Effort to squash Biden family stories long predated Hunter laptop, newly released emails reveal

Aide to VP Biden in 2015 bragged she got reporter to admit she would "only use" negative information on Hunter Biden "if her editors hold a gun to her head."

Records newly released by the National Archives show efforts to suppress negative stories about the Biden family's business deals long predate the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, dating back to 2015 when an aide to then-Vice President Joe Biden boasted she got a reporter to "only use" negative information "if her editors hold a gun to her head."

The emails come from the Obama administration archives and were forced into the public through litigation by the America First Legal nonprofit public interest law firm. They chronicle efforts by Biden's then-aides in the vice president's office to suppress stories about Huter Biden's relationship with the Ukraine energy compamy Burisma Holdings during a Biden trip to Ukraine in December 2015.

Stephen Miller, the president of America First Legal, said the records suggest the news media has been complicit in burying negative news about the Biden family for at least a decade.

"Joe Biden and the Biden vice presidency were intimately involved in the Hunter Biden Burisma affair," Miller said on the Thursday edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show. "They were intimately aware of it. They were intimately aware of the ethical objections, and they were intimately involved in trying to spin and control the press about it."

You can read the full set of released documents here: URL

The records obtained by Miller's group reveal that Joe Biden personally approved quotes in December 2015 to address his son's overseas business dealings even though the president has claimed he had no knowledge about what his son did.

"VP signed off on this — will give this quote to both reporters in my name shortly," then- vice presidential press official Kate Bedingfield wrote in one of the emails.

That email corroborates an audio tape released last year that captured Joe Biden calling his son to reassure him the White House had managed to quiet the story about the foreign business deals.

The emails cover a frantic month in December 2015 as reporters began asking questions about Hunter Biden's business relationship with Burisma just as Joe Biden was heading to Ukraine for a key U.S. policy meeting. The emails show the White House was using a strategy designed to stop some reporters from publishing by offering them quotes that downplayed the questions.

"Really frustrating," Bedingfeld wrote as she approved some statements to be released to the inquiriung press. "That said, so long as it doesn't elevate and trigger someone else to write, it's actually a good and straightforward response."

One of those media outlets, The Wall Street Journal, wrote about Hunter Biden serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company deemed corrupt by the U.S. State Department, while his father was vice president and was overseeing U.S. policy to combat corruption in the country.

The reporter asked if Hunter Biden holding this position was contradictory to Joe Biden's anti-corruption messaging.

This resulted in Hunter Biden's business partner Eric Schwerin giving the White House quotes from both Hunter Biden and former Polish President Mykola Zlochevsky, who was on Burisma's board with him.

"Hunter Biden joined the Board to strengthen corporate governance and transparency at a company working to advance energy security for Ukraine," a spokesperson for Hunter said in a quote. "These are also goals of the United States. Far from being out of sync with the policies of the United States, the Board is working to bring this privately held energy company into the kind of future that is critical for a free and strong Ukraine. These are goals that attracted not just Hunter to the effort, but respected American and European political and business leaders."

The vice president's press office was notified via email when the story ran. Bedingfield responded negatively with "ugh" in an email. Her tone changed after Schwerin responded, "All good here."

In another exchange, Schwerin asked Bedingfield to urge Bloomberg reporter Margaret Talev not to run a negative story on Hunter Biden with details that included his dismissal from the Navy for cocaine use.

The New York Times had previously run a story headlined "Joe Biden, His Son and the Case Against a Ukrainian Oligarch," and the Vice President's press office wasn't too thrilled about it. Schwerin asked Bedingfield if there were any follow-ups from other outlets regarding the story.

https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/new-memos-government-effort-suppress-biden-family-stories-began

‘Pro-Kremlin’ Leader of NATO Bulgaria Says No Warplanes, Missiles, or Tanks for Ukraine

The leader of Bulgaria, a European Union and NATO member-state, says his country will not use its arsenal of Soviet-era warplanes, air defence missiles, and tanks to bolster the Ukrainian war machine.

President Rumen Radev says “Bulgaria does not support and is not part of the general order for the supply of shells to Ukraine” he said in reference to an EU joint procurement programme which is believed to be going badly, adding that his country will instead “support European diplomatic efforts to restore peace,” according to a report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

A U.S. government-funded news organisation which received CIA funding until at least the 1970s and claims its “mission is to promote democratic values by providing accurate, uncensored news and open debate in countries where a free press is threatened and disinformation is pervasive”, RFE/RL describes President Radev as being “known for his pro-Kremlin leanings”, and said he also ruled out Bulgarian participation in Western efforts to supply Ukraine with military aircraft, air defence missiles, and tanks.

As a former Soviet satellite, Bulgaria’s arsenal of Cold War-era MiG-29 and Su-25 warplanes, S-300 and S-200 air defence systems, and T-72 tanks might be easier for Ukrainian forces to make immediate use of than Western equipment such as the F-16 and M1 Abrams tanks — but Radev is reportedly adamant that Bulgaria’s defence needs must come first.

“As the supreme commander of the armed forces, I am obliged to insist that the defence potential of the Bulgarian Army is not weakened in this complex situation, but on the contrary, it must be maintained and developed,” he said.

Despite its reputation as a relative backwater, Bulgaria is not unimportant in the context of the Ukraine war, having the sixth-largest arms industry in Europe with a particular specialism in the sort of materiel the Ukrainian military is most familiar with.

The United States has claimed it will help “backfill” the military capabilities of allied nations that send Soviet-era equipment on to Ukraine and established funds to facilitate this, with RFE/RL saying the “benefits of that deal were apparent on March 22 when Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad announced that the United States has offered to sell Slovakia 12 new Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters at a two-thirds discount after Bratislava sent its retired MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine” — although whether discounted helicopters are a truly worthy replacement for a fighter aircraft is an open question.

Bulgaria’s now-dissolved parliament did approve some shipments of “mainly… light weaponry and ammunition” to Ukraine in December 2022, and to repair some Ukrainian military equipment at Bulgarian plants in May, but these arrangements may change after the election this April — the fifth election in just two years in the chaos-wracked EU member-state.

Interestingly, Bulgaria was one of four NATO members that polled as having Russia as its first choice as a wartime ally in 2017.

Russia beat out the United States in the WIN/Gallup International in Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey — all not just NATO member-states but also European Union member-states or, in Turkey’s case, at least an official candidate country for EU membership.

While there was some suggestion that a shared Orthodox Christian faith may have played some part in the results — Russia, Bulgaria, and Greece are all, like Ukraine, predominantly Eastern Orthodox — this would not explain the polling in Slovenia, which is largely Roman Catholic, or Turkey, which is predominantly Muslim.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/24/leader-nato-bulgaria-says-no-warplanes-missiles-tanks-ukraine/

Mariannette Miller-Meeks Forces TikTok CEO to Admit Chinese App Tracks Americans’ Keystrokes

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew admitted to Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks that the Chinese app tracks users’ keystrokes during a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing on Thursday.

“Does TikTok track users’ individual keystrokes?” Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) asked, to which Chew responded by stating, “Only for security purposes, for example, like detecting bots.”

After Miller-Meeks asked Chew to clarify that “the only purpose that you would monitor keystrokes is for security purposes,” the TikTok CEO said, “I can get back to you on the specifics,” and then deflected, by saying other companies behave in a similar way.

In a recent interview with GMA3: What You Need to Know, former Trump official Keith Krach warned that TikTok is able to track users’ keystrokes.

“That means they have access to your passwords, all your data, they have access to your health records, your bank records, they have access to your geopolitical information or your geospatial information,” Krach said. “That means that they can track where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going.”

“Look at it as a digital virus,” he added. “And the only cure for this; the only vaccine for this is a total ban.”

Some might agree with Chew’s suggestion that U.S. social media companies engage in the same behavior as TikTok, but the difference is that U.S. companies can be held responsible under U.S. laws, whether that takes the form of action by Congress or regulators, whereas the same is not possible with TikTok.

Elsewhere during Thursday’s hearing, Chew said “I don’t think that ‘spying’ is the right way to describe” the alleged Chinese surveillance of Americans using his company’s social media platform.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2023/03/23/mariannette-miller-meeks-forces-tiktok-ceo-to-admit-chinese-app-tracks-americans-keystrokes/

Notorious Australian neo-Nazi in Ukraine to fight Russia – media

Canberra had tried but failed to prevent the violent criminal with deep extremist ties from traveling, local media has reported

Daniel Newman, a far-right extremist and a violent criminal, has flown from Australia to Ukraine to join the fight against Russian troops, Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) newspaper reported on Thursday, citing its sources. The development coincides with efforts by Canberra to prevent violent extremists from traveling to the war-torn country to gain combat experience, SMH said.

Newman first traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then to Europe in February, before arriving in Ukraine this month, the report claims, adding that the man had supposedly told his associates he was planning to take up arms against the Russian forces.

Newman is a member of an international extremist group named Combat 18, or C18. Founded in the UK in the early 1990s, it then expanded its network to other nations in Europe and beyond. The group’s members have reportedly been linked to several murders, including in the UK and Germany. In 2019, Canada put C18 on its terrorist list.

Newman himself was previously jailed for violent offenses in the Australian state of Victoria. He then helped Australia’s neo-Nazis forge connections with prison gangs as well as set up a cell in Tasmania, according to SMH.

This is allegedly Newman’s second attempt to leave Australia for Ukraine, having previously sought to exit the country last year.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) launched a dedicated operation codenamed Project Backencourt, to prevent neo-Nazis from leaving Australia and getting combat experience overseas.

A spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil refused to provide any comments on the development. "The government does not comment on matters of national security," the spokesperson said.

According to the SMH, though, the authorities managed to prevent another far-right extremist and an ex-soldier, Conor Stretenovic, from flying to Europe out of concerns he might also like to fight for Ukraine. The man had his passport canceled in 2020.

Far-right extremists from various Western nations have joined the ranks of Ukrainian forces, first during the conflict in Donbass and later during the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

Back in 2021, TIME magazine reported that Ukraine’s infamous Azov regiment alone, many members of which espouse neo-Nazi ideology, had managed to recruit as many as 17,000 foreigners from a total of 50 nations.

https://www.rt.com/news/573493-australian-neo-nazi-ukraine-army/

China's Xi has sent 'very troubling message' – Pentagon

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the leader's Moscow visit is a cause of grave concern for Washington

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to Russia should be regarded as a matter of grave concern for Washington, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on Thursday.

Speaking at the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on defense appropriations, Austin was asked to comment on Xi’s trip to Moscow, and its ramifications for Sino-US competition.

“Xi’s visit to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and remaining there for a couple of days I think sends a very troubling message, a message of support,” the Pentagon chief replied.

He stated that while the Pentagon has not seen signs that China had been providing Russia with military equipment for use against Ukraine, it is watching the situation “very closely,” cautioning that “if they were to go down that path, I think that would be very troubling for the international community.”

He went on to warn that if Xi decided to arm Moscow, “it would prolong the conflict and certainly broaden the conflict potentially – not only in the region, but globally.”

On Monday, the Chinese leader embarked on a three-day state visit to Moscow, holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the summit, the two sides signed more than a dozen documents on increased defense, industrial and economic cooperation.

Moscow and Beijing also pledged to “deepen relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction entering a new era.”

The US has claimed that China has been considering sending arms to Russia, while threatening “consequences” should it make such a move. Beijing, however, has dismissed such plans, accusing Washington of “spreading false information” and “fanning the flames” of the Ukraine conflict.

“It is the United States and not China that is endlessly shipping weapons to the battlefield,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last month.

Since the start of the Ukraine conflict more than a year ago, Western countries have supplied Kiev with large amounts of military equipment, with the US alone having committed more than $32.5 billion in security assistance. Moscow has repeatedly warned the West that such support will only prolong the conflict while making it a direct participant in the hostilities.

https://www.rt.com/news/573498-pentagon-xi-jinping-russia-trip/

North Korea unveils ‘radioactive tsunami’ weapon

Pyongyang claimed the system is able to “annihilate enemy ship groups” without detection

North Korea has tested a new “underwater nuclear strategic weapon,” claiming the platform can produce a “radioactive tsunami.” Pyongyang claimed it has been forced to strengthen its “war deterrence” amid a flurry of military drills by Washington and Seoul.

A series of tests were carried out between Tuesday and Thursday this week by the North Korean military and were overseen by supreme leader Kim Jong-un, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The trials were intended to confirm the “lethal strike capability” of the new “secret weapon,” which has been dubbed “Tsunami.”

“The mission of the underwater nuclear strategic weapon is to stealthily submerge into the operational area… and annihilate enemy ship groups and major ports of operation by generating a super-powerful radioactive tsunami through underwater explosions,” the outlet said, adding “This nuclear unmanned underwater attack craft can be put into operation by towing to any coast or port or surface vessel.”

With development starting in 2021, the system has reportedly undergone some 50 rounds of tests behind the scenes over the last two years, and was created to “check the military and technological superiority of the imperialist aggressor army,” KCNA added, referring to the United States.

Pyongyang said it faced a “dangerous” security situation due to a near-constant stream of US-led military drills with South Korea, which the DPRK has repeatedly denounced as rehearsals for an invasion. It added that Washington’s hostile stance made it “imperative for us to prioritize the quantitative strengthening of the nuclear force,” stressing the need for a “stronger war deterrence.”

North Korea has carried out scores of weapons tests in recent months – including several intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches – as a demonstration to the US and its regional allies. While American officials have denounced such tests as provocative and damaging to stability in the Asia-Pacific, the DPRK has insisted on its right to advance its military capabilities, and says its nuclear arsenal is for defensive purposes only.

Despite ominous warnings from Washington regarding the DPRK’s weapons, however, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that there is “no indication” that an “actual strike by North Korea is imminent,” suggesting Pyongyang poses no immediate threat to the US or its partners.

https://www.rt.com/news/573495-north-korea-radioactive-tsunami/

UK Convicts Senior Nigerian Senator Over Plot to Harvest Migrant’s Organs

The former Vice-President of Nigeria’s Senate has been convicted in a UK court of plotting to harvest a migrant’s organs.

The Central Criminal Court in London also reportedly found Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, as well as UK-based doctor Obinna Obeta of being involved in the plot, with the convictions being the first of their kind in Britain.

According to a report by the BBC, the plotters had reportedly coerced a poor migrant from Lagos to travel to the UK, promising him £7,000 (~$8,600) and the opportunity to live a better life in Britain, though reportedly warned him that he would have to undergo a number of medical examinations in Nigeria before he could successfully get a visa to travel.

However, unbeknownst to the man — who had up until this point spent his adult life selling phone accessories from a wheelbarrow — these tests were actually to see if he was suitable for his kidney to be given to the Senator’s daughter, Sonia.

Despite efforts to conceal that the migrant was being paid to donate the kidney via a paid-off Igbo translator, the plot was eventually uncovered by the doctor earmarked to perform the private medical procedure.

Consultant Dr Peter Dupont reportedly found that, despite supposedly being a willing donor for the procedure, the migrant had received no counselling or advice about the risks of surgery, and that he lacked the funding for the lifelong care he would need after donating the organ.

In a later conversation with police, the victim alleged that his traffickers told him that if he did agree to the procedure in the UK they would carry him “back to Nigeria and do it there” instead.

Speaking on the convictions, Chief Crown Prosecutor Joanne Jakymec described the plot as “horrific”, with those involved showing no consideration for the safety of their victim.

“The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and well-being and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here,” she said.

Ekweremadu, who formerly served as the vice president of the Nigerian Senate, was then remanded in custody with sentencing scheduled for May 5.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/03/24/uk-convicts-senior-nigerian-senator-over-plot-to-harvest-migrants-organs/