December 11, 2020

"Barr Worked to Keep Hunter Biden Probes From Public View During Election/The attorney general knew for months about investigations into Biden’s business and financial dealing?

The Wall Street Journal reports (and I got in without a subscription). 
Attorney General William Barr has known about a disparate set of investigations involving Hunter Biden’s business and financial dealings since at least this spring, a person familiar with the matter said, and worked to avoid their public disclosure during the heated election campaign.... 
On Thursday night, Mr. Trump tweeted his frustration about the Justice Department and the FBI’s failure to disclose the Hunter Biden investigation earlier. “Why didn’t the Fake News Media, the FBI and the DOJ report the Biden matter BEFORE the Election,” he wrote. Justice Department guidelines advise investigators against taking overt actions in a run-up to an election so as not to be seen as affecting the outcome....

AND: "Investigation of His Son Is Likely to Hang Over Biden as He Takes Office/Unless the Trump Justice Department clears Hunter Biden, the new president will confront the prospect of his own administration handling an inquiry that could expose his son to criminal prosecution" (NYT)("If [Biden] refuses to appoint a special counsel and his Justice Department opts not to prosecute his son, many will invariably suspect favoritism").

65 comments:

mockturtle said...

And some ask if Barr was 'in on the fix'. Seems pretty obvious to me. Apparently 17% of Biden voters would have changed their vote had they known about this evidence.

gahrie said...

So basically, as far as the Left is concerned, Barr is a hero?

Gilbert Pinfold said...

"Barr Worked to Keep Hunter Biden Probes From Public View During Election" is the chosen narrative to justify the press not covering the earlier disclosures, thereby helping Biden with an in-kind campaign contribution.

Achilles said...

Just the excuse to take Biden out and install Harris who will never be seen either.

People who accept this obvious Coup are just not serious thinkers.

zipity said...


Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But doesn't NOT disclosing that the corrupt son of a Presidential candidate is under criminal investigation constitute affecting the election.....?

Douglas B. Levene said...

Mr. Barr is what he has been all along, a lawyer who cares passionately about the law and the evidence. He was never a Trump loyalist. Nothing has changed. That's why he was so disgusted by the FBI/DOJ abuses that created the Russia hoax and the politicized prosecution of General Flynn, and that's why he followed the law and DOJ rules about not disclosing pending investigations before an election. Partisans of the left and right who criticize Mr. Barr simply do not understand what integrity and rectitude mean.

Bob Smith said...

And every single Biden voter is complicit. Every one.

YoungHegelian said...

many will invariably suspect favoritism

Filed under hashtag #NO_SHIT_SHERLOCK.

narciso said...

gorman, on the byline was entous partner, unlike devlim barrett, she hasn't been that gullible, or peter nicholas now at the Atlantic, yay,

narciso said...

that's the last story on her timeline,


https://www.wsj.com/articles/cia-director-brennan-addresses-critical-interrogation-report-1418323857

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

A lot of people worked over time to keep Biden's family corruption hidden... or smothered it "IT'S ALL LIES!" bs.

oh and...

,... the new president will confront the prospect of his own administration handling an inquiry that could expose his son to criminal prosecution"


LOL.

PM said...

Highly-paid Manager sees a CEO coup coming.
He stays low-key; keeps his viability.
Repeat as necessary.

Joe Smith said...

Barr had promise at the start...he made the right noises.

In the end, he was just another part of the swamp®

The 'unwritten rule' that politicians and their families should not be investigated during a election is self-serving bullshit.

Why does a person get a pass just because they are running for public office?

The word 'public' means that we pay their salaries. We are their bosses.

We should demand that all of these rules are changed. Start with total transparency about who in congress has been accused of sexual assault or other such impropriety, and find out how OUR MONEY is being spent to pay off these claims.

Leland said...

Joe Biden's 2020 Ukrainian nightmare: A closed probe is revived - The Hill 1 Apr 2019
Trump: Discussing a Biden probe with Barr would be 'appropriate' - Politico 10 May 2019
William Barr: DOJ Vetting Giuliani’s Research, Wary of Foreign Disinformation - Breitbart 11 Feb 2020
Barr's October torpedo in the water - Daily Kos 16 Jul 2020
The Republican Senate Report on Hunter Biden, Explained - Snopes 28 Sep 2020

Seems like it was an open discussion going back to 2019

Charlie Currie said...

mockturtle said:

"Apparently 17% of Biden voters would have changed their vote had they known about this evidence."

That just changes the math in adjusting the machines, or how many machines and in what cities, so that Biden still wins. Same outcome.

YoungHegelian said...

I'm not a father, but I have enough humanity left in me to understand why any father would go to the mat, even break the law, to do what he can to try and pull his troubled son through bad times that are the making of the son's awful choices. At some level, I can forgive Joe Biden for covering for his son, even if he as a lifelong public servant, takes an oath to uphold the law.

But, the press and the social media companies! What scum (motile or not) those people are for covering this up, even resorting to blatant censorship!

I hope Satan's building a whole new level of Hell for those people!

Dude1394 said...

But Barr was okay with the democrat media, Facebook, Google, Twitter hiding the news of it. Man, republicans have shit for AGs.

stevew said...

"Favoritism" is not the word I would use to describe that outcome.

daskol said...

The challenge is not that president’s son will be under investigation. The problem is that. Biden is deeply involved in the family business. The big guy.

mandrewa said...

"Apparently 17% of Biden voters would have changed their vote had they known about this evidence."

Charlie Currie said, 'That just changes the math in adjusting the machines, or how many machines and in what cities, so that Biden still wins. Same outcome."


Yes, that's what I see also.

Lord Clanfiddle said...

Anybody who thinks that any person named 'Biden' will suffer consequences for their many misdeeds has not been paying attention over the past decade or so. Swampies never, ever pay. We do. And pay and pay.

Chris N said...

People who've worked for administrations (guess which party?) are making editorial decisions at many of these companies.

Jesus, what a mess.

And there's very, very little moral legitimacy left. It's not reassuring.

mandrewa said...

I missed this:

"On December 9th, US Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) & Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced House Resolution 8922 into the US House of Representatives. It is titled "To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to limit interactive computer service immunity." Specifically, it demands that major social media companies, such as Youtube, be stripped of their Section 230 legal immunity on the grounds that they no longer operate as platforms, but as publishers."

Sebastian said...

"Justice Department guidelines advise investigators against taking overt actions in a run-up to an election so as not to be seen as affecting the outcome"

Someone must have said it upthread, but --

Better to take covert actions so as to affect the outcome the right way.

Known Unknown said...

I'll be the contrarian here who says that criminal investigations should be kept under wraps until there's an indictment. Of course, that doesn't always happen.

Arashi said...

So between now and whoever gets inagurated in January, we will see a whole lot of sturm and drang about Hunter, efforts to reform section 230, efforts to reign in big tech, concern about some democrats being in cognitive delcine, etc.

And then after the inaguration - it will all go away. No one, and I mean no one who is part of the problem will suffer any harm whatsoever. It is enough to make one cynical, I tell you.

So I guess we all just keep listening to our rulers tell us what to do, what to think, what to eat, who to hate, etc. for now and forever. Good times, good times..

mccullough said...

Trump does not say that Barr never informed him of the investigations.

Humperdink said...

steve uhr last night: "Everyone knows there was widespread fraud. How else to explain that trump, who everyone knows is the most corrupt, evil, and incompetent president in 230 years.."

Hump today: Everyone knows there was widespread fraud. How else to explain that Joe/Hunter, who everyone knows are the most corrupt, evil, and incompetent vice-president/offpring in 230 years ...... recall Papa Doc and Baby Doc of Haitian fame.

Joe Smith said...

"And then after the inaguration - it will all go away. No one, and I mean no one who is part of the problem will suffer any harm whatsoever. It is enough to make one cynical, I tell you."

This is how the game is played...just like nobody's heard a peep about Smollett...

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

mockturtle said...

And some ask if Barr was 'in on the fix'. Seems pretty obvious to me. Apparently 17% of Biden voters would have changed their vote had they known about this evidence.

And 100% of the media would have been crying foul and saying that Trump was trying to rig the election if it had been known. Personally, I think the Biden family is crooked and Hunter, Joe, and Joe's brother Jim all need to go down! I can, however, see that letting this become public would have been tantamount to give gasoline and matches for the media to throw on Trump.

I'm Full of Soup said...

My updated Wuhan Flu death stats:
National average is 89 deaths per 100,000. Total deaths are 292,141.

States whose average is higher than that 89 per 100,000 include:
AR, AZ, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MA, MI, MS, ND, NJ tops at 198, NY 2nd at 181, PA, RI and SD.

I assume most know the state postal codes.

WI is 72.

Humperdink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
I'm Full of Soup said...

Joe's other brother has been involved with charter schools in Florida. Maverick schools - not without a bit of controversy if I recall right.

Humperdink said...

There are a lot of perceived allies to blame for Trump's presumed loss, Barr being one and Durham being another.

Michael said...

You would think that the New York Times would know better than to say "invariably" when they mean "inevitably." (Or say "suspect" when they should say "conclude"...)

tim maguire said...

Justice Department guidelines advise investigators against taking overt actions in a run-up to an election so as not to be seen as affecting the outcome..

Sorry, wrong answer. Hunter Biden was not a candidate so this guideline doesn't apply. (And that's without getting into how outrageously misguided the guideline is in the first place.)

JK Brown said...

Inquiring minds, so not most of the media, want to know whether "the Big Guy" declared his income from the China Deal and paid taxes on his gains. Seems like the identity of "the Big Guy" is not that far from being known to evidentiary certainty.

MartyH said...

I’m with Douglas. Barr’s approach was correct. Investigations should not be made public by he AG before it is legally required to do so. Compare it to Comey’s on again/off statements on the Hillary Clinton investigation. That was just sheer incompetence. Or the Crossfire Hurricane leaks that led to the Mueller report.

It’s been said that the wheels of justice grind slowly but the grind very fine. Let’s hope this is the case with both Durham’s investigation as well as Hunter Biden’s.

Narr said...


I'm still surprised Barr hasn't resigned or been fired--maybe he and Trump are actually working together on something big for New Year's, but I really doubt it. Far more likely he's busy rigging ratlines for his lifelong pals and future potential prosecutors.

Narr
Apparatchiks gonna apparat

Rabel said...

The "run-up" to the election now goes back at least two years according to the WSJ and a couple of concern trolls.

Nonapod said...

As usual, The Swamp protects it's own.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

After the last 4+ years, what reasonable person would expect the FBI, CIA. DOJ, State Department, or any other government agency, for that matter, to do anything other than what’s in the best interests of Democrats? This case will be no different.

Wince said...

YoungHegelian said...
I have enough humanity left in me to understand why any father would go to the mat, even break the law, to do what he can to try and pull his troubled son through bad times that are the making of the son's awful choices.

Are you so sure the "big guy" didn't enable and push his son into nefarious dealings?

Didn't Hunter complain about the "cut" the "big guy" demanded, to the point of needing to double his "take" just to break even?

Mike Sylwester said...

From now on, I will call him Uday "Hunter" Biden.

MayBee said...

It was reported though. James Rosen and Adam Housely both reported that Hunter Biden was under investigation for money laundering.

The nerve of the democrats trying to impeach Trump over Hunter's ish.

n.n said...

Transnational influence peddling. Pedophilia without borders. A difficult baby to abort, even for good Americans of liberal disposition.

readering said...

Commenters will have fun following four years of Hunter investigations and litigation. While I have fun following the Trump family.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

There was no reason before the election that kept Barr from publicly acknowledging the investigation, that also would t be applicable now. Why can he confirm things now but not then?

Skeptical Voter said...

Well Jimmy Carter had his brother Billy; and Joe Biden will have his son Hunter. And for that matter if you listened to the screeching in the press, Donald Trump's kids were a "problem".

But Hunter is really a special sort of problem and he's going to be hanging around his Dad's neck like big sack of fertilizer. At some point Hunter may be indicted and convicted and then Daddy can rescue him one last time with a Presidential pardon. But Hunter better hurry up and get convicted because I'm not sure Slow Joe will last four years in office.

mandrewa said...

What right did the Department of Justice have to ignore the evidence that Joe Biden was corrupt and that he was both aware of and a participant in the illegal acts of his brother and son?

Narayanan said...

So Barr pulled a Comey - what else is new

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Nothing is going to hang over anyone. The NYT is pretending that what one would expect in a normal discussion will be what happens in a national discussion. When Biden defangs or removes the investigation, the corporate media will all spend a day saying "Oh, he shouldn't have done that. It looks bad" and that will be the end of it. Move On.

I dislike the idea that we can't have investigations because they might influence the election. I get the point, that one party could keep bringing up accusations near the end of the campaign and the opposition would not have time to defend itself and get out from under a cloud. Why, we could even name it an "October Surprise" or something. Yet when there is some level of credibility to the accusations, the opposite effect occurs, that the electorate could be influenced by the lack of investigation. That is rather obvious and I have seen it put forth as a discussion point. But I don't recall any formal investigators citing that as their reason. It only flows in one direction.

Earnest Prole said...

I'll be the contrarian here who says that criminal investigations should be kept under wraps until there's an indictment. Of course, that doesn't always happen.

As President Hillary Clinton will attest. Thanks a bunch, James Comey.

MadisonMan said...

Under Investigation means just that. I do not want any future Presidential campaign -- on any side -- torpedoed because some AG somewhere decides to investigate the child of the candidate, and then leaks that information to the Press to trumpet.
Let me know when an indictment happens.

Elliott A said...

We need an independent council who can't be fired

Michael K said...

As President Hillary Clinton will attest. Thanks a bunch, James Comey.

That should have been an indictment. My theory is that Comey was trying to prevent an agent revolt. Not all FBI agents are crooks. Most but not all.

Jersey Fled said...

I'm not a father, but I have enough humanity left in me to understand why any father would go to the mat, even break the law, to do what he can to try and pull his troubled son through bad times that are the making of the son's awful choices.

Except Joe was and is complicit.

mockturtle said...

Except Joe was and is complicit.

Exactly. Not that he couldn't pass a polygraph with his dementia and all. And even if he was not complicit, using his position to protect a felonious son is just wrong. In public office one must put the country's welfare before that of family. Peter the Great actually had his son executed for treason after giving him plenty of opportunities to renounce his treasonous activities. It must have been very difficult for him but it had to be done.

Narr said...

I'm a father, and I have enough humanity to understand why any father would go to the mat (that's nice rhetoric), even break the law . . . nah, I probably would not break the law to pull my son through difficult times of his own making.

I don't even really hold with the modern day conceit of parental unconditional love, much less am I willing to break the law for a wastrel.

Of course, context has almost everything to do with any actual situation--what law/s did he break? What law/s will I have to break?

Narr
Somebody has to be an adult

cacimbo said...

Does anyone actually expect this "investigation" will not be buried the day Trump leaves office.After the Russia hoax we now know Democrat swampers have complete control over the FBI, CIA and DOJ.

Tom said...

Doesn’t matter now. We’re heading into single party rule. It’s over.

Readering said...

Please inform all your contacts in GA.

Rusty said...

Blogger readering said...
"Commenters will have fun following four years of Hunter investigations and litigation. While I have fun following the Trump family."
No life, huh.

Readering said...

Does not take up much time, as you know.

Readering said...

Especially since i decline all demands from AA commenters to waste time in substantive argumentation here.