White House Refuses to Comment on Latest Twitter Files Showing FBI’s Involvement Suppressing Hunter Biden Laptop Story

MRS. DOOCY TIME: "The latest #TwitterFiles show…the intelligence community was actively involved in discrediting the Hunter Biden laptop story. Does it bother the President & those at the #WH that a govt agency like the FBI was involved in suppressing a legitimate news story?"

https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1604933981278912513

UN chief weighs in on Security Council expansion

Bringing in new members is a real possibility, Antonio Guterres said

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Monday that proposals to expand the UN Security Council are “seriously on the table.” However, he cautioned that some Western suggestions on limiting the veto power of its members – aimed at Russia – will likely fail.

Speaking at his last press conference of 2022, Guterres said that while the membership of the Security Council may be expanded, none of the body’s five permanent members – the US, UK, China, France, and Russia – will likely lose its veto power, as any plan to modify this right could be blocked by any one of these nations, using the same veto.

The Security Council consists of 15 members, ten of which serve two-year terms on the body and cannot veto resolutions. Formed in 1945, the Security Council can enforce sanctions, authorize military action, and refer cases for the International Criminal Court – but only with the unanimous consent of the five permanent members.

Russia has advocated for a more diverse Security Council for years, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arguing last year for giving more seats to developing countries in order to break the West’s disproportionate hold on the body. Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, reiterated this argument last week, telling the council that it “can be democratized only through increasing the representation of African, Asian, and Latin American states.”

While neither Lavrov nor Nebenzia discussed adding more permanent members, US President Joe Biden told the UN General Assembly in September that Washington “supports increasing the number of both permanent and non-permanent representatives of the council,” where “nations we have long supported” would be given seats.

Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa have all expressed interest in permanent seats on the council in recent years.

Since Russia has blocked US-led attempts to condemn its military operation in Ukraine via the Security Council, Kiev has called on the council to figure out a way to remove Russia’s veto power. Guterres said on Monday that while he is aware of British and French support for veto reform, he is “pessimistic” that the current arrangement could be “seriously brought into question.”

https://www.rt.com/news/568542-guterres-expand-security-council/

Syria reports new Israeli missile attack

Strike allegedly targeted the Damascus international airport

Multiple missiles have targeted the vicinity of the Syrian capital, the state news agency SANA said early on Tuesday, blaming the Israeli military.

A volley of missiles was fired from the occupied Golan Heights, SANA reported citing a military source. The attack happened at 12:30 am local time. Though Syrian air defenses were activated, the attack caused “some material damage” and injured two Syrian soldiers, the agency added.

Unconfirmed reports from the ground reported explosions at the Damascus International Airport and the nearby town of Sayyida Zaynab, south of Damascus proper.

https://www.rt.com/news/568554-syria-damascus-missiles-strike/

McCarthy’s Mentor Calls Him a Liar, Asks ‘How Can Anyone Trust His Word?’

Retired Rep. Bill Thomas noted how McCarthy sold out Donald Trump for corporate donor money.

Kevin McCarthy received some disparaging words from his former mentor as the California rep. continues to face pressure from House Republicans ahead of the January 3rd house Speaker election.

Former Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) called his former “protege” a liar whose words cannot be trusted.

“The Kevin McCarthy who is now, at this time, in the House isn’t the Kevin McCarthy I worked with,” Thomas said of McCarthy.

Thomas went on to call McCarthy an untrustworthy, dishonest politician. “Kevin basically is whatever you want him to be. He lies. He’ll change the lie if necessary. How can anyone trust his word?” Thomas questioned.

Equating the California rep. to a shady insurance salesman, Thomas added “he’s the guy in the college fraternity that everybody liked and winds up selling life insurance, convincing people they need it.”

The now-retired Rep. Thomas served 28 years in Congress and McCarthy got his start in politics as Rep. Thomas’ aide. Thomas explained how McCarthy sold out Donald Trump after major corporate donors threatened to abandon their donations to congressional Republicans if they voted against certifying the 2020 election.

With Republicans holding 222 floor seats, and McCarthy needing 218 floor votes to secure the Speakership on the January 3rd election, the California rep’s chances of becoming speaker look bleak.

As National File previously reported, at least a dozen Trump-aligned GOPers are refusing to vote for the speaker-elect.

“I believe…that there’s a dozen or so who will show the steel courage that’s needed…that will not be persuaded [to vote for McCarthy],” Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said in late November.

https://nationalfile.com/mccarthys-mentor-calls-him-a-liar-asks-how-can-anyone-trust-his-word/

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