Two Republican committee chairmen, James Comer of Kentucky and Jim Jordan of Ohio, have reinitiated their inquiry into President Joe Biden, alleging potential interference with his son Hunter Biden’s cooperation in the House’s impeachment investigation.
A statement from the White House impIied President Joe Biden was aware of Hunter’s intention to defy congressional subpoenas, prompting the investigation.
The statement read: “The Committees issued subpoenas to Hunter Biden for a deposition to be conducted on December 13, 2023. In correspondence with Mr. Biden’s attorney prior to the scheduled deposition, the Committees addressed and dismissed Mr. Biden’s justifications for non-compliance with the subpoenas, as well as his request for special treatment.”
In December, the United States House of Representatives voted to formally authorize an investigation into President Joe Biden’s potential impeachment.
With a party-line vote of 221-212, the Republican-controlled chamber endorsed the inquiry, probing whether Biden unlawfully benefited from his son Hunter Biden’s international business ventures. Hunter Biden had earlier declined an invitation to testify privately.
Newly appointed House Speaker Mike Johnson recently discussed the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, asserting, “We have a duty to pursue it.”
“These are serious times and this is a very serious matter. Next to the Declaration of W*r, impeachment may be the most consequential power Congress holds. That constitutional responsibility rests with the House,” Johnson began at a press briefing.
“We must pursue the facts wherever they lead. Facts are stubborn things, as John Adams famously said. These facts are alarming to the American people and to us. While we take no pleasure in these proceedings, we have a duty to act. We are proud of the work of Chairmen Comer, Jordan, and Smith. They have diligently uncovered evident corru ption involving President Biden and the Biden family. We owe it to the American people to continue this process methodically and transparently,” Johnson added.
He continued, “To do this appropriately and uphold our constitutional duty, we need time and a sound process. Rushing is not an option if we are to remain faithful to the Constitution. The chairmen are committed to proceeding in this manner. We have heard from whistleblowers, Biden business associates, legal experts, and now it is crucial to hear from key witnesses.”
“The chairmen have issued subpoenas, and we expect them to be complied with promptly. We are not making any prejudgments. We will follow the facts wherever they lead. I fully support our chairmen in their efforts, and we will have more updates in the days ahead. Now, we will take some questions.”
Barry Manilow explains why he waited decades to come out as gay
During a guest appearance on HBO’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, the 80-year-old Copacabana singer said he didn’t think it was important to announce his sexuality during the earlier decades of his career.
Manilow came out in 2017, almost three years after he married his husband and manager Garry Kief in a private ceremony. The couple have been together for 45 years now, though they’ve kept much of their relationship away from the public eye.
When he came out to People magazine in 2017, Manilow — whose real name is Barry Pincus — worried he’d be “disappointing” some of his fans by revealing his sexuality. Instead, Manilow, who was 73 at the time, said the reaction from his fanbase was “beautiful.”
Despite his current feelings of nonchalance about his own coming out, Manilow said announcing his sexuality as his career was booming would have been a bad idea.
“Now being gay is no big deal,” he explained. “Back in the ’70s it would have killed a career.”
Regardless, the usually very private Manilow said he thinks “everybody knew that Garry and I were a couple all those years.”
“Really, Garry and I’ve been together for so long,” he said. “It just never dawned on me that we’re going to come out. But when we got married, it was a big deal, so we did.”
Manilow credited Kief for saving his life. He said he is thankful he had Kief to support him as his music career was taking off, despite keeping their relationship under wraps.
“As my career exploded, it was just crazy. And, you know, going back to an empty hotel room, you can get into a lot of trouble if you’re alone night after night after night,” Manilow explained. “But I met Garry right around when it was exploding. And I didn’t have to go back to those empty hotel rooms. I had somebody to cry with or to celebrate with.”
Manilow said he did not wish an isolated hotel room for any young people.
“It was pretty lonely until I met Garry. And then it was fun,” he smiled.
Kief is not Manilow’s first spouse. In 1964, Manilow married his high school sweetheart, Susan Deixler. They were married for one year.
Manilow told CNN’s Wallace he “really did love” Deixler, but added “the gay thing was pretty, pretty strong. I couldn’t deny it.”
The singer said he knew he was gay before marrying Deixler, but their marriage ended because Manilow couldn’t be the committed husband his then-wife needed. He revealed that his sexuality was not the reason his marriage failed.
“We had a very nice marriage, it was great, but I was away every night making music, as a young musician would be,” Manilow described. “It wasn’t good for me, and it wasn’t good for her.”
“I couldn’t be the proper husband,” he continued. “I was out making music every night, sowing my wild oats. I wasn’t ready to settle down.”
Brooklyn-born Manilow skyrocketed to international fame in 1974 after his release of the ever-popular pop-rock ballad Mandy. He became one of the biggest-selling musicians of all time. Prior to his success as a singer-songwriter, Manilow was behind a number of famous commercial jingles for brands like State Farm and Band-Aid — a gig that he has said helped him create catchy hooks for his own hit songs.
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