President Joe Biden is being accused of election-year ‘bribery’ after promising to slash the student loans of at least 153,000 voters.

Biden has repeatedly been rebuked by the courts for attempting to unconstitutionally cancel student loan debt. But on Wednesday, Biden once again showed that the law is no obstacle for partisan electioneering of mostly Democratic college students in an election campaign that is now considered to be a longshot.

Politico reported on the Biden administration’s student loan cancellation and electioneering:

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will announce $1.2 billion of student debt relief for nearly 153,000 borrowers — and he’s sending emails to make sure they know whom to thank for it.

The administration’s latest tranche of loan forgiveness covers borrowers who are enrolled in Biden’s new loan repayment program, initially borrowed $12,000 or less and have been repaying their debt for at least 10 years.

Biden will tout the relief and his administration’s broader efforts to cancel student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans during remarks in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Politico reported the previous loan discharges amounting to tens of billions, as well as the White House’s boasting about the student loan cancellations.

The administration says that it has now approved loan discharges totaling nearly $138 billion for nearly 3.9 million borrowers through dozens of administrative actions since coming into office.

But a challenge for the Biden reelection campaign and Democratic allies is making sure that the president gets credit for canceling that debt—even as the White House explores ways to further increase the number of Americans receiving loan relief.

“Congratulations—all or a portion of your federal student loans will be forgiven because you qualify for early loan forgiveness under my Administration’s SAVE Plan,” says the Biden regime’s email message.

“I hope this relief gives you a little more breathing room,” Biden adds.

However, Republicans who have seen this lawless behavior before are not amused.

The student loan bullshit today is just another example of Imperial Biden doing whatever the hell he wants no matter what the law says.

It’s also an insult to those who never took out student loans or those who paid them back and to taxpayers in general.

When I was Missouri AG…

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) February 21, 2024

“The student loan bullsh*t today is just another example of Imperial Biden doing whatever the hell he wants no matter what the law says,” said Missouri’s Senator Eric Schmitt on X. “It’s also an insult to those who never took out student loans or those who paid them back and to taxpayers in general.”

“When I was Missouri AG I filed the case that beat back Biden’s previous illegal effort at the Supreme Court,” he added. “We won but he’s back at it. The Biden Admission is totally out of control and lawless. There is nothing they won’t do to maintain power. Illegal act after illegal act. That’s your real Threat to Democracy. Time to take this country back.”

Last year, House Republicans passed legislation to repeal the program, but the measure failed in the Senate.

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James Biden Denies Relying on Joe’s Political Connections, Despite Invoking His Name in Business Deals

• James Biden told the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Wednesday that he never used his status as Joe Biden’s brother to advance his own business interests, according to a transcript of his opening statement.
• However, James Biden repeatedly invoked his brother’s name in the course of his consulting work for Americore, a health care company that sourced a $200,000 payment to Joe Biden and now stands accused of engaging in major Medicare fraud, according to Politico.
• “In every business venture in which I have been involved, I have relied on my own talent, judgement, skill, and personal relationships — and never my status as Joe Biden’s brother. Those who have said or thought otherwise were either mistaken, ill informed, or flat-out lying,” James Biden told lawmakers.

James Biden told congressional investigators Wednesday that he only ever relied on his own acumen and never used his status as Joe Biden’s brother to advance his business interests.

The president’s younger brother made the claim during his opening statement ahead of a closed-door interview with the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in Washington, D.C, pursuant to the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. James Biden repeatedly invoked Joe Biden and his relationship with his brother while he was consulting for a now-defunct health care company that sourced a $200,000 payment to Joe Biden and now stands accused of a massive Medicare fraud scheme, according to Politico.

“I have had a 50-year career in a variety of business ventures. Joe Biden has never had any involvement or any direct or indirect financial interest in those activities. None. Because of my intimate knowledge of my brother’s personal integrity and character, as well as my own strong ethics, I have always kept my professional life separate from our close personal relationship,” James Biden told lawmakers in his opening statement. “I never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me, my business associates, or anyone else. In every business venture in which I have been involved, I have relied on my own talent, judgement, skill, and personal relationships — and never my status as Joe Biden’s brother. Those who have said or thought otherwise were either mistaken, ill informed, or flat-out lying.”

James Biden Opening Statement by Nick Pope

However, Politico’s recent reporting on his consulting for a health care company called Americore in the late 2010s shows that James Biden invoked his brother and the Biden name on multiple occasions in the course of doing business related to the company.

Congressional investigators previously discovered a $200,000 payment, made in March 2018, that Joe Biden received from his brother on the same day that Americore transferred $200,000 to the bank account of James Biden and his wife, Sara Biden. Officially, the check was a “loan repayment” between the brothers.

Politico’s investigation of James Biden’s role with Americore did not uncover any evidence that would suggest Joe Biden took any action to benefit Americore or ever became directly involved in the company’s operations.

A draft version of a slide show presentation meant for investors included a slide outlining Americore’s management, listing James Biden just below the firm’s CEO, according to Politico. On the slide, James Biden’s biography describes him as the “brother and campaign finance chair of President Joe Biden” with a “tremendous network of contacts across healthcare, real estate, technology, international unions, federal agencies (specifically the veterans’ administration), post-traumatic stress and the insurance industry.”

James Biden discussed potentially giving Joe Biden a seat on Americore’s board and equity in the company, though neither idea ever actually materialized, former Americore executives told Politico, which granted them anonymity to candidly discuss the matter.

“This would be a perfect platform to expose my Brothers (sic) team to [your] protocol,” Jim Biden wrote to Jonathan Brenner, CEO of a Tampa-area firm that owned the rights to a new cancer treatment, while he was consulting for Americore, according to Politico. “Could provide a great opportunity for some real exposure.”

James Biden also may have invoked his family’s influence when seeking to secure badly-needed capital for the ailing company from Qatari business interests, according to Politico.

“My family could provide a wealth of introductions and business opportunities at the highest levels that I believe would be worthy of the interest of His Excellency,” James Biden wrote in a 2017 draft letter intended for Khaled Sultan Al Rabban of the Qatar Investment Authority, according to Politico. “On behalf of the Biden family, I welcome your interest here.”

Federal investigators are currently probing an alleged $100 million Medicare fraud involving Americore, including allegations that the company’s Pennsylvania hospital entered fake agreements and made kickback payments as part of a broader conspiracy to charge the taxpayer for unnecessary medical testing, according to Politico.

James Biden paid $350,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that he played a part in Americore’s collapse, according to The Wall Street Journal.

James Biden was also involved in business dealings with CEFC China Energy Limited, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked energy firm that indirectly paid Hunter Biden and his associates millions of dollars over the course of several years. James Biden received some of these funds, according to the Jan. 26 testimony of  Rob Walker, a former Hunter Biden business partner. 

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

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Judge Overseeing Trump’s Georgia Case Donated to Fani Willis Campaign Prior to Appointment

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump, made a small donation of $150 to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ campaign prior to his appointment.

McAfee, who was sworn in on Feb. 1, 2023 after being appointed by Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, made his donation in June 2020 while still working as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to financial disclosures. He will soon have to decide whether Willis should be disqualified over allegations that she financially benefited from appointing her romantic partner, Nathan Wade, to work on the Trump case.

McAfee also formerly worked under Fani Willis when she led the complex trial division in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, according to the New York Times.

Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and legal analyst Philip Holloway told the Daily Caller News Foundation McAfee’s donation was “nominal,” but said it should still have been disclosed to the defendants so they could determine “whether they believed that amounted to a conflict of interest on the part of the judge.”

“The donation itself is more or less a token amount and was made prior to his becoming a judge,” he said. “But failure to disclose to the defendants a political donation to the prosecutor can be seen as a present appearance of a conflict of interest. Judges are required to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

McAfee has not shied away from delivering unfavorable decisions to Willis, and reprimanded her several times for her behavior on the stand.

Last week, McAfee oversaw the hearing on Trump co-defendant Michael Roman’s motion to disqualify Willis. He previously declined the district attorney’s request to cancel the hearing.

McAfee’s other donations include $200 to Kemp’s campaign in 2018 and $200 to Republican state representative candidate Lyndsey Rudder’s campaign in 2020, according to financial disclosures. McAfee’s wife donated $99 to Willis’ campaign in 2020 and $101 in 2018.

During the primary, Willis was running against former Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr.

Andrew Fleischman, an Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney, disagreed that the donation needed to be disclosed to the defense.

“It is such a routine part of how Georgia judges and attorneys interact that I don’t think it should have been disclosed, necessarily, past the mandatory disclosures,” he told the DCNF.

The Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct states that judges should “avoid both impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in their professional and personal lives.”

During last week’s hearing, Willis and Wade maintained on the witness stand that their relationship began after Wade’s contract started, despite a long-time friend of Willis testifying to the contrary. The two said there is no documentation showing Willis reimbursed Wade for travel expenses because she paid him in cash.

The district attorney’s office and the Superior Court of Fulton County did not immediately respond to requests for comment. McAfee could not be reached.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

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FBI Informant on Biden Bribery Scheme Had ‘High-Level’ Contacts With Russian Intelligence, DOJ Claims

Former President Donald Trump, at a Fox News townhall event hosted by Laura Ingraham, revealed his top Vice Presidential candidates that he might invite to join him as the eventual nominee on the Republican ticket.

An FBI informant who accused President Joe Biden of illegal involvement in his son’s business dealings claims to have had “high-level contacts” with intelligence operatives from the Russian Federation, according to a filing by the United States government in federal court on Tuesday.

Alexander Smirnov, a dual citizen of the United States and Israel, was arrested and charged on Feb. 14 with making false statements to the FBI about Biden’s connections to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings Limited, which employed his son Hunter Biden as a member of the board with a monthly salary of $50,000 during his term as vice president. On Tuesday, in a memorandum filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada to support Smirnov’s continued pre-trial detention, the Department of Justice(DOJ) wrote that he claimed to have had “contacts with multiple foreign intelligence agencies…[who] could resettle Smirnov outside the United States if he were released.”

“During his custodial interview on February 14, Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about [Hunter Biden],” wrote special counsel David Weiss in the filing. “Smirnov apparently attended a separate meeting with Russian Official 1, [an] individual who controls groups that are engaged in overseas assassination efforts.”

Government’s Memorandum in … by Daily Caller News Foundation

The memorandum indicates that Smirnov reported dozens of meetings with Russian officials toward the end of 2023, who are unnamed but are described as high-ranking officials, such as a senior individual in a Russian state-owned defense conglomerate and another senior individual part of a Russian foreign intelligence service.

Smirnov was a confidential human source who provided information that was used to prepare a report, known as an FD-1023, about Joe Biden’s alleged connections to the Burisma business partners of Hunter Biden. That report has previously served as evidence contradicting Joe Biden’s claim that he knew nothing of his son’s business dealings.

Smirnov was arrested at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, after returning to the United States from a trip made “for the purpose of meeting with Russian intelligence officials,” according to the memorandum. “Smirnov’s contacts with Russian officials who are affiliated with Russian intelligence services are not benign,” the government claimed.

The memorandum, however, notes that “law enforcement knows about Smirnov’s contact with officials affiliated with Russian intelligence because Smirnov himself reported on a number of those contacts to his FBI Handler.” It specified that the contacts described were novel.

Joe Biden is currently the subject of an impeachment inquiry by the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee regarding his involvement in his son’s business dealings.

The FD-1023 detailing Smirnov’s claims was released by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa on July 20, 2023, after it was provided to him by government whistleblowers. “[The] indictment confirms several points Senator Grassley has made repeatedly. The informant behind the FD-1023 was, indeed, a long-serving, trusted FBI source used by the agency for criminal investigations since the Obama administration. In fact, he was so trusted that the FBI provided him authorization ‘to engage in illegal activity for investigative purposes’,” a spokesperson for Grassley told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The White House and Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

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‘I’m Shocked at This’: Shark Tank Investor Explains Why NY’s Anti-Trump Ruling Should Send Business Owners Fleeing

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit refused a request by California Tuesday to lift a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of a 2022 law targeting firearms marketing.

A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit ruled Sept. 13 that the district court erred by not granting a preliminary injunction blocking the law, AB 2571, which prohibits firearms marketing that is “designed, intended, or reasonably appears to be attractive to minors.” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed AB2571 into law in 2022.

“Judges Lee and VanDyke voted to deny the petition for rehearing en banc. Judge Smith recommended denying the petition for rehearing en banc,” DCNF reported. “The full court has been advised of the petition for rehearing en banc and no judge has requested a vote on whether to rehear the matter en banc,” the Tuesday ruling said. “The petition for rehearing en banc is DENIED.”

In the Sept. 13 ruling, Circuit Judges Lawrence VanDyke and Kenneth Lee and Senior Circuit Judge N. Randy Smith stated that Junior Sports Magazine, which was the lead plaintiff in the case, had a likelihood to win the case on First Amendment grounds.

“The First Amendment requires more than fact-free inferences to justify governmental infringement on speech,” Lee wrote for the unanimous panel.

In a concurring opinion, VanDyke said AB2571 engaged in viewpoint discrimination.

“AB 2751 effectively removes one viewpoint from the public conversation over the proper role of firearms in our society, while leaving the opposite viewpoint free to participate,” VanDyke wrote. “Under AB 2751, those opposed to minors using firearms for competitions, hunting, and other lawful uses may advocate against such usage. Those who ‘advocat[e] for the purchase, use, or ownership of firearm-related products,’ however, may not promote firearm-related products to minors, even though the minors can use these products for lawful activities.”

Newsom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

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‘I’m Shocked at This’: Shark Tank Investor Explains Why NY’s Anti-Trump Ruling Should Send Business Owners Fleeing

Kevin O’Leary of ‘Shark Tank’ has proposed a boycott of New York City in response to Judge Arthur Engoron’s $355 million decision against former President Donald Trump. Shark Tank

O’Leary called the judgment “corrupt and baseless,” criticizing both AG Letitia James and Judge Engoron’s participation in the case.

“I’m shocked,” O’Leary told Fox News. “There’s no rationale for it. I can’t even understand or fathom the decision at all.”

He expanded his criticism of New York, labeling it a “loser state” alongside California owing to bad laws, high taxes, and uncompetitive regulations.

“[New York] was already on the top of the list of being a loser state. I would never invest in New York now, and I’m not the only person saying that.”

The reality TV personality and entrepreneur also discussed the ruling’s influence on future investments, notably in high-end data centers, which are a thriving asset class in the real estate industry.

“I would NEVER invest in New York now! And I’m not the only one saying that!” he said.

“This $4 billion data center I’m talking about – not a chance I would put that in New York! Zero probability! Never!” he added.

“Every investor is worried because where is the victim? Who lost money? What does this say about the legal bar in New York? Aren’t they going to question this judge?” he remarked.

“$355 million as a penalty plus interest at 9%, and there’s no victim?” O’Leary added.

He said that Governor Kathy Hochul’s “words fall on deaf ears to everybody. There’s nothing she can say to justify this decision.”

“This is a New York problem now,” he remarked.

Kevin O’Leary goes off on the damage Judge Engoron’s verdict will cause NY:

Who lost money?

This has nothing to do with Trump.

This a New York problem now.

The whole world is looking at this now & saying what are you doing to yourselves? pic.twitter.com/53yb0F59Em

— Te𝕏asLindsay™ (@TexasLindsay_) February 19, 2024

New York Governor Kathy Hochul earlier gave a press conference attempting to reassure business owners that this was simply about targeting a former president.

Get the hell out of New York! pic.twitter.com/EpKP2tEG91

— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) February 19, 2024

Judge Engoron on Friday ordered that Trump to pay more than $350 million in civil penalties and was barred from conducting business in New York State for three years. The ruling on Friday not only threatens to deplete Trump’s accessible financial reserves, but it also represents a watershed moment in his commercial dealings.

Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, accused Trump and his corporation of misrepresenting asset values on financial statements to lenders, insurers, and tax authorities in order to get perks such as loans and tax deductions.

However, as O’Leary explained, if New York State were to bring a lawsuit against Donald Trump for the near-universal practice, it should sue nearly every major real estate developer in the state.

But it appears that New York’s corrupt politicians will only do that to a business owner whose politics are considered to be problematic to its craven ruling class.

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Donald Trump Stands to Reap Billions in Financial Windfall After Judge’s $350 Million New York Civil Fine