist Congresswomen into the Jewish nation would help diplomacy and serve as a rebuke against President Trump.
“Israel has decided — we won’t enable the members of Congress to enter the country,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told the Kan public broadcaster.
“We won’t allow those who deny our right to exist in this world to enter Israel. In principle this is a very justified decision,” she added.
Amash, who is the son of a Palestinian refugee similar to Tlaib, is unhappy with the decisions made by the sovereign state of Israel. He has previously been criticized for being the only Republican voting against setting a national anti-Semitism monitor.
Omar and Tlaib have previously heaped praise toward Amash before he left the Republican Party when he came out in favor of impeachment based on the dubious contents of the Mueller report.
Amash has also defended Tlaib and Omar as well as their fellow “Squad” members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) recently after Trump blasted them for their hostile anti-American, socialist beliefs.
Rumors continue to persist that Amash may seek the presidential nomination as a Libertarian or as an independent in 2020, but he isn’t likely to take many votes away from Trump considering his support for some of the most unpopular far-left legislators in America.
AUSTRIA: MUSLIM TAXI DRIVERS REFUSE TO TRANSPORT GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND
“Muslims traditionally regard dogs as “impure.”
AUGUST 15, 2019
Muslim taxi drivers in Austria are refusing to transport blind people with guide dogs because dogs are seen as being unclean in Islamic culture.
Tiroler Tageszeitung reports on how a former board member of the Association for the Blind, who is totally blind herself, ordered a taxi to drop her off at Innsbruck airport.
However, when the taxi arrived, the driver refused to take her dog.
Taxi operators Anton Eberl and Harald Flecker apologized for the incident but stressed that they only mediate calls and do not own the taxis.
“We try to make it clear to the drivers again and again that this is not the case for us and that these trips have to be carried out exactly like any other job. Unfortunately, at the moment we are not in a position to solve this problem satisfactorily, ” said Flecker, adding that drivers had to be told “again and again” about the rules.
According to the Tiroler Tageszeitung newspaper, “80 percent of drivers now have a migrant background – and Muslims traditionally often regard dogs as “impure”.
Gabriele Jandrasits also tried to order a taxi to transport her and her Beagle-Jack Russell dog to the airport. Despite the fact that the dog was contained inside a transport cage, she was told that “most drivers would refuse to take dogs for reasons of faith.”
Local laws state the drivers must accept guide dogs for the blind, although many of them simply seem to be ignoring this mandate.
Meanwhile, diversity continues to be a strength.
Man stabbed outside Home Office in London, armed police called in
A stabbing outside the Home Office in London has left one person with facial injuries. The victim was initially said to be in a life-threatening condition. One man has been arrested.
Police were called to Marsham Street in the English capital, with officers responding to a report of a stabbing near Home Office headquarters. First responders found a man with knife wounds, the Met Police said.
Ambulances rushed to the scene to treat the victim whose injuries were initially described as “life-threatening.” Medics said later that the condition of the man had improved.
Police said that one man was arrested and taken to a nearby station “on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.”
A witness said he saw a “bloody tissue in the entrance hall and police everywhere.” People were ordered not to leave the building.
The stabbed man was reportedly a member of staff from the Home Office. The witnesses said he made his way back to the building after the attack.
Police said they were “keeping an open mind” as to whether or not the incident was terrorism-related.
Ilhan Omar Claims “Every Day” 500 People Die from Guns Yet She Hangs Out with CAIR Gun-Toting Radical!?!
By Joe Hoft
Ilhan Omar has a lot going on lately. She attacks 2nd Amendment rights while speaking with gun-toting radicals connected to CAIR. When she’s not doing that, she is busy hanging around with her new boyfriend and potential husband number three!
Ilhan Omar tweeted, “Every day on average 500 people die from gun violence. How many more lives will we let gun violence claim?”
This is clearly not true at all and it adds to the mounting evidence that she once married her brother by claiming he was someone else therefore committing immigration and tax fraud.
The other ironic thing about Omar’s tweet is that she hangs out with radicals like Hassan Shibly who is believed to be the one that contributed to Ilhan Omar’s speech delivered during the LA CAIR fundraiser in March 23rd, 2019. The speech where Omar said “Some people did something” when referring to 9-11.
Hassan Shibly is also connected to CAIR, the Hamas-related Council on American-Islamic Relations, that pushes Islamic causes in the US. Hassan also appears to have an affinity for guns. No doubt this was known the many times he visited Obama’s White House.
Shibley is connected to guns, Omar and CAIR –
Omar on the other hand, gets around. She brought a date along with her the night that she spoke at the CAIR event on March 23, 2019. Tim Mynett was seen leaving the event holding hands with Omar. He was also paid $250,000 for his efforts for Omar in 2018. At the time she was still married to her second husband – the one who isn’t her brother.
Ilhan Omar doesn’t want Americans to have guns but believes her radical friends can. Her standards are a mess.
Hat tip Yaacov Apelbaum – find more here
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