Trump and GOP Sycophants: Oiled and Ready to Ugly Smear Joe and Hunter Biden

“Leader” of New Pack of GOP Morons

(Sen. Ron Johnson: R-WI)

Major Update on where we are today (again) with Trump’s GOP senate lapdogs going to bat for him from this report from Politico showing Trump’s sustained attacks on the Biden’s with his warped mind kicking back into high gear as it were.

Highlights from the article with this headline:

Republicans lean into Biden probe as he surges in Democratic primary

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) says he'll soon release a report on Hunter Biden’s ties to the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma.

Just hours after Joe Biden surged to the top of the Democratic presidential pack, Senate Republicans announced a new phase of their investigation targeting the former vice president and his son Hunter.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Sen. Ron Johnson told reporters on Wednesday (March 4) that he is likely to release an interim report within one to two months on his panel’s probe of Hunter Biden’s ties to a Ukrainian gas company, Burisma.

Johnson added: “These are questions that Joe Biden has not adequately answered. And if I were a Democrat primary voter, I’d want these questions satisfactorily answered before I cast my final vote.”  

Then (and apparently from the other side of his mouth), Johnson insisted that the timing of his probe has nothing to do with the election calendar.

But this renewed focus on Biden, coinciding with his surge to frontrunner status, has alarmed House Democrats as they brace for an all-out GOP assault on Biden and his son over an issue that was litigated at length during Trump's impeachment trial.

Democrats are now warily eyeing Trump’s twitter feed — and his Republican allies in the Senate like Johnson — for the return of the widely discredited corruption charges against Biden that had seemed to fade from consciousness along with Biden’s flagging campaign. That Trump twitter feed source, BTW:

#1 BS Spreader Working Overtime

(https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump)

Now after Biden’s Super Tuesday romp, the Democrats who led the impeachment drive against Trump for his efforts to get Ukraine to investigate the Bidens are preparing for Burisma to make a return to the GOP playbook.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said regarding this: “After hearing nothing about Burisma over the course of the last couple weeks, the Republicans will revive it in a perfect demonstration of what this means to them, which is to be a cudgel to beat Joe Biden with.”

Thus, House Democrats are gearing up to charge Republicans who probe the Burisma matter with aiding a potential Russian disinformation campaign. Democrats raised alarms last year when reports, citing a third-party security firm, indicated Burisma had been hacked by Russian military operatives using tactics similar to those used to infiltrate the Democratic National Committee in 2016.

Background to Keep in Mind: Hunter Biden and Trump’s unfounded attacks – a lot to unpack here from the NY Times (via MSN) – how we got here in the first place.

What landed Trump in so much hot water is his phone call on July 25 with Ukrainian President Zelensky, as he then steered the conversation toward what Trump depicts as a scandal that could bring down Biden (a 2020 rival) by saying: “There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son.”

However, there’s little to back up Trump’s wild conspiracy suspicions.

Hunter Biden as a civilian worked with Burisma, an energy company in Ukraine that had come under corruption scrutiny – why?

Its founder, Mykola Zlochevsky, served as Ukraine’s minister of ecology and natural resources under former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was swept from office by mass protests in 2014. 

Following that uprising, Western governments pressed Ukraine’s new leaders to investigate corruption. One of the initial subjects was Zlochevsky, who was accused of money laundering and abuse of power. Zlochevsky has denied any wrongdoing.

What criminal charges came out of all that? Short answer: None.

NOTE: Burisma issued a statement in 2017 saying that “all legal proceedings and pending criminal allegations” against it and Zlochevsky were closed and that it paid an extra 180 million hryvnias ($7 million) in taxes.

Plus, to date, no known evidence that any of the investigations ever involved Hunter Biden.

Further Note: Finally, Prosecutor General Ryaboshapka announced this new review of previous investigations relating to Zlochevsky, he told Reuters that: “He was not aware of any evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden,” according to Reuters.

So… What did Trump say about all that?

In usual Trump fashion, and without an ounce of substantiation, he tweeted (as usual) that the Biden family: “Was paid off, pure and simple – they are the family of corruption, extortion and pillaging foreign countries.”

He called the Biden’s “stone-cold crooked.”

He then publicly urged Ukraine and China to open criminal investigations of them (see video clip below).

Trump’s contention is that Hunter Biden flew to Beijing aboard the vice president’s aircraft and left a billionaire – the episode he wants China to investigate.

NOTE: That also isn’t supported by any available facts. Plus, China said no to any investigations that Trump wants. (Remember Trump standing on White House lawn (Oct 3. 2019) heading to board Chopper-1 and told the waiting press this (short video clip) - inviting foreign election interference:

China: If you are you listening…

(Boy, that sounds familiar)

Related to Sen. Johnson and his past efforts from these sources:

1. Report: “Ron Johnson discussed conspiracy theory with Ukrainian diplomat two weeks before Trump sought investigation”

2. Also here: “House Republicans ask GOP senator for info on Ukraine”

3. And here, too: “By serendipity, GOP senator lands in middle of impeachment saga, as witness and potential juror”

4. My related post here, FYI.

My 2 cents: Again, not much to add to this story except to underscore the Johnson pack of lies such as this whopper: “These are questions that Joe Biden has not adequately answered. And if I were a Democrat primary voter, I’d want these questions satisfactorily answered before I cast my final vote.” 

Then as I said above, apparently from the other side of his mouth, Johnson said the timing of his probe has nothing to do with the election calendar. 

Stay tuned a heluva lot more Trump 2020, Inc. BS is loaded on the shit-trucks and heading our way. I hate to be graphic, but it’s a fact and this Johnson story is just the start of a new and uglier campaign in bound, so hang on tight.

Thanks for stopping by.