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--:-- John Bickley: New federal charges are filed against Hunter Biden in California, while House Republicans threaten to hold him in contempt of Congress. Hunter Biden is a key witness in our investigation of Joe Biden. That's why we have to do the deposition. And we will gladly, gladly provide a public forum for Hunter Biden to testify in a committee setting after the deposition.
--:-- John Bickley: I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Friday, December 8th, and this is Morning Wire. While I'll be departing the House at the end of this year, I will never, ever give up fighting for this country that I love so much. He was ousted as House Speaker. Now he's leaving Congress altogether. Where does Kevin McCarthy's departure leave the already slim GOP majority?
--:-- Georgia Howe: And hundreds of New York bodega workers are applying for concealed carry licenses. We have the details on the secret society of gun owners protecting themselves on New York's street corners. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- John Bickley: Hunter Biden was indicted in California on Thursday on nine new federal charges related to allegations of tax fraud. The charges come in addition to federal firearm charges he's already facing in Delaware. This also comes as House Republicans have threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to talk about these latest developments. Hi, Tim.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hi, Georgia. So first, we learned last night that the president's son is now facing nine new charges. What do we know so far about these charges?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Right. So Hunter Biden was indicted in California yesterday on three felonies and six misdemeanors. The charges are related to his alleged failure to pay taxes, at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 and 2019. In the 56-page indictment, prosecutors say that Hunter instead binged on a, quote, extravagant lifestyle, which included lurid pastimes such as membership in sex clubs and other adult entertainment.
--:-- Tim Pierce: According to the indictment, quote, approximately $383,000 in payments to women, approximately $151,000 in clothing and accessories, approximately $78,000 in miscellaneous retail purchases and other payments. Hunter could face up to 17 years in prison if convicted on these charges.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So yet more allegations against the president's son to unpack. Now, as we mentioned, these new charges come as House Republicans are threatening to hold Hunter in contempt. What's going on there?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Basically, Hunter Biden wants cameras in the room when he testifies, and Republicans don't. Oversight Chairman James Comer subpoenaed Hunter in October to be deposed in a closed-door session of the committee on December 13th.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Hunter's attorney, Abby Lowell, responded last week. He told Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan that Hunter would only step in front of Congress next week if it was in full view of the American people. Lowell said that because Hunter trusts Comer and Jordan He said they manipulate testimony given behind closed doors through cherry answers The lawmakers responded in a letter to Lowell on Wednesday They said Hunter wouldn't be given any special treatment and that he could testify in an open hearing at a later date.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Comer and Jordan also said they would release the entire transcript from Hunter's closed-door deposition. Okay, so what happens then on December 13th? Does Hunter testify? Maybe not. If he doesn't, Comer and Jordan would likely move to hold him in contempt of Congress, which would then go for a vote in front of the full House, where Republicans still hold a slim majority.
--:-- Tim Pierce: If it passes, the contempt charge would then be handed off to the Department of Justice to enforce. Legally speaking, contempt of Congress is a misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $100,000 and a prison sentence of at least a month and up to one year.
--:-- Tim Pierce: But with the Biden Justice Department in charge of prosecution, it's unlikely the case would ever be brought. The most salient consequences here may be political. If it looks like President Biden is stonewalling or hiding information to protect his son or himself.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The president took a pretty unambiguous stance this week when asked about his own interactions with Hunter's business partners. Can you explain to Americans in this impeachment inquiry why you interacted with so many of your son and brothers, foreign business associates? I'm not going to comment. I did not. And it's just a bunch of lies. You didn't interact with many of their business associates? I did not. There's lies. What's the thing? Yeah, that exchange has gone viral.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, Comer's investigation revealed earlier this week that one of Hunter's businesses sent monthly payments to the president. What can you tell us about that?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Comer's investigation turned up bank statements that show for at least three months from September to November in 2018, one of Hunter's companies transferred money to Joe Biden's bank account.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Here's Comer explaining. Today, the House Oversight Committee is releasing subpoenaed bank records that show Hunter Biden's business entity, a Wasco PC, made direct monthly payments to Joe Biden. This wasn't a payment from Hunter Biden's personal account, but an account for his corporation that received payments from China and other shady corners of the world.
--:-- Tim Pierce: At this moment, Hunter Biden is under an investigation by the Department of Justice for using a Wasco PC for tax evasion and other serious crimes. And based on whistleblower testimony, we know the Justice Department made a concerted effort to prevent investigators from asking questions about Joe Biden. I wonder why.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The Washington Post reported that the payments weren't part of something nefarious, but made to cover the cost of a 2018 Ford Raptor that the president had purchased and that Hunter was using at the time. As far as we know, Comer's investigators haven't confirmed that reporting yet, but did tell Wall Street Journal columnist Bill McGurn that it doesn't matter.
--:-- Tim Pierce: A Comer spokesperson said, quote, there is now a pattern of members of the Biden family using their bank accounts that have been funded by Chinese and other foreign entities to send money to Joe Biden. Yeah, that the payments came from a company account rather than Hunter's personal account does raise questions.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Thanks for joining us. Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Former Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, announced this week that he's resigning from Congress, a move that brings the narrow Republican majority down to just two votes. McCarthy's surprise decision comes just days after now-former New York Congressman George Santos was expelled by the House for ethics violations, leaving the GOP majority even slimmer than it already was.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Here to talk about McCarthy's exit and where it leaves the House is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Okay so Dave do we know why McCarthy made this decision?
--:-- David Marcus: Good morning. No not really. In a statement he released the former speaker said he was moving into a new arena and would still keep fighting for the country, but he wasn't clear on what that meant. His statement was somewhat defiant, though, ending with, quote, we did the right thing, end quote, presumably referring to him not caving to Matt Gaetz and his band of rebels who eventually replaced him.
--:-- David Marcus: McCarthy's been in Congress for almost 20 years. He's not particularly wealthy, so it may just be the case that if he isn't given the opportunity to lead in the House, he can go somewhere more lucrative where he does have a chance to lead. So it'll be interesting to see where he winds up.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah, well, where does this leave the House GOP, which now only has a two-seat majority? And what kind of reaction did we see to McCarthy's announcement?
--:-- David Marcus: Well, whoever had Marjorie Taylor Greene as the voice of reason in the House GOP can collect their winnings as the Georgia Congresswoman put out a fairly blistering post on X calling out the Freedom Caucus for Alston McCarthy and the 105 Republican members who voted to expel George Santos.
--:-- David Marcus: This is now one of the narrowest majorities in House history, and Republicans will have some leadership battles. The era of the young guns, who were Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and Kevin McCarthy, is officially over.
--:-- David Marcus: What comes in its wake remains to be seen, but whatever it is could really come to define the party going forward. Now, Matt Gaetz, who was the main figure behind ousting McCarthy, he really took a victory lap, posting on X the word McLevin. But what has been gained or what has been changed in replacing him with Mike Johnson?
--:-- David Marcus: So what precipitated McCarthy's removal as speaker was his unwillingness to shut down the government, his supposed support for Ukraine funding, and his unwillingness to release the full January 6 videos. Now we have Speaker Mike Johnson, who declined to shut down the government, supports Ukraine funding, and released January 6 tapes, but with the faces blurred out.
--:-- David Marcus: So it's not clear what was achieved by Gates' gambit. Again, I think this comes down to a clearing of the deck. We also had an announcement this week from Representative Patrick McHenry, who had a cup of coffee as interim speaker, as you might recall, saying that he won't seek re-election. So a new generation is going to have to take over.
--:-- David Marcus: We just don't know exactly who yet. Where does this narrow majority leave Speaker Johnson in regard to upcoming legislative priorities, specifically the defense bill containing military aid for Israel and Ukraine? And it leaves them no room for error.
--:-- David Marcus: Republicans have been insisting that they won't get on board with the defense spending if it doesn't include not only funding for the crisis at the southern border, but also real reforms. To drive that bargain, Johnson will need to keep his troops in line. It's a real test and one that could give us some answers as to who will be making up the leadership of the House GOP.
--:-- David Marcus: But however that shakes out, it isn't Kevin McCarthy's problem anymore as he heads home to Bakersfield, California. Well, a lot of challenges ahead for the GOP in the House. Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- John Bickley: Hundreds of bodega owners in New York City are arming themselves with guns with assistance from their union. Daily Wire investigative reporter Maraida Lordi is here with the details.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: So, Maraida, tell us about this new movement to arm bodega workers.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Hi, Georgia. So hundreds of bodega workers in New York City have applied for concealed carry gun permits recently. The United Bodegas of America, which is the union representing bodega workers, announced over the weekend that it has helped at least 230 bodega owners apply for their firearm licenses.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Bodegas in case anyone knows are New York small convenience stores. They often located in high neighborhoods and operate late at night making them a frequent target for criminals. After the pandemic, the Bodega Union said it formed a secret society of gun owners for bodega employees in New York City to obtain concealed carry licenses.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: The list of which store owners are armed will remain a secret, the union said. The union is actively connecting store owners with concealed carry classes required by the state to obtain a permit.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Here's union spokesman Fernando Mateo at the union's press conference on Sunday. Anyone that's out there looking to rob us, hurt us, kill us, beware, you may be walking into the wrong bodega, because now we have the same firepower you have.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Now, running a late night bodega has always been a somewhat dangerous job. Why is this movement gaining traction right now?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, this bodega gun ownership movement comes in response to several high-profile deadly crimes in bodegas over the last few years. Last year, we reported on Jose Alba. He was the 61-year-old bodega clerk who defended himself against a 35-year-old male assailant who was attacking him in 2022.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Alba was initially arrested for murder and sent to Rikers Island before public outcry caused Attorney General Alan Bragg to reverse course. He's now suing Bragg and the NYPD. But this movement actually started a few years earlier.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Back in 2018, a 15-year-old boy entered a Bronx bodega before he was dragged out and stabbed to death by Trinitario's gang members. In March, a double shooting at a Bronx bodega left one man dead. Just weeks before that, a deli worker on the Upper East Side was shot and killed by an armed robber with a criminal record.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: In October, a man shot another man in the stomach and chased him into a bodega before police arrived. That victim ultimately died. The Bodega Union's president, Radhamez Rodriguez, who is 60, owns several bodegas in the Bronx and said he obtained his concealed carry license two months ago and he bought a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Rodriguez said that in the 80s, when crime was worse in New York, he had a premises gun permit, but he let his license lapse as the city became less dangerous in recent decades. Now, however, he said it's starting to look like the 80s and 90s again, and that's why he applied.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Now, what does crime look like in New York overall? Obviously, during COVID, there was a huge spike as well as the year or two after. Has it still been rising?
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Well, retail theft, which is a big problem for Bodegas, has risen dramatically. From 2021 to 2022, shoplifting complaints jumped a whopping 44 percent. That's according to the New York mayor's office.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: More than 300 repeat offenders committed 30 percent of last year's retail thefts, which totaled more than 22,000 incidents. Other types of violent crime have dropped from last year, but they're still way up from two years ago. Robberies, assaults, burglaries, and grand larceny are all up double-digit percentages from two years ago in New York City.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: That's according to NYPD data. Shootings are down significantly after spiking in 2020. That was around the time the Bodega Union began its push for gun licenses. And we should note, too, bodegas aren't the only retail stores packing heat in New York. About a quarter of the National Supermarket Association's members in the city are now carrying guns as well.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: That's compared to only 10% before the pandemic. So it's certainly a trend with retail business owners in New York. Well, we'll see if the city stands behind them, if they actually have to use the firearms. Mara, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Maraida Lordi: Thanks, Georgia.
--:-- John Bickley: That's all the time we've got this morning. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with more of the news you need to know.
