[Breitbart] Hunter Biden appears to be connected to former FBI official Charles McGonigal, who was recently accused of taking secret cash payments from a former Albanian intelligence officer, among other serious violations.
In the fall of 2017, McGonigal, the former FBI’s counterintelligence chief in New York, received a $225,000 payment from a former Albanian intelligence officer known as Agron Neza, according to U.S. prosecutors. McGonigal has since been charged with taking the cash payment, conducting meetings with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, and trying to help a Russian oligarch from evading U.S. sanctions.
In turn, Agron Neza introduced McGonigal to the former Albanian prime minister’s adviser, Dorian Ducka, and a former member of the Chinese energy company named CEFC or CEFC China Energy Co, the New York Post’s Miranda Devine reported.
Ducka’s ties to CEFC have been linked in Albanian media by a photo of Ducka and the CEFC chairman Ye Jianming, the same person who gave Hunter a diamond worth an estimated $80,000 in 2017.
In an email thread discovered on Hunter’s laptop, Hunter and his business partners had a conversation about a person named “Dorian.” Miranda Devine reported:
Someone with the same unusual first name as Ducka appears in Hunter’s abandoned laptop in an email discussion about CEFC between Hunter and associates James Gilliar and Rob Walker.
“Dorian was a real help early on so we should consider how we include him,” Gilliar wrote in the May 13, 2017, email.
“No way we don’t do it,” replies Hunter, “and if majority says no I’ll take it out of my salary.”
Meanwhile, back in Albania, McGonigal launched investigations into about 12 political opponents of Albanian’s prime minister, according to Belind Kellici, a political opponent of the prime minister. The probes apparently were used to block the prime minister’s opponents from doing business with the United States, including debanking them from the U.S. banking system.
The Washington Examiner’s John Schindler dubbed McGonigal’s alleged shady business dealings in Albania “a shakedown operation on wealthy Albanians for personal profit.”
McGonigal’s alleged corruption in Albania has recently made headlines in the country. Last week, protesters demanded the Albanian prime minister resign over his meetings with McGonigal. The New York Times reported that “McGonigal’s willingness to meet with the head of state in Albania, a country that has an American diplomatic presence, suggests he was not keeping his involvement there a secret from colleagues.”
McGonigal’s recent indictment by U.S. prosecutors for his alleged involvement in Albania for a “shakedown operation” has opened up new questions about why Albanians were allegedly paying McGonigal in 2017 — the same year Hunter’s emails appear to mention payments to the Albanian prime minister’s adviser.
The year 2017 appears to be a profitable year for the Biden family business. In 2017, Hunter was put on a $1 million retainer by CEFC chairman Ye.
An email thread from Hunter’s laptop in 2017 also shows a proposed percentage distribution of equity in a company created for a joint venture with CEFC, Hunter’s former business partner, Tony Bobulinski, the Biden family, and high-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party.
The email sent on March 13, 2017, proposed a business venture including “10 held by H for the big guy.” Bobulinski confirmed “the big guy” was a reference to President Joe Biden.
[FoxNews] A new study comparing California repeat offenders who posted bail with those who were let out with low or no cost under "Zero Bail" policies found that the latter group reoffended more often, more quickly and were accused of 200 times more violent crimes.
"The impacts of zero bail on violent crime are obvious, and they're horrific," said Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, whose office published the study. "I mean, we have more people being shot at, stabbed, assaulted, robbed, beaten. These are real victims – and the numbers are staggering under zero bail."
Under an emergency zero-bail rule at the height of the coronavirus pandemic meant to minimize jail crowding, bail costs were "dramatically reduced," often to $0, according to the study.
After looking at the results, Reisig told Fox News Digital that they show "zero bail is a completely failed policy" and said his goal is for lawmakers to have the data compiled and available to them as the state's legislative session resumes.
Key findings from the study indicate suspects released without bail were rearrested on 163% more charges than those who posted bail, and they reoffended 70% more often. Those reoffenses resulted in felony charges 90% more often – and they were accused of three times as many violent crimes.
"We saw violent crime going up as soon as zero bail was implemented in our county by court order," Reisig said. "And despite all of our best efforts to try and stop the practice, we were forced to continue to do the zero-bail system, and we saw our communities suffer as a result."
No-bail suspects also, on average, were arrested on new charges within 129 days – 56 days sooner than those who posted bail. And domestic violence suspects in particular also saw a shocking spike in recidivism.
There is an amusing C-Span video of the incident at the link, and a freeze-frame image of the lady — dressed in classic Millennial garb of dark leggings, pink T, soft blazer, and Vans slip-ons — carrying a hand-panted sign signed off Code Pink in the same shade as her shirt.
[NYPOST] A female protester invaded the stage during Sen. Josh Hawley’s speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Thursday — forcing security to drag her away as she started shouting about the "climate crisis." If you're a protester you're allowed to do that.
The unidentified woman was seated in the front row at the influential conservative think tank’s event as the Missouri Republican delivered prepared remarks regarding China and Ukraine.
Hawley, 43, had just started to touch on the prospect of China invading Taiwan when a live stream of the event captured the woman suddenly standing up and making her way on stage.
The senator — who appeared to be amused by the interruption — looked on calmly as the protester unfolded a sign and started rambling about military spending. "Natter natter natter give all that money to me natter natter."
Her sign referenced "war and aggression" and the name "Code Pink ... a U.S. anti-war group. The group describes itself as a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities. It was founded in 2002 by Jodie Evans, Medea Benjamin and of the other usual antiwar suspects. Its website lists hysterical allegations of US war crimes, and states that thousands of civilians were killed in Fallujah in 2004. Maybe it was millions. Benjamin was a 2000 candidate for the U.S. Senate on the Green Party ticket. She lost... ," which is a reference to the female-led organization that aims to end US wars and militarism.
According to the first Related article below, Code Pink is part of the same incestuous ecosystem of anarcho-communist/Black Bloc groups funded by the usual incestuous Progressive centi-millionaires and multi-billionaires that includes George Soros. But this particular sample was able to clean up well enough to slip into her Normie costume.
"I think you’re forgetting we have the largest military in the world, we spend over $1 trillion every year, and your state of Missouri, over half the people are in poverty," the woman told Hawley on stage.
#8
They need to keep Biden in power until Gavin Newsom can primary him. That way they don't have to remove Kamala or let her take over the Oval Office.
[NYPOST] Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is back in a DC-area hospital, this time to get treatment for clinical depression, his office announced Thursday.
" While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks," Fetterman chief of staff Adam Jentleson wrote on Twitter, adding that Capitol attending physician Brian Monahan examined Fetterman on Monday and "recommended inpatient care" on Wednesday.
"After examining John, the doctors at Walter Reed [National Military Medical Center] told us that John is getting the care he needs, and will soon be back to himself," Jentleson concluded.
Fetterman’s wife, Gisele, posted a separate tweet stating: "After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John. I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs."
Fetterman, 53, was taken to George Washington University Hospital on Feb. 8 after feeling lightheaded during a Democratic Party retreat. He was released two days later and was back in the Senate on Monday.
Courtesy of Deacon Blues via Hot Air, who comments:
Who could have seen this coming?
News from Fetterman’s office: “Last night, Senator John Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed … to receive treatment for clinical depression. While John has experienced depression off and on throughout his life, it only became severe in recent weeks” pic.twitter.com/Yp6yGhpX7L
#7
Restrictions on my rights are a perversion of the Founders' ideals.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 6:36 Comments ||
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#8
My understanding is the PeeAye dem power structure wants nothing to do with Jizzelle. I hope she writes a vicious tell all book after they throw her under the bus.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 6:38 Comments ||
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#9
New shiny neck bolts and waiting for a lightning bolt to jump start his abi-normal brain at Walter Reed
#16
When do they arrest his wife and the PA Democratic party for elder abuse?
Posted by: Tom ||
02/17/2023 9:00 Comments ||
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#17
I do have some sympathy for him. Imagine what it's like to know what you want to say but when you try it doesn't come out right and hearing people talk all you hear is "wah wha wha like the adults in the peanuts cartoon. I'd be depressed, too.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/17/2023 9:13 Comments ||
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#18
^ and having that shrew in your face every day has to be disheartening. That said, he asked for this
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/17/2023 9:31 Comments ||
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#19
Deal with the Devil. Pay the price.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 9:35 Comments ||
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#20
Colinary polyps presenting on the lower neck region? Strange, very strange, unless....
#23
Being from the state that sent Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Kamala Harris to the Senate, I guess I don't have much to say about Fetterman. It's even worse that my fellow Californians will most likely elect Adam Schifferbrains to the Senate in the next election. Sorry, folks.
Does anybody in Pennsylvania have an apology for us?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/17/2023 11:58 Comments ||
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How can they tell?
[Breitbart] The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) has announced it will be studying the effect of criminality on Swedish politics, as some claim criminal pressure on politicians and parties is a growing problem in government.
Given that many of those criminal gangs are various flavours of Moslem colonists, and the flat refusal of Swedish society to admit their colonist problem less they be deemed racist, the resulting contortions should be interesting.
Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer announced this week that the government was commissioning Brå to study the issue stating, “It is aimed at a growing problem.”
According to Strömmer, the study needs to look into the issue after evidence of criminal gangs influencing local governments in cities like Södertälje where they have allegedly influenced building permits and other government issues, SVT reports.
In the city of Gothenburg, criminal gangs are alleged to have led to a “culture of silence” among the public administration, according to Minister Strömmer.
Strömmer also noted the closure of several youth recreation centres in the town of Botkyrka, located just south of Stockholm.
Late last month, it was alleged that gang criminals had joined the Social Democrat party in the town and were able to use their voted to force out Ebba Östlin, who served as chairman of the municipal board and was known for being tough on gang crime.
According to Oisín Cantwell, a columnist for the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the new members of the party who turned up to the meeting to oust Östlin were not only linked to gang criminals but many of them barely spoke any Swedish.
Östlin had been involved in the closures of the youth centres in Botkyrka after several members of the notorious Vårby network had been linked to those venues.
“There are many indications that organised crime may have taken part in the dismissal of the leading politician in the municipality. It’s unheard of. That is unacceptable. What happens to Botkyrka if a Social Democrat who is indebted to the Vårby network takes over?” Cantwell wrote last month.
[American Thinker] The environmental disaster taking place in Ohio from a Norfolk Southern derailed train should outrage both sides of the political aisle. After the smoke clears, investigations will take place and most likely will show that there is plenty of blame to be shared, including all levels of government and both political parties.
But at the moment, the complete lack of any significant response by the Biden administration is appalling and begs the question why an administration that is hostile to the free market and supports extreme measures to fight climate change is missing in action? Could it be that some of the largest shareholders of the responsible railroad, Norfolk Southern Corporation, are tied to PACs and affiliates that helped fund the 2020 election of the Biden administration? If true, then isn’t it reasonable to conclude that by such donations, these shareholders, through their PACs and affiliates, support the Biden administration? Had to focus on his physical and mental health test?
According to various sources, top shareholders in Norfolk Southern Corp. are the Vanguard Group, and subsidiaries of BlackRock and JP Morgan. Specifically, as of this week, CNNMoney.com lists the Vanguard Group, Inc. as the top shareholder with 7.68%. BlackRock Fund Advisors and JPMorgan Investment Management tie at 4.54% as other top investors.
As of December 31, 2022 Norfolk Southern’s own website lists Vanguard, BlackRock Institutional Trust Company and JP Morgan Asset Management as top shareholders.
Interestingly, the Vanguard Group, JPMorgan Investment, and BlackRock all gave significant sums of money to the Biden 2020 presidential campaign through their PACs and affiliates. OpenSecrets confirms this statement.
The Vanguard Group, through its affiliates and PAC’s, contributed 62.83% to all federal Democrat candidates during the 2020 election cycle and only 37.17% to all federal Republican candidates. It gave a total of $96,988 to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and just $7,547 to Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Under JPMorgan Chase and Co., OpenSecrets reports that its affiliates and PACs contributed a total of $1,038,917 to Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. Donations to President Trump’s 2020 campaign totaled a whopping $236,111. JPMorgan did contribute to both parties’ with the Democrats reaping the most. Under "all Federal candidates," JP Morgan and affiliates gave 74.83% to Democrats and only 25.17% to Republicans. Also keep in mind that during the 2022 campaign cycle, JPMorgan refused to fund any Republican congressional candidates who objected to the 2020 electoral votes.
Then there is BlackRock, whose founder and CEO, Larry Fink, is a committed and outspoken Democrat. Several news outlets did expose the close relationship that BlackRock has had with prominent Democrats including Obama and Hillary Clinton and now Biden.
According to OpenSecrets, during the 2020 election cycle, BlackRock, through its PACs and affiliates, gave to all federal Democrat candidates a total of 80.64% and only 19.36% to all federal Republican candidates. Regarding Biden, it gave $182,768 to the Biden 2020 presidential campaign. Just $6,170 was contributed to Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 7:22 Comments ||
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#5
I thought our favorite crony capitalist,Warren Buffet, got into railroad stocks big-time under (and with the help & assistance of) N'Obama. Perhaps he unloaded those shares or it was not Norfolk Southern. Time to check Berkshire Hathaway's SEC filings.
#6
This is a large federal government sanction chem spill in the headwaters of the Ohio which feeds the Mississippi. Ignoring this issue will work out worse than the baby food blunder.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/17/2023 7:50 Comments ||
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#7
Missourians are the most unfriendly people I ever met, so let them be poisoned.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 7:52 Comments ||
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#8
No doubt. Quite myopic if the feds think this is a "local issue". The Ohio River is not some stream full of snail darters.
#16
From link at #15 - As it burns, vinyl chloride transforms into phosgene and hydrogen chloride.
Phosgene gas, according to the CDC, is “unlikely to contaminate water because it breaks down rapidly upon contact with water to produce hydrochloric acid and carbon dioxide.” If this is true, the decision to burn the vinyl chloride must have been justified to avoid a much larger water contamination disaster.
Theoretically, the hazmat crews responding to the derailment knew this, and it influenced their decision to burn before the vinyl chloride got in the water.
Sometimes, what looks like a stupid choice is really the lesser of two evils.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/17/2023 9:19 Comments ||
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#17
It seems that Norfolk Southern decided to save money by not doing maintenance on the trackside 'hotboxes', the heat detectors:
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-eliminated-key-maintenance-role-in-derailment-region-union-says
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/17/2023 9:33 Comments ||
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#18
Wonder what proportion of their budget was saved by dropping this maintenance.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
02/17/2023 9:42 Comments ||
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#19
With a response team of Biden, Buttigieg and Dewine, a competent response would have been the biggest surprise. Dewine is very susceptible to dumb ideas proposed by advisors. He was the only Republican governor, that I know of, to implement the Cuomo senior center leper colony policy with horrifying results. What is surprising is the silence by Sherrod Brown and the Republican contenders for his seat. This continues to be the JD Vance Show.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/17/2023 11:56 Comments ||
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#20
Ohio went for Trump in 2020 so it's no surprise if Biden has no sympathy for them. Too bad it wasn't Delaware.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
02/17/2023 12:09 Comments ||
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#21
So I looked up the SDS sheets on this stuff. If the tank was damaged, likely so, and it was leaking, they had a real problem on their hands. Lighting a match to it was the best option as this stuff is highly unstable. Fire and explosion just from releasing into the air is likely. This stuff boils at 8 degrees F. Meaning if the tank refrigeration was not working it was in eminent danger of exploding. They had to release it. But if they did not burn it, it would turn to gas. It would go up and when it got below 8F it would turn back to liquid and bond to water in the air, them come down as snow or ice to the ground contaminating the ground during winter. The politics and lack of information aside, that part of it was done as correctly as possible, bad decision vs worse decision scenario.
There were other, less toxic liquids spilled as well. I suspect these are what they are fining sheening the local creek. But it needs to be tested to be certain.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/17/2023 14:11 Comments ||
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#22
He was the only Republican governor, that I know of, to implement the Cuomo senior center leper colony policy with horrifying results.
Super Hose - Charlie Baker (former MA governor) did this as well, albeit to a lesser degree.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 20:11 Comments ||
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#27
I didn't have to look up the safety data sheet. I worked in a building that makes it. The by-products when burned are phosgene and hydrogen chloride.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/17/2023 20:14 Comments ||
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[HotAir] Governor Mike DeWine dropped a truth bomb a few hours ago: he has been in contact with FEMA every day since the disaster in East Palestine unfolded, and the Biden Administration is refusing assistance.
Perhaps this is why Mayor Pete has refused to go to the site of the disaster, and why he has been joking on TV while one of the largest environmental disasters in recent history has been ongoing.
The DeWine Administration has been in daily contact w/ FEMA to discuss the need for federal support, but FEMA continues to advise that Ohio is not eligible for assistance at this time. I will continue working with FEMA to determine what assistance can be provided.
— Governor Mike DeWine
Residents of the area rightly wonder why the Secretary of Transportation has not visited the site. I think we can now safely say it is because they just don’t give a damn. Since it has nothing to do with equity, climate change, transgenderism it isn't important.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/17/2023 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The fact that it is a politically "Red" area has nothing to do with the Fed lack of interest, I'm sure.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
02/17/2023 7:53 Comments ||
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#10
FEMA fellow (Retired but still called upon) sent to Balloon shoot down in beach area of South Carolina. Two(yes two) planes shooting "$400,000 Sidewinder missiles"(two). Falling parts collected by another plane. Videos of locals blocked out on FACEBOOK. Phone calls to stop posting. How did you get my number?. We have everyone's number.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/17/2023 8:23 Comments ||
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#12
Dewine has done too much in this case.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/17/2023 8:48 Comments ||
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#13
Perhaps this is why Mayor Pete has refused to go to the site of the disaster, and why he has been joking on TV while one of the largest environmental disasters in recent history has been ongoing.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Biden and his controllers know the firing of Buttigieg would be political disaster for the party. 
