GOP proven to be liars yet again!

[OrphanSlug]

I consider this subject a political spin machine mess, difficult to know who is being honest or not and about exactly what. These disputes and opinion conflicts in the FBI and IRS suggests more than just passive disagreement on what was assumed to be intentional on the part of Hunter, but more importantly we are seeing a real fracture in how various government agencies look at people very differently. As in, the public and people in or related to someone in government.

Call me the DP forum skeptic if you must, but I am becoming convinced no matter how much Hunter did that was actually an issue with the law there are two standards of legal justice.

I do just a third of what Hunter is being accused of, evidence quality notwithstanding, and I am looking at years in jail with intensive pursuit by various investigators and prosecutors.

The political spin machine gets into the mix and we have the left suggesting this is not a big deal and Hunter is not so bad, with the right equating Hunter to the next anti-Christ. Somewhere in the middle is an entitled dubious self-serving lack of moral character person who made an awful lot of money for himself based on a name, perhaps the chips should fall where they may inside a courtroom. With all the witnesses and their opinions, argued by lawyers in front of a judge. Just as they would for any one of us.

 

[jnug]

I consider this subject a political spin machine mess, difficult to know who is being honest or not and about exactly what. These disputes and opinion conflicts in the FBI and IRS suggests more than just passive disagreement on what was assumed to be intentional on the part of Hunter, but more importantly we are seeing a real fracture in how various government agencies look at people very differently. As in, the public and people in or related to someone in government.

Call me the DP forum skeptic if you must, but I am becoming convinced no matter how much Hunter did that was actually an issue with the law there are two standards of legal justice.

I do just a third of what Hunter is being accused of, evidence quality notwithstanding, and I am looking at years in jail with intensive pursuit by various investigators and prosecutors.

The political spin machine gets into the mix and we have the left suggesting this is not a big deal and Hunter is not so bad, with the right equating Hunter to the next anti-Christ. Somewhere in the middle is an entitled dubious self-serving lack of moral character person who made an awful lot of money for himself based on a name, perhaps the chips should fall where they may inside a courtroom. With all the witnesses and their opinions, argued by lawyers in front of a judge. Just as they would for any one of us.

Actually unless you already have a criminal record if you think you would be treated worse than Hunter Biden is being treated in this affair you would be sadly mistaken.

 

[post]

Shall I make us some coffee while we wait?

You're wrong, every time. You can avoid it, this time.

Gary Shapley's Notes Show That Gary Shapley Misrepresented David Weiss - emptywheel

Gary Shapley rewrote his own notes about what David Weiss said at a contested October 7, 2022 meeting, changing a statement originally recorded saying that Weiss "will" bring charges in Los Angeles to one about what he would have to do to obtain authority to do so.

www.emptywheel.net

September 14, 2023



"..Shapley’s lawyers shared these handwritten notes, over three months into his media tour with the right wing congressional set, because they think the fact that Shapley wrote down his understanding that Weiss said, “he is not the deciding person” [the latter part of which is redacted in the hand-written notes], that they disprove the testimony of others at the meeting.

The Special Agent in Charge, Thomas Sobocinski, said that both before and after the meeting, he understood Weiss to be the final decision-maker.

But this discrepancy later in his notes — Shapley’s replacement of “will” with “would have to,” his replacement of “approval” with “permission” — instead reveals that Shapley misunderstood what was said in the meeting, and then misrepresented what happened both that same day, with his supervisor, and ever since, with dumb right wingers in Congress.

To be sure, both versions are consistent with what David Weiss and Merrick Garland have been saying all along — including to Jim Jordan in June and to Lindsey Graham in July: that if Weiss decided to bring charges outside Delaware and the local US Attorneys didn’t want to partner on the case, he could ask for Special Attorney authority under 28 USC 515 and Garland would grant it. Both versions are consistent with the process Weiss has laid out. You ask the local US Attorney, and if they say no, you get Special Attorney authority..."

 

[post]

I consider this subject a political spin machine mess, difficult to know who is being honest or not and about exactly what. These disputes and opinion conflicts in the FBI and IRS suggests more than just passive disagreement on what was assumed to be intentional on the part of Hunter, but more importantly we are seeing a real fracture in how various government agencies look at people very differently. As in, the public and people in or related to someone in government.

Call me the DP forum skeptic if you must, but I am becoming convinced no matter how much Hunter did that was actually an issue with the law there are two standards of legal justice.

I do just a third of what Hunter is being accused of, evidence quality notwithstanding, and I am looking at years in jail with intensive pursuit by various investigators and prosecutors.

The political spin machine gets into the mix and we have the left suggesting this is not a big deal and Hunter is not so bad, with the right equating Hunter to the next anti-Christ. Somewhere in the middle is an entitled dubious self-serving lack of moral character person who made an awful lot of money for himself based on a name, perhaps the chips should fall where they may inside a courtroom. With all the witnesses and their opinions, argued by lawyers in front of a judge. Just as they would for any one of us.

Of course there are two standards of legal justice. Trump walks around free to tamper and to intimidate witrh violence, despite four indictments, a superseding indictment, on 91 counts, all told. Nauta came and went unrestricted for three weeks after his indictment and is released until trial, despite the serious nature of the charges against him.

This however, was unprecedented...

Special Counsel Weiss Demanding that Hunter Biden Show Up for Initial Appearance - emptywheel

In a fight over whether Hunter Biden will have to make his initial appearance in person, we'll get to see the degree to which David Weiss is overtly trying to make his prosecution of the President's son as a proxy fight with Trump's opponent.

www.emptywheel.net

September 19, 2023

"...Weiss is demanding that Hunter Biden appear in person for his initial appearance; Hunter believes that’s unnecessary, in significant part because he already did the things — like getting a mug shot and getting processed through probation — in this docket, before Judge Marylin Noreika, that he would otherwise do at an initial appearance for the gun charge....

...This may also be a tactical fight, in advance of the challenge Lowell has already promised about whether Weiss can indict Hunter for charges he already agreed to divert. As Hunter noted, it got put in the same docket, with the prior initial appearance noted, affirming that it is the same proceeding..."

 

[Mach]

I do just a third of what Hunter is being accused of, evidence quality notwithstanding, and I am looking at years in jail with intensive pursuit by various investigators and prosecutors.

I highly doubt it. Hunter would never have been investigated were it not for Republicans desire to hurt Joe Biden politically for his election chances against Trump.
Most people aren't investigated, and most people who do these types of crimes simply aren't pursued, they have bigger fish to fry typically. Now, if they were tipped off by some auditing or accounting, AND it was referred for criminal investigation..they *might* investigate and pursue charges. It's just not that common.

Remember the same happened to Paul Manafort and Rick Gates. They were dirty as it gets, but no one knew until they looked into it because of their ties to Russians and their help in getting Trump elected who was assisted by Russia. FBI was already looking into Russia's connections ot the Trump campaign as a result. In Hunter's case, it was just a fishing expedition to get at Joe.

 

[Ikari]

Well we'll see where this goes, if the IRS acted inappropriately then the wheels may fall off this wagon.

 

[Mach]

IRS whistleblower testimony is now in doubt.

Yeah, DOJ disagreed with them as soon as this came out. He-said, she-said, but the IRS guys are obviously motivated to help Republicans for whatever reason.
IMO this is all just more Republican attempts to smear Joe Biden via Hunter, and because people don't pay attention, some believe it.

Hunter would never have been pursued this way if Joe hand't become president. It's a shame, like most things Republicans engage in politically these days. I mean, what choice do they have..their political leader has 91 felony charges he's facing down.

 

[post]

Why is Waltine Nauta still walking around? The superseding indictment and his continued employment by Trump,
would have put anyone but Trump, away!

If Garland and Biden were who G.O.P. claim that they are. Nauta's treatment would be leveraged against Hunter's.
Instead, Rod Rosenstein's former assistant, Robert Hur, both Trump appointees, has kept the Biden documents investigation
open, for eight months.

Robert Hur - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Versus:

• https://abcnews.go.com › US › department-justice-tells-pence-seek-criminal-charges-documents › story?id=99790563
  

  Pence cleared in classified documents investigation, DOJ says​

  Jun 2, 2023

Political power isn't power if you constantly concede it, give it away.

These two PoS, Trump and Nauta are witting, both having knowledge of details of the military secrets they conspired to
steal and obstruct the investigation of their theft. Both are further charged with attempting to destroy evidence!

Harold T. Martin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"...According to prosecutors, there was no evidence that Martin ever actually accessed any of the files he stole.

Trial and sentencing​

Martin was charged by the United States Department of Justice with "willful retention of national defense information".[37][38] Martin entered a plea of not guilty.[39][40] In an October 2016 hearing at the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Magistrate Judge A. David Copperthite sided with the prosecution in agreeing that Martin was a flight risk and would not be released pending trial.
...
On July 19, 2019, Martin was sentenced to nine years in prison.[48] At sentencing, Martin apologized before Judge Bennett, and said he recognized that taking the data was wrong. Bennett remarked that the case "has given me great pause," but agreed to impose the nine-year term negotiated between the parties, with three years subtracted for time already served. .."

 

[Ikari]

Yeah, DOJ disagreed with them as soon as this came out. He-said, she-said, but the IRS guys are obviously motivated to help Republicans for whatever reason.
IMO this is all just more Republican attempts to smear Joe Biden via Hunter, and because people don't pay attention, some believe it.

Hunter would never have been pursued this way if Joe hand't become president. It's a shame, like most things Republicans engage in politically these days. I mean, what choice do they have..their political leader has 91 felony charges he's facing down.

Hunter may have violated the law, and if so then he should be punished as any ordinary person would be.

However, it is clear that this political theater is orchestrated more to go after Hunter and create narratives to tie in Joe just to provide a distraction against Trump's actual charges and legal problems. This isn't some altruist attempt to hold people accountable to the law.

 

[ColdHardTruth]

That isn't proof that they lied.

Yes, it is. They took money from Trump. What do you think Trump was paying them for?

 

[post]

Shapely took notes during the meeting and later that day sent an email reitterating what was said at the meeting. Those other simply don't recall what was said at a meeting that occurred months or maybe year's before they were questioned. Shapely's testimony seems more credible.

Stick with your RWE sources. You're addicted to the feelings resulting from how they trigger you. Reliability is not what you seek
from them.

Gary Shapley's Notes Show That Gary Shapley Misrepresented David Weiss - emptywheel

Gary Shapley rewrote his own notes about what David Weiss said at a contested October 7, 2022 meeting, changing a statement originally recorded saying that Weiss "will" bring charges in Los Angeles to one about what he would have to do to obtain authority to do so.

www.emptywheel.net

September 14, 2023





"...Shapley’s lawyers shared these handwritten notes, over three months into his media tour with the right wing congressional set, because they think the fact that Shapley wrote down his understanding that Weiss said, “he is not the deciding person” [the latter part of which is redacted in the hand-written notes], that they disprove the testimony of others at the meeting..."

"My life's on the line here:" Gary Shapley's Direct Supervisor Believed His Claims Were Unsubstantiated - emptywheel

During the period when Gary Shapley was writing documents misrepresenting David Weiss' words, his supervisor recommended he be removed from the Hunter Biden case.

www.emptywheel.net

September 19, 2023
"Ever since I read the email Gary Shapley sent to his IRS supervisors, Darrell Waldon and Mike Batdorf, on October 7, 2022 purportedly documenting David Weiss saying he was not the deciding authority on charing Hunter Biden, I have wondered whether Waldon was largely brushing off Shapley’s claims about the meeting when he said, “you have covered it all.”


In any case, unlike Shapley, Waldon’s focus was on the leak, not what Weiss said. As I’ve noted, Waldon’s primary response was to tell Shapley that he would take care of the leak referral, but in congressional testimony Shapley claimed to have been the one who did.


And testimony Waldon gave to House Ways and Means Committee might be consistent with such a brush-off: Waldon described that around this time, he recommended Shapley be removed from the case, apparently because Waldon believed the claims of bias Shapley was making — in things like this email — were unsubstantiated.

Waldon told the panel that he recommended to Batdorf that Shapley be removed from the case. Waldon said that Weiss told him after the October 2022 meeting that he would “not be talking with Mr. Shapley henceforth, as they were going through their deliberative process.”
“Before I left the special agent in charge position, in February, I recommended to Mr. Batdorf that Gary Shapley be removed as the [supervisory special agent] from the Hunter Biden investigation, primarily due to what I perceived to be unsubstantiated allegations about motive, intent, bias” Waldon said.

Waldon is also the person who, in December 2022, reviewed the emails that Shapley had turned over after eight months of stalling. Indeed, on December 13, 2022, as Waldon was reviewing the emails, Shapley emailed Waldon plaintitively asking for something he adamantly refused to give Hunter Biden: Advance notice of investigative concerns..."

 

[The AntiDonald]

That isn't proof that they lied.

I never said they lied. But their lack of credibility doesn't help one believe they told the truth.