Dems push Biden to extend deportation shields for illegal aliens in last-minute plea



A group of Democratic senators is relentlessly pushing President Joe Biden (D) to extend deportation protections to illegal aliens ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming term.

On Monday, seven senators sent a letter to Biden, urging him to redesignate Temporary Protected Status "for All Eligible Countries and Consider Providing Deferred Enforced Departure."

'At risk of being sent back to horrific conditions.'

TPS allows foreign nationals from designated countries to remain in the United States for a temporary period of time. Countries are added to the list when it is deemed unsafe for their citizens to return due to ongoing conflicts, environmental disasters, or other "extraordinary and temporary conditions."

Eligible individuals cannot be deported and may be granted work and travel authorizations during their stay.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, there are currently 17 countries designated for TPS, including Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela.

TPS status is slated to expire for the above-mentioned nations in 2025.

Over the past year, many violent gang members from Venezuela have infiltrated the U.S. and set up operations in several states. While the Democratic senators did not specifically call for TPS to be extended for Venezuelan nationals, their Monday letter indicated Biden should continue providing protections for "all eligible countries."

"We urge your administration to offer vital protections via TPS for eligible countries or parts of countries, providing relief from deportation while allowing these individuals to continue working and contributing to our economy. Where TPS is not an option, we strongly urge the administration to protect qualified vulnerable noncitizens through DED," the letter read.

In addition to granting TPS status to many countries, Biden also extended DED to foreign nationals from Lebanon, Hong Kong, and Palestine. Those protections are scheduled to expire in January 2026, February 2025, and August 2025 respectively.

The USCIS states that DED "is not a specific immigration status," but it shields eligible individuals from deportation.

Democratic senators also called for Biden to "Expedite the Processing of Benefit Requests for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Recipients" and "Prioritize Adjudication of Pending Asylum Claims."

The letter to the president was signed by Democratic Senators Richard Durbin of Illinois, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, and Alex Padilla of California.

On Wednesday, Cortez Masto, Ray Luján, and Padilla hosted a press conference, further pressuring Biden to act.

"There are thousands of immigrant families from countries who clearly qualify for TPS that are at risk of being sent back to horrific conditions," Cortez Masto stated. "Many of these immigrants, along with so many of our Dreamers, have been living and working in our communities for years. President Biden should act now to protect these immigrant communities and keep families together."

Trump has already indicated that he is willing to "work with the Democrats on a plan" that would allow Dreamers to remain in the U.S. and obtain legal status.

However, Cortez Masto stated during the press conference that she is skeptical Trump will follow through on that promise.

Luján said, "To ensure the safety and security of immigrant communities across the country, we are urging President Biden to take steps to designate, redesignate, and extend TPS for Ecuador, Nicaragua, and El Salvador, as well as expedite the process for DACA recipients to renew their status. I will not remain silent when it comes to protecting our immigrant families and will continue to fight to protect our most vulnerable."

Padilla called Trump's mass deportation plans "immoral" for "taking away lawful status and work authorization for these individuals." He claimed the effort would "be gutting critical sectors of our workforce."

There is currently no indication that the Biden administration plans to take the requested actions.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Biden infuriates locals with clemency for fraudster who stole $53 million from her small city



Two weeks after issuing a "full and unconditional" pardon for his felonious son Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden granted clemency consisting of 39 pardons and 1,499 commutations for people released from prison then placed on home confinement during the pandemic. Among those who had their sentences commuted was the disgraced former comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, Rita Crundwell.

This did not sit well with residents of the city Biden's beneficiary robbed blind for decades.

"I'm very disappointed ... angry," Li Arellano Jr., the former mayor of Dixon, told WREX-TV. "Are we really going through this again?"

"It was really just another gut punch to the city of Dixon," said city Councilman Mike Venier.

Crundwell was sentenced in 2013 to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for stealing $53.7 million from Dixon.

The presiding judge found that in the process of stealing tens of millions of dollars from her fellow Americans, Crundwell inflicted a significant nonmonetary loss on the city, undermining public confidence in local government and striking at "the very heart of Dixon's abilities to provide essentials for its citizenry."

The Department of Justice indicated that Crundwell kicked off her fraud scheme in December 1990 when she opened a secret bank account in the name of the city of Dixon. She repeatedly transferred city funds from the capital development account into her burgeoning slush fund, squirreling away $181,000 in 1991. She ended up taking an average of roughly $2.5 million a year from the city over the course of the 20-year scheme.

Crundwell reportedly told the city its chronic lack of funds was the result of a downturn in the economy and even blamed the state of Illinois for failing to pay its fair share. Crundwell was stealing so much from the people of Dixon that the city had to make budget cuts, adversely impacting operations.

'Commuting her 20-year sentence is a slap in the face.'

When Crundwell went on an extended vacation in 2011, another city employee requested all of Dixon's bank statements, exposing the secret account. Upon learning of the fraud, the mayor alerted the relevant authorities.

Around the time she pleaded guilty, Dixon resident Joyce Gibson told CBS News, "It's caused a lot of turmoil, a lot of hard feelings, a lot of accusations."

Jeff Kuhn, another resident, noted, "I would really, myself, like to see some sign of remorse. I haven't seen it at all."

Although Crundwell was supposed to rot in jail until at least Oct. 20, 2029, she reportedly petitioned in April 2020 for early release, claiming her health was deteriorating. Every member of the city government and members of the community requested that the prison refuse her petition.

Despite executing what is believed to be the largest theft of public funds in the history of Illinois — blowing taxpayer money on over 400 horses; over 48 trucks; a luxury motor home; classic cars; a boat; 80 acres of land in Lee County; jewelry; personal credit cards; business expenses; and furnishing at least three homes, including a Florida vacation home — she was released in August 2021 under the CARES Act, which allowed for convicts at high-risk of COVID-19 to be moved to home arrest.

Biden apparently figured house arrest was too much for a woman who had betrayed and weakened her city, so he commuted the rest of her sentence, rubbing salt in old wounds.

Arellano told WREX, "There were sacrifices, really deep sacrifices made in this community over 20 to 30 years because of this. It's very personal for people in Dixon. ... This should be the time of year when we're recapping a successful year, talking about growth and progress, and now we're talking about why the woman who committed the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history is going to be out on the streets."

"This is a tough one to swallow. This is a lady who had so much trust in her throughout our community and over 20 years, with a smile on her face, stole $54 million from the people that put that trust into her," said Venier. "She still owes us 50-plus million dollars. The day she comes to city hall with a certified check for $50 million ... maybe we'll have a softer sense about the whole situation, but until that day, she'll never be innocent."

"While many families in Dixon were living paycheck to paycheck, she took advantage of their trust in government and used her access to live an unearned life of luxury, in what the FBI still believes to be the largest theft of public funds in U.S. history," Republican Illinois Rep. Darin LaHood said in a statement. "Commuting her 20-year sentence is a slap in the face to all the hardworking police officers, firefighters, city workers, and residents of Dixon."

Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) noted on X, "Her case remains the biggest municipal fraud case in U.S. history. Getting off scot free today is such a load of BS."

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'Preposterous': Biden admin extends liability protection to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers



The Biden Department of Health and Human Services has extended liability protection to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers and administrators through Dec. 31, 2029, precluding vaccine recipients who reportedly end up injured or their surviving family members from holding those responsible to account.

Kim Mack Rosenberg, general counsel for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Children's Health Defense, called the decision from the outgoing administration "very concerning," not only because it protects pharmaceutical companies and the government but because it "allows for largely unfettered product development."

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra suggested in his declaration that continued coverage for the manufacture, testing, development, distribution, administration, and use of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act "is intended to prepare for and mitigate the credible risk presented by COVID-19."

Although the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 expired on May 11, 2023, and the virus has reportedly moved from a pandemic to the endemic phase, Becerra suggested that COVID-19 continues to both "present a credible risk of a future public health emergency" and "cause significant serious illness, morbidity, and mortality during outbreaks." Citing these supposed risks, he suggested that it was necessary to renew liability protection to ensure the continued development and stockpiling of vaccines.

'The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck.'

The Congressional Research Service previously noted that under the HHS declaration, covered persons in most cases cannot be sued for losses — including death, physical or mental injury, and business interruption loss — relating to the use or administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

The sole exception to PREP Act immunity is for death or serious physical injury caused by "willful misconduct." To qualify as willful misconduct, the covered person must have "acted (i) intentionally to achieve a wrongful purpose; (ii) knowingly without legal or factual justification; and (iii) in disregard of a known or obvious risk that is so great as to make it highly probable that the harm will outweigh the benefit."

The liability protections for the COVID-19 vaccines were first introduced in January 2020. This is the 12th extension.

Children's Health Defense CEO Mary Holland suggested the Biden administration was "attempting to tie the hands of the incoming administration in its treatment of emergencies and pandemics. This is not the way elections and transfer of power are supposed to work."

Ray Flores, who serves as senior outside counsel for Kennedy's organization, told the Defender, "It is preposterous that HHS extended PREP Act protections based on a no-longer-existing threat. The only threat is a loss of air-tight liability that leaves the vast majority of victims out of luck."

Bloomberg Law reported that Becerra's declaration comes amid calls for COVID-19 vaccines to be covered under the HHS' Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. In its notice, the HHS indicated that Americans injured by COVID-19 vaccines will still be unable to seek compensation through the VICP.

COVID-19 vaccines are instead covered "countermeasures" under the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. The PREP Act authorizes the CICP to provide some compensation to individuals who suffered serious physical injury as the direct result of the supposedly "safe and effective" COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccines have reportedly been shown in some cases to cause significant harm.

A study published January in the pharmacotherapy journal Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety indicated that "COVID-19 vaccination is strongly associated with a serious adverse safety signal of myocarditis, particularly in children and young adults resulting in hospitalization and death."

In addition to noting the well-documented correlation between the COVID-19 vaccines and increased risk of heart conditions, a study conducted by the Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project — a Global Vaccine Data Network initiative supported by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the HHS — and published February in the journal Vaccine detailed troubling links between the AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Pfizer vaccines and medical conditions such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, brain and spinal cord inflammation, Bell's palsy, and convulsions.

Despite suggesting vaccinations were still worthwhile, a 2023 study published in the Elsevier Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences noted that "a survey has found that 65% of participants experience adverse reactions."

As of Nov. 1, 13,520 claims were filed with the CIPC. Of the 3,438 decisions made so far, only 65 claims were found eligible for compensation. Of that number, only 18 claims were compensated.

The claims cited a wide range of injuries, including blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. There were also 671 claims stating the COVID-19 vaccines resulted in death.

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Biden calls toppling of Assad by US-designated terrorists who previously targeted Christians 'fundamental act of justice'



Turkish-backed Islamic militants led by the al-Qaeda spinoff group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization linked in its formative years to the late leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and whose current leader is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist who fought against American forces in Iraq — have seized the Syrian capital of Damascus following a 10-day shock offensive.

President Bashar al-Assad and his family successfully fled to Russia — a nation that with Iran backed the Assad regime during Syria's 13-year civil war despite its reported use of chemical weapons in Ltamenah and various other war crimes.

President Joe Biden addressed the regime change in a speech Sunday evening, claiming partial responsibility and stating, "Rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country."

"At long last, the Assad regime has fallen," continued Biden. "This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians. The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. It is a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It's also a moment of risk and uncertainty."

Biden indicated further that the U.S. "will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk."

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of HTS who has a $10 million State Department bounty on his head, noted in his victory speech in Damascus' Umayyad Mosque that Syria would become "a beacon for the Islamic nation," reported Al Jazeera. "This victory is for all Syrians; they were all part of this victory."

Although HTS generally advocates for the imposition of Sharia law, al-Jolani has suggested there might be relative tolerance, including for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, the fate of the country's beleaguered Christian population — which has been reduced from 1.5 million people, or 10% of the population, to roughly 300,000 over the past decade — is uncertain.

'Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East.'

Jeff King, president of the persecution watchdog group International Christian Concern, said in a statement to the Christian Post, "The coming days and weeks will be crucial for the fate of [the] Christian community."

The European organization Christian Solidarity noted in a statement that reports from Aleppo indicated that so far, "Christians and religious minorities have been treated well by HTS and its allies. Still, HTS' ideology and history give religious minorities in Aleppo serious reason to doubt these promises."

Christian Solidarity indicated that the three primary religious minorities under threat in Syria are the Alawites, Druzes, and Christians. The first two groups are Muslim sects regarded as heretical by the jihadists that were previously protected by the Syrian government. Christians, while not similarly regarded as heretical, were also brutalized throughout the civil war by HTS terrorists.

"HTS has often targeted Christians throughout Syria in violent attacks and kidnappings, repeatedly killing Christian civilians and confiscating their property. Since 2012, the vast majority of Christians who lived in Aleppo or Idlib during the periods under the jihadists’ authority have fled," said Christian Solidarity.

Biden acknowledged in his speech that "some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses."

'THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.'

The Democratic president suggested that the victorious terrorists are, however, "saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions."

Within hours of U.S. Central Command forces conducting precision airstrikes on a different group of Islamic terrorists in Syria, Biden claimed credit for the demise of the Assad regime, suggesting that the following proved decisive: a "comprehensive sanctions program against [Assad]"; America's continued military presence in the country; support for "Israel's freedom of action against Iranian networks in Syria and against actors aligned with Iran"; and American military action against "Iranian networks."

"Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," said Biden. "Through this combination of support from our partners, sanctions, diplomacy, and targeted military force when necessary, we now see new opportunities opening up for the people of Syria and for the entire region."

Biden vowed that the U.S. would do "whatever we can to support [the Syrian people], including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war."

Although with just weeks left in office, Biden has signaled a role for the U.S. in Syria following the regime change, President-elect Donald Trump appears less than enthused about the prospect of getting bogged down.

Ahead of the rebel coalition taking Damascus, Trump noted on Truth Social, "Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!"

Vice President-elect JD Vance, responding to Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin's celebration of the regime change, tweeted Sunday, "As President Trump said, this is not our fight and we should stay out of it. Aside from that, opinions like the below make me nervous. The last time this guy was celebrating events in Syria we saw the mass slaughter of Christians and a refugee crisis that destabilized Europe."

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Rep. Jeffries calls on Biden to issue more pardons



House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a press release on Wednesday calling for President Joe Biden to issue additional pardons.

The request follows Biden's heavily criticized decision to grant an extensive pardon to his son Hunter. Despite previous and repeated pledges to refrain from such action, Biden this week pardoned Hunter for any offenses he may have committed over the span of a decade.

'Liberty and justice for all.'

Amid the ongoing bipartisan backlash, Jeffries made a unique request: Grant more pardons.

Jeffries wrote, "Throughout his life, President Joe Biden has fought to improve the plight of hardworking Americans struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. Many of these people have been aggressively prosecuted and harshly sentenced for nonviolent offenses, often without the benefit of adequate legal representation."

"Countless lives, families and communities have been adversely impacted, particularly in parts of Appalachia, Urban America and the Heartland," he continued.

"During his final weeks in office, President Biden should exercise the high level of compassion he has consistently demonstrated throughout his life, including toward his son, and pardon on a case-by-case basis the working-class Americans in the federal prison system whose lives have been ruined by unjustly aggressive prosecutions for nonviolent offenses," Jeffries stated.

He argued that such an action by the president would uphold "liberty and justice for all."

Blaze News contacted Jeffries' office for comment, specifically inquiring whether he would support Biden extending pardons to Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro.

A spokesperson for Jeffries responded, "The leader's statement speaks for itself."

Both men were targeted under the current administration's costly and relentless lawfare and were not accused of committing any violent crimes.

Navarro spent approximately four months in federal detention after he was convicted on two counts of contempt of Congress. On Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump tapped Navarro to serve as his senior counselor for trade and manufacturing.

Trump stated in his announcement that Navarro "was treated horribly by the Deep State."

Bannon was previously convicted on the same charges and released from federal prison in late October after serving a four-month sentence.

He stated upon his release, "The four months in federal prison, not only didn't break me, it empowered me. I am more energized and more focused than I've ever been in my entire life."

Bannon is also facing a separate case in New York for allegedly defrauding donors in a fundraising campaign. He pleaded not guilty to two counts of money laundering in the second degree, one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree, scheme to defraud in the first degree, and conspiracy in the fifth degree.

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Obama DOJ initiative became political de-banking scheme, Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen tells Joe Rogan



Brexiteer Nigel Farage was de-banked last year for political reasons. While acknowledging he was a commercially viable customer, Coutts bank, part of the NatWest Group, dropped the British politician because of his comparison of Black Lives Matter rioters to the Taliban; his criticism of climate alarmism and his suggestion that "net zero is net stupid"; his "endorsements of Donald Trump"; and other expressions thought unpalatable by the powers that be.

Although Britain has done its best in recent months to clamp down on perceived wrong think, including silent prayer, it is hardly exceptional when it comes to the practice of de-banking.

Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and general partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, recently told Joe Rogan that scores of tech founders have been de-banked under the Biden administration through a coordinated and politically motivated effort he referred to as "Operation Choke Point 2.0," an apparent update on a scandalous Obama Department of Justice initiative. In the days since the interview, numerous crypto entrepreneurs have gone online with their own de-banking tales.

The 'wrong politics'

After explaining that "de-banking is when you, as either a person or your company, are literally kicked out of the banking system," Andreessen told Rogan that it has hit close to home — his business partner's father was de-banked.

When asked why David Horowitz, a critic of Islamic and leftist extremism, would have been de-banked, Andreessen said, "For having the wrong politics. For saying unacceptable things."

"I mean, David Horowitz is, you know — he's pro-Trump," said Andreessen. "I mean, he's said all kinds of things. You know, he's been very anti-Islamic terrorism. He's been very worried about immigration, all these things."

Other individuals and groups who have been de-banked in recent years were similarly on the right, which may explain why the Southern Poverty Law Center has defended the practice.

'There's no constitutional amendment that says the government can't de-bank you.'

In September 2023, Bank of America de-banked John Eastman, founding director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence and one of the attorneys also targeted by the 65 Project for his work with President-elect Donald Trump. Two months later, USAAA Federal Saving Bank similarly de-banked him.

Former Nebraska state Treasurer John Murante (R) noted in an op-ed last year that Chase had de-banked multiple individuals and organizations — including the Arkansas Family Council, Defense of Liberty, and retired general Michael Flynn Jr. — over "mainstream American views."

Months after JPMorgan Chase canceled the checking account for former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's faith-based nonprofit National Committee for Religious Freedom, Brownback reportedly received an email from Chase indicating that he was a "politically exposed person."

"Under current banking regulations, after all the reforms of the last 20 years, there's now a category called a 'politically exposed person,' PEP," Andreessen told Rogan. "You are required by financial regulators to kick them off, to kick them out of your bank. You're not allowed to have them."

According to a 2021 Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council document, the "term PEP is commonly used in the financial industry to refer to foreign individuals who are or have been entrusted with a prominent public function, as well as to their immediate family members and close associates." The term has also been applied to domestic individuals similarly entrusted with prominent public functions.

The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, an international outfit hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, noted in its own definition that due to their position and influence, many PEPs "are in positions that potentially can be abused for the purpose of committing money laundering offences and related predicate offenses, including corruption and bribery, as well as conducting activity related to terrorist financing."

Andreessen suggested that the de-banking of domestic PEPs tends to go only one way, noting, "I have not heard of a single instance of anyone on the left getting de-banked."

A private-public scheme

The tech entrepreneur explained that this politically unidirectional mechanism is wielded by a combination of governmental and private forces.

"There's a constitutional amendment that says the government can't restrict your speech, but there's no constitutional amendment that says the government can't de-bank you," said Andreessen.

The government leans on private banking institutions to do its dirty work, which gives it the benefit of distance, such that "the government gets to say, 'We didn't do it. It was the private company that did it, and of course, JPMorgan can decide who they want to have as customers.'"

Andreessen characterized the political persecution scheme as a "privatized sanctions regime that lets bureaucrats do to American citizens the same thing that we do to Iran: Just kick you out of the financial system."

According to Andreessen, this "regime" has been targeting numerous crypto entrepreneurs since President Joe Biden took office.

'It's just raw administrative power.'

"This has been happening to a lot of the fin-tech entrepreneurs, anybody trying to start any kind of new banking service, because they're trying to protect the big banks," said Andreessen. "This has been happening, by the way, also in legal fields of economic activity that they don't like."

Thanks, Obama

Andreessen suggested that this coordinated effort to crush perceived political adversaries through monetary pressures kicked off in earnest "about 15 years ago with this thing called Operation Choke Point."

Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel and senior vice president of corporate engagement at the Alliance Defending Freedom, told members of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government in March:

In the now infamous Operation Choke Point, President Obama's DOJ and FDIC spearheaded a multi-agency initiative to target legal industries like firearms dealers, tobacco sellers, dating services, coin dealers, and payday lenders. After a group of payday lenders sued the FDIC, litigation filings and subsequent federal oversight offered a rare look into the world of financial regulation. The FDIC expanded "reputational risk" to include "any negative publicity involving the third party." It then worked in conjunction with the DOJ and other agencies to pressure financial institutions to deny service to disfavored industries. The DOJ issued over 60 subpoenas; the FDIC and OCC issued related guidance on the reputation risk presented by payment processing for these entities; and the FDIC listed the above businesses as "high-risk businesses," all with the intent to cut off banking access to these industries.

Andreessen suggested that the Biden administration extended the concept to apply to political opponents as well as to crypto and tech entrepreneurs.

"Choke Point 2.0 is primarily against their political enemies and then to their disfavored tech startups," said Andreessen. "And it's hit the tech world hard. We've had like 30 founders de-banked in the last four years."

According to the tech entrepreneur, those he knows who have been de-banked effectively had to reinvent themselves or get creative with where they put their money to "try to get away from the eye of Sauron."

Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of Gemini, noted after Elon Musk highlighted Andreessen's comments that he was de-banked and suggested that there have likely been far more than 30 individuals de-banked in the burgeoning industry.

"Totally unlawful, evil behavior," said Winklevoss.

Brian Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, responded to Andreessen's claims, noting, "Can confirm this is true. It was one one of the most unethical and un-American things that happened in the Biden administration, and my guess is we'll find Elizabeth Warren's fingerprints all over it (Biden himself was probably unaware). We're still collecting documents via FOIA requests, so hopefully the full story emerges of who was involved and whether they broke any laws."

Konstantin Richter, CEO of Blockdaemon, claimed that Bank of America similarly cut his organization loose.

The nature of de-banking leaves victims with few or no means to seek remedy.

"You can't go sue a regulator to fix this. It's not through any kind of court judgment. It's just raw power. It's just raw administrative power," said Andreessen. "It's the government or politicians just deciding that things are going to be a certain way, and then they just apply pressure until they get it."

To make matters worse, "There are no fingerprints," said Andreessen. Those behind the de-banking are virtually untouchable.

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Scott Jennings laughs out loud at CNN contributor's excuse for Biden pardoning Hunter



Scott Jennings, the much-lauded conservative contributor for CNN, did not hold back criticisms on Monday for President Joe Biden and his defenders after he pardoned his son Hunter Biden for any federal crimes committed within the past 10 years.

Jennings was on CNN with host John Berman and contributor Karen Finney, who worked on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Jennings stated Biden's decision to pardon his son after saying multiple times he would not do so went along with President-elect Donald Trump's argument about the nation's two-tiered justice system.

'He's drained every ounce of credibility from every surrogate.'

"Joe Biden is leaving office, making the strongest possible case for Donald Trump that anybody could possibly make it, and that's that our government and our justice system is of, by, and for the elites and nobody else. He ran to banish Trumpism from our political system in this country, and he has left it politically and now institutionally the strongest possible political force in this country," Jennings said.

When Jennings noted everyone in the United States "except the most partisan, brain-rotted people" will be outraged by the pardon, Finney took issue with being called "brain-rotted." After Jennings told Finney to stand up for herself and not defend Biden, Finney replied she has no issues with the pardon.

"Are you fine with the lying? Are you fine with him sitting before the election all year and lying to the American people? Are you fine with the lying about it?" Jennings asked.

"I don't think that he was lying. I think he made a decision after the fact and decided this was the right thing for him and for his family. Period. Full stop," Finney said, prompting Jennings to laugh out loud.

"He's drained every ounce of credibility from every surrogate. If Karine Jean-Pierre had an ounce of self-respect, she'd get off the plane in Africa today — where they're going so he can avoid the press — and resign. He's drained all of her credibility and everybody else who's defended this. It's draining. Draining for everyone," Jennings continued.

As Blaze News has reported, the younger Biden has a pass on any crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024, meaning it not only lets him off the hook for his felony conviction on gun charges and for his felony tax offenses, but it also overlaps with the Bidens' dealings with the Ukrainian company Burisma, where Hunter was appointed director in 2014.

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After Hunter’s Pardon, It’s Time To Prosecute The Rest Of The Biden Crime Family

If the Bidens want to escape legal accountability for their pay-for-play operation, Joe better be ready to pardon the whole family.

Biden Admin’s ‘Woke’ Housing Agenda Faces Rude Awakening Under Republican Control

'DEI programs masquerade as fairness while instead fostering division, inefficiency, and discrimination,' said Rep. Michael Cloud.

'This war is about money': Sen. Lindsey Graham says Ukraine can pay back United States through rare minerals



Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Ukraine is the richest country in Europe when it comes to minerals and that President Donald Trump will "do a deal" to get the United States its money back.

The South Carolina senator spoke to Fox News' Sean Hannity last week and publicly stated that the Russia-Ukraine war is predominantly about the control of valuable mineral deposits, claiming it is the primary reason Russia decided to invade the eastern parts of Ukraine.

Hannity asked on his program why President Biden has allowed Ukraine to use ballistic missiles toward the end of the administration.

"Why is he giving them more money, and why is he doing all of this knowing that Donald Trump has a very different approach when he gets in office in two months?" Hannity asked.

Graham prefaced his response by saying that Ukraine would be a lot better off in late 2024 if Ukraine had been authorized to use the ballistic missiles earlier in the war, which has reached approximately 1,000 days of combat.

'Donald Trump's gonna do a deal to get our money back.'

"This war is about money," Graham revealed. "People don't talk much about it. But you know the richest country in all of Europe for rare-earth minerals is Ukraine. $2 to $7 trillion worth of minerals that are rare-earth minerals, very relevant to the 21st century," the senator added.

Graham claimed that Ukraine is ready to deal with the United States, not Russia, and therefore it is in Americans' best interest to make sure Russia "doesn't take over the place."

"It's the breadbasket of, really, the developing world. 50% of all the food going to Africa comes out of Ukraine. We can make money and have [an] economic relationship with Ukraine to be very beneficial to us with peace," Graham added. "So Donald Trump's gonna do a deal to get our money back, to enrich ourselves with rare-earth minerals, a good deal for Ukraine and us, and he's gonna bring peace," he continued.

Hannity then asked if Ukraine could pay America back the "hundreds of billions of dollars" it has already invested in the war, to which Graham clarified, "That's just a drop in the bucket," repeating that Ukraine is the most mineral-rich country in Europe.

"That's why Russia is there right now," Graham concluded.

However, Graham's numbers were different during an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation" about 10 days prior.

During that appearance, Graham said Ukraine was sitting on about $10 to 12 trillion worth of "critical minerals," nearly double his later estimation.

The senator again affirmed that the Ukraine would be required to pay the United States back.

"[Trump] created a loan system. ... I don't wanna give that money and those assets to Putin to share with China," Graham told host Margaret Brennan.

The 69-year-old described the ending of the Russia-Ukraine war as a "very big deal" and called for the U.S. to help Ukraine "win" the war and "find a solution."

He reiterated that the Ukrainians are "sitting on a gold mine" that cannot be allowed to go to Russia or China.

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