What did the president know, and when did he understand it?
That is the well-known query posed by Tennessee GOP Sen. Howard Baker that led to the downfall of fellow Republican President Richard Nixon 50 years in the past over Nixon’s coverup of the Watergate break in.
Less than a month after Baker posed his dramatic query to John Dean, Nixon’s fired White House counsel, at a committee listening to probing the break in of the Democrat Party headquarters, then all hell broke out. Dean revealed all and Nixon was toast.
Facing impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate on conspiracy and corruption prices, Nixon resigned. But the query lingers.
It now could be a query that House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, wish to ask Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s reckless son — the nation’s oldest juvenile delinquent — earlier than an impeachment inquiry listening to.
McCarthy raised the impeachment difficulty amid mounting House committee testimony that seems to tie Joe Biden on to Hunter Biden’s brazen affect peddling offers with politicians in Ukraine, China, Russia, Romania and elsewhere.
Joe Biden, regardless of proof on the contrary, has repeatedly said that he had no data of Hunter’s enterprise dealings, nor has he ever talked to him about his enterprise.
While Biden has caught to that story, the White House final week added a slight change, whereas insisting it was not. It got here when White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned Joe Biden was by no means “in” enterprise with Hunter Biden.
Nobody has accused Joe Biden of being “in” enterprise with Hunter Biden, solely that he benefited from his enterprise dealings. Besides, Hunter Biden has no companies outdoors of the enterprise of utilizing Joe Biden’s identify and political place to shake down overseas nations.
But you’ll be able to’t blame the press secretary. It seems that she doesn’t even discuss to the president however is just instructed what to say as silly and nonsensical her remarks at instances appear.
Should Hunter Biden be dragged earlier than an inquiry committee, the questions requested below oath would go one thing like this: “Mr. Biden, did you ever discuss your business dealings with your father? What did the president know and when did he know it?”
Or: “Who is the ‘Big Guy’ who was in for a 10% cut of the money you were bringing in from China?”
Should Hunter Biden reveal all, Biden could be toast, too.
The different could be for Hunter to take the autumn for the Big Guy. But that’s unlikely to occur.
Hunter Biden didn’t have the character or the decency to acknowledge Navy Joan Roberts, the 4-year-old daughter he had with Washington dancer Lunden Roberts, not to mention the nerve to take the autumn for his father.
Joe Biden lastly granted her recognition as his granddaughter on Friday. Still, Navy Joan Roberts, can not even use the Biden identify which, at this level, might be a blessing.
So, they may go down collectively, particularly after the testimony of Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s former enterprise accomplice, ties the Bidens collectively of their alleged overseas affect shakedown scheme. Archer is anticipated to testify earlier than Congress immediately.
The collapse of Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal settlement on tax and drug prices earlier than U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika final week might be a sign of issues to return for the Bidens.
The deal — or repair — that might have had Biden stroll away from two tax felonies, knocked all the way down to misdemeanors, and an unlawful gun cost — additionally would have granted Biden insulation from different issues nonetheless below investigation, like Biden’s alleged violations of the strict Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Average Americans with out political pull are routinely despatched to jail on lesser prices.
Hunter Biden, in the meantime, is whisked to and from courtroom in a convoy of smooth black SUVs accompanied by a workforce of Secret Service brokers.
But the decide refused to go together with the repair — no less than for now.
Maybe for the Bidens the buck, or the repair, stops right here.
What did the president know, and when did he understand it?
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”