by Matthew Holloway | Dec 3, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Democrat President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter, despite a very public vow not to, was met with condemnation from Arizona leaders in both parties. Two Arizona Republican congressmen and one congressman-elect were joined by a Democratic Representative in offering a stern rebuke of Biden’s blatant reversal and the clear preferential treatment given to his son.
In a statement released late on Sunday, Biden forwarded the claim that his son’s prosecution for violating federal gun laws and violations of the tax code were selective and that his son was “unfairly prosecuted” and “treated differently.”
He wrote:
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. Without aggravating factors like use in a crime, multiple purchases, or buying a weapon as a straw purchaser, people are almost never brought to trial on felony charges solely for how they filled out a gun form. Those who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions. It is clear that Hunter was treated differently.
The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. Then, a carefully negotiated plea deal, agreed to by the Department of Justice, unraveled in the court room – with a number of my political opponents in Congress taking credit for bringing political pressure on the process. Had the plea deal held, it would have been a fair, reasonable resolution of Hunter’s cases.
No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong. There has been an effort to break Hunter – who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough.
For my entire career I have followed a simple principle: just tell the American people the truth. They’ll be fair-minded. Here’s the truth: I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice – and once I made this decision this weekend, there was no sense in delaying it further. I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.”
Most controversially, the “Full and Unconditional Pardon” issued for the younger Biden is broad and sweeping. It covers “offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” Notably, this period covers time when President Biden was still Vice President under the Obama administration, as well as Hunter’s appointment and tenure on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma according to Reuters. This would handily cover events and serious allegations of corruption probed by the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives in the past two years. It would also cover business dealings in China that have been heavily scrutinized as influence peddling and featured the cryptic mention in exposed emails of Hunter securing “10 held by H for the big guy,” as reported by the New York Post.
Appearing to refer to the implication of President Biden in the scandals, Republican Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-09) wrote in a post to X, “Proxy Pardon,” seeming to suggest Biden is de facto pardoning himself or his brother James Biden.
Congressman-elect Abraham Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) wrote, “Joe Biden is leaving his presidency even more disgraced. A two-tiered justice system has no place in America. No more lies. No more special treatment. It’s time to restore law and order.”
Replying to a post from journalist John Harwood, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) wrote, “’…Acting on principle and keeping his word’,” quoting Biden.
Replying to a previous post to X from the President which stated, “No one is above the law,” Crane wrote, “Unless your last name is Biden.”
Democratic Congressman Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04) reposted the Associated Press coverage of the pardon and wrote, “I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” adding a bipartisan character to the Congressional blowback from the pardon of Hunter Biden.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Oct 7, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Democrat leaders from across the country gathered Tuesday to lavish praise on former-Phoenix Mayor-turned-Congressman Greg Stanton at a celebration naming the new downtown Phoenix transit hub after him. The new hub, under construction at Central Avenue and Van Buren, is slated to open in 2025. The station is part of a slate of transit projects pushed through by Stanton during his mayoral tenure. It was rolled into a 2015 ballot measure that replaced a sunsetting 0.4 percent sales tax with a 0.7 percent sales tax to spend a projected $17.3 billion in taxpayer dollars on transportation and public works.
Democrats, including House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, assistant minority leader Joe Neguse, Rep. Ruben Gallego, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods were all on hand for the ceremony according to Axios. They publicly lauded Stanton, who was present for the festivities and called the hub a “true game-changer” for the city.
Jeffries joked, “Most will never achieve this honor. Some just hope to have a broom closet named after them. But Greg Stanton has earned this incredible designation for all that he has done.”
Co-Host of the Breaking Battlegrounds radio show & podcast Sam Stone, chief of staff to former Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio and 2022 candidate for City Council, had other ideas to memorialize Stanton’s term as mayor. He wrote in a post to X, “If govt naming conventions were honest we’d call it the Greg Stanton Federal Waste Transfer Station…”
Stone has publicly opposed the controversial move to name the station for Stanton since at least May when he denounced the effort to choose Stanton over the late Rep. Ed Pastor, as a “Blatant Election-year stunt.”
Four days later, Stone urged “civic action” and called upon Phoenicians to attend the City Council meeting to protest. He wrote, “Mayor Kate Gallego is trying to name the new downtown transportation hub after Greg Stanton. This is clearly an election year stunt. It was supposed to be named after Ed Pastor. We need people to go or call into the Phoenix Council meeting tonight to stop this nonsense.”
The initial vote to begin the process passed 7-2 with Councilmembers Betty Guardado and Laura Pastor, daughter of the late- Rep. Pastor, dissenting per KJZZ.
On June 26th, the City Council passed the final measure naming the station in Stanton’s honor. Mayor Kate Gallego told reporters, “I am thrilled that one of our newest additions to the Phoenix skyline—the soon-to-be-completed Central Station Transit Hub—will officially be named after one of Phoenix’s most effective champions for accessible public transportation: former Mayor and Congressman Greg Stanton.” She continued, “Without his leadership, Phoenix would not have achieved the incredible growth of our light rail and bus systems, which move and connect tens of thousands of residents and visitors each and every day. We are building a bright future for Phoenix on the foundations that he worked hard to lay, and he is deserving of this honor.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Aug 2, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The 2024 Arizona Primary Election for Southern Arizona’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives involved races that were mostly uncontested or lightly contested with the notable exception of District 6. That race, between incumbent Republican Congressman Juan Ciscomani and challenger Kathleen Winn, was more energetic, and will now be followed by what could be a staunch challenge from Democrat Kirsten Engel.
While the results are not finalized in many of the races, according to state and county officials, the unofficial results stand thusly as of noon on July 31 according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.
Jeff Zink won the Arizona Congressional Primary for District 3, vacated by Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, against Jesus David Mendoza, 65.6%-34.4%, by a margin of 3,720 votes.
Zink is expected to face off against Yassamin Ansari who defeated Raquel Terán to win the Democratic nomination in a close 46.1%-42.7% race by a margin of 1,185.
According to Cook Political, District 3 leans heavily Democrat D+24
Republican Kelly Cooper defeated Dr. Zuhdi Jasser in a six-point race, 32.2%-26.8%, with a margin of 2,692 in Democrat-held District 4.
Cooper will challenge incumbent Congressman Greg Stanton who ran unopposed.
According to Cook Political, District 2 is solidly Democrat but only holds a D+2 rating, indicating a possible vulnerability for House Democrats. Cooper was previously defeated by Stanton in 2022 in a 12-point race by a margin of 32,420 votes, a massive decrease from Stanton’s 2020 23-point, six-figure margin prior to redistricting.
Dr. Jasser posted to X Thursday acknowledging his defeat in the race and issued a full statement. He wrote, “A humble thank you to all our supporters after a hard fought primary election battle for Arizona’s 4th Congressional District. I congratulate @KellyCooperAZ and wish him and his family the best in retiring the empty suited Biden rubber stamper @RepGregStanton from office.”
Cooper replied, “It was honor to run against you, I know we have the same goals, make Arizona better. I look forward to bringing unity to the Republican Party and winning in November!”
Reps. Andy Biggs, a Republican, and Katrina Schaffner, a Democrat, won their respective nominations in unopposed District 5 primaries and will face off in the general election.
According to Cook Political, District 5 is solidly Republican R+11
Incumbent Congressman Juan Ciscomani defeated challenger Kathleen Winn in a 59.4%-40.6% race by a margin of 16,344.
Ciscomani will be challenged by Democrat Kirsten Engel in November who won the Democratic nomination unopposed.
Cook Political, considers District 6 to be a Republican Toss-up R+3
Forecasting from The Hill gives Ciscomani a 71% chance of retaining his seat.
Republican Daniel Butierez, Sr., and incumbent Democrat Congressman Raúl Grijalva, were unopposed in their District 7 primaries and will face each other in the general election.
Cook Political, has District 7 projected as solidly Democratic at D+15
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Apr 23, 2024 | News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
A Democratic Arizona congressman waved a Ukrainian flag on the House floor after the approval of additional Ukraine aid, though the Grand Canyon state is facing a crisis of its own.
Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Phoenix, waved a Ukrainian flag on the floor of the U.S. House on Saturday as members of his Democratic Party chanted “Ukraine.” Stanton joined a minority of Republicans in approving $60 billion in additional military aid for the Ukrainian government.
Phoenix radio personality, James T. Harris, raised questions about Stanton’s priorities. Arizona is currently the number one hotspot for illegal border crossings.
“Why [is] Congressman Greg Stanton from AZ waving a Ukrainian flag? What about the invasion on his Southern border?,” Harris said on Twitter.
During the first four months of fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol recorded more than 250,000 migrant apprehensions in the Tucson sector, the most of any region patrolled by the agency, according to federal government statistics.
Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who pushed the aid bill, denounced the flag waving.
“These are not normal times here in the House or around the world, as we all know and we saw a disturbance on the House floor just a bit ago,” Johnson said of the demonstration. “I just want to say simply that I think most people around the country understand and agree we should only wave one flag on the House floor, and I think we know which flag that is.”
The bill, tying military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance for Gaza, was a victory for Johnson after he brought the proposals to the floor despite objections from his party. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is leading a movement to oust the speaker.
The aid package passed on a 311 to 112 vote, with Arizona Republicans Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert joining Ruben Gallego and Stanton in approving the measure. Gallego reportedly held a Ukraine flag but did not wave it.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
by Elizabeth Troutman | Mar 17, 2024 | Economy, News
By Elizabeth Troutman |
Two House Republicans and one Democrat from Arizona wrote to IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel asking the agency to reconsider its decision to subject the Arizona Families Tax Rebate Program to federal income taxation.
Representatives David Schweikert, R-Ariz., Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., sent the letter Wednesday.
“We urge the IRS to reconsider its determination and provide expedited relief to compliant Arizonan taxpayers who have already filed their 2023 tax returns,” the three wrote.
More than 700,000 Arizona taxpayers were eligible to receive a one-time tax rebate as the state continues to recover from historic inflation levels that placed severe financial strain on families across the state, according to the representatives’ news release.
“The country is poorer now than it was three years ago, and Arizonans are no different, facing the brunt of financial pressure with supermarket prices now nearly 25% higher than in January 2020, for example,” the letter says. “State officials acted in good faith with the reasonably available information to provide more than 700,000 households with much-needed relief from price increases on everyday goods and services.”
Tax rebates enacted by 21 states were determined to be tax exempt in guidance issued by the IRS in February 2023, Schweikert, Ciscomani, and Stanton wrote. Though Arizona’s tax rebate wasn’t signed into law for another three months, the IRS extended its decision to make the rebate taxable past the period when the state issued payments, according to the letter.
“In December 2023, the IRS relayed its decision orally through a video meeting, providing no written explanation until February 15, 2024, eighteen days after the start of tax season, and only in response to a letter from the Arizona Attorney General challenging the decision,” the letter says.
Arizona taxpayers are estimated to owe $20.8 million in extra federal taxes due to the IRS’ inconsistent rationale in failing to specify the factual and legal basis for the 21 states’ rebates and payments that were deemed nontaxable in 2022, according to the representatives.
“The inconsistency and delay in communication have resulted in undue financial strain on Arizonans,” the letter says.
Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.
