The FBI form at the center of an alleged bribery scheme involving the Biden family has been publicly released. We look at how Democrats and Republicans are reacting to the allegations. And more controversy for failed FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried as his former company’s own lawyers are now suing him. These stories highlight The Rundown for Friday, July 21, 2023.
FBI form at center of Biden bribery scheme allegations publicly released
The FD-1023 form is a document House Republicans heavily sought after in June – even threatening to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of congress if it wasn’t handed over. In the form, a confidential informant claims to have been involved in a scheme involving various meetings in 2015 or 2016 with officials from Ukrainian oil company Burisma who spoke about their relationship with Hunter Biden.
In one instance, a top company official suggested Burisma suggest payment of $5 million to then-Vice President Joe Biden and another $5 million to his son Hunter in exchange for their help getting a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating their company fired.
Politicians are still split on how they view the significance of the form. Republicans signal it means there is corruption at the top, while Democrats call the alleged scheme debunked and dismiss the allegations.
This is a story not all media outlets are covering, but SAN has been from the beginning.
Former Trump aide convicted for attacking police on Jan. 6
A man who worked as a State Department aide in former President Donald Trump’s administration has been convicted on felony charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. According to the FBI, Frederico Guillermo Klein attacked police officers in a tunnel that led to a Capitol entrance and, at one point, used a stolen riot shield to hit officers.
The judge said the tunnel was the scene of “shocking violence and hostility” against police. Klein was convicted on 12 counts, including six charging him with assault, resisting or impeding police officers.
Kelin, a U.S. Marine Corps vet who served in Iraq, had been working since 2017 in the State Department. He resigned a day before President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Klein was allowed to remain free under house arrest until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 3.
Alabama conducts first execution since pause lifted
Early Friday morning, the state of Alabama carried out its first execution since Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) lifted a pause on executions following an internal review of procedures. James Barber was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2001 killing of a 75-year-old woman during a robbery.
The execution went ahead after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene at the last moment. Before being put to death, Barber apologized to the victim’s family, saying “I’m sorry for what happened.”
Gov. Ivey halted capital punishment in the fall after a string of botched executions in 2022. In one instance, officials were unable to set the IV line before the death warrant expired.
The suspension was lifted after the state added medical professionals, obtained new equipment and conducted rehearsals for executions. Alabama also expanded the time allowed for an execution to be carried out before the warrant expires.
FTX lawyers sue Sam Bankman-Fried over misappropriated funds
Lawyers for the failed crypto-currency exchange FTX are suing the company’s co-founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. The lawsuit alleges Bankman-Fried sent $10 million in company funds to his personal accounts.
According to the lawyers, he is now using that money to pay for his criminal defense. The lawsuit also alleges Bankman-Fried gifted his father with another $10 million in company funds. A spokesman for Bankman-Fried declined to comment to Reuters.
This is just the latest scandal to unravel from the collapse of FTX. Bankman-Fried was indicted on fraud and bribery charges and is set to begin trial later in 2023.
Commanders sale gets NFL owner approval
The long-awaited sale of the Washington Commanders is finally complete after NFL owners unanimously approved it on Thursday, July 21. The deal is worth a record $6.05 billion. The team is now under the ownership of a group led by investor Josh Harris, which also includes basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
“We’re very excited to get to work and to start the new era of Washington football,” Harris said Thursday. “We are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of this city and to win championships and really to excite the fans again.”
Just minutes after the sale was approved, the NFL also announced that previous Commanders owner Dan Snyder has been fined $60 million. The fine is a result of an investigation that found Snyder sexually harassed a team employee and oversaw executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other teams.
Search for ‘lioness’ continues near Berlin
A large-scale search continues for an elusive animal near Berlin – believed to be a lioness. Police have used drones, helicopters and infrared cameras since it was first spotted earlier in the week, but to no avail.
Authorities are hoping to find an expert on animal tracks that will be able to help locate the potentially dangerous predatory cat. Police have said none of the zoos, animal shelters or circuses in town are missing a lioness. There is no information on one being owned privately in the area either.
Not everyone is taking the search seriously, though. Authorities say some young people have been playing loud recordings of a lions roar on a Bluetooth device during the night.
THE FBI FORM AT THE CENTER OF AN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME INVOLVING THE BIDEN FAMILY HAS BEEN PUBLICLY RELEASED.
HOW DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE REACTING TO THE ALLEGATIONS.
AND —
MORE CONTROVERSY FOR FAILED F-T-X CO-FOUNDER SAM BANKMAN-FRIED — AS HIS FORMER COMPANY’S OWN LAWYERS ARE NOW SUING HIM.
THE RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.
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THE FBI FORM AT THE CENTER OF BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING THE BIDEN FAMILY HAS BEEN RELEASED BY A HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE.
WHILE THE ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME DETAILED IN THE DOCUMENT WAS FIRST BROUGHT TO LIGHT LAST MONTH — THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE PUBLIC IS BEING ABLE TO READ THE DOCUMENT FOR THEMSELVES.
A QUICK RECAP —
THIS “F-D-10-23” FORM IS SOMETHING HOUSE REPUBLICANS HEAVILY SOUGHT AFTER IN JUNE —
EVEN THREATENING TO HOLD FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS IF THE FORM WASN’T HANDED OVER.
IN JUNE — THEY GOT IT.
AND OUT CAME A “CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT’S” CLAIMS THAT THE UKRAINIAN OIL COMPANY “BURISMA” PAID 5 MILLION DOLLARS TO THEN-VICE-PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND ANOTHER 5 MILLION TO HIS SON HUNTER BIDEN — IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR HELP GETTING A UKRAINIAN PROSECUTOR **INVESTIGATING BURISMA **FIRED.
POLITICIANS ARE STILL SPLIT ON HOW THEY VIEW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FORM.
REPUBLICANS SIGNAL IT MEANS THERE IS CORRUPTION AT THE TOP.
WHILE DEMOCRATS CALL THE ALLEGED SCHEME — DEBUNKED — AND DISMISS THE ALLEGATIONS.
THIS IS A STORY NOT ALL MEDIA OUTLETS ARE COVERING.
BUT WE HAVE BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING.
TO VIEW THE NOW-PUBLIC FBI FORM AT THE CENTER OF THE CONTROVERSY —
GO TO S-A-N DOT COM.
A FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT AIDE APPOINTED BY FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS BEEN CONVICTED ON EIGHT FELONY CHARGES RELATED TO JANUARY SIXTH.
ACCORDING TO THE FBI — FREDERICO KLEIN — FORMERLY PART OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION — ATTACKED POLICE OFFICERS IN A TUNNEL THAT LED TO A CAPITOL ENTRANCE — AND AT ONE POINT USED A “RIOT SHIELD” TO HIT OFFICERS WITH.
KLEIN WILL BE SENTENCED ON NOVEMBER THIRD.
EARLY THIS MORNING THE STATE OF ALABAMA CARRIED OUT ITS FIRST EXECUTION SINCE GOVERNOR KAY IVEY LIFTED A PAUSE ON EXECUTIONS FOLLOWING AN INTERNAL REVIEW OF PROCEDURES.
JAMES BARBER WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR THE 2001 KILLING OF A 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DURING A ROBBERY.
THE EXECUTION WENT AHEAD AFTER THE U.S. SUPREME COURT DECLINED TO INTERVENE AT THE LAST MOMENT.
BEFORE BEING PUT TO DEATH BARBER OFFERED AN APOLOGY TO THE VICTIM’S FAMILY.
ALABAMA HALTED CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IN THE FALL AFTER A STRING OF BOTCHED EXECUTIONS LAST YEAR —
INCLUDING ONE WHERE OFFICIALS WERE UNABLE TO SET THE IV LINE BEFORE THE DEATH WARRANT EXPIRED.
THE SUSPENSION WAS LIFTED AFTER THE STATE ADDED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, OBTAINED NEW EQUIPMENT AND CONDUCTED REHEARSALS FOR EXECUTIONS.
ALABAMA ALSO EXPANDED THE TIME ALLOWED FOR AN EXECUTION TO BE CARRIED OUT BEFORE THE WARRANT EXPIRES.
LAWYERS FOR THE FAILED CRYPTO-CURRENCY EXCHANGE “F-T-X” ARE **SUING THE COMPANY’S CO-FOUNDER AND FORMER CEO “SAM BANKMAN-FRIED.”
THE LAWSUIT ALLEGES THAT BANKMAN-FRIED SENT **10-MILLION-DOLLARS** IN **COMPANY FUNDS TO HIS “PERSONAL ACCOUNTS”.
ACCORDING TO THE LAWYERS —
HE IS NOW USING THAT MONEY…TO PAY FOR HIS CRIMINAL DEFENSE.
THE LAWSUIT ALSO ALLEGES BANKMAN-FRIED “GIFTED” HIS FATHER WITH ANOTHER **10 MILLION** IN COMPANY FUNDS.
THIS IS JUST THE LATEST SCANDAL TO UNRAVEL FROM THE COLLAPSE OF F-T-X.
BANKMAN-FRIED WAS INDICTED ON FRAUD AND BRIBERY CHARGES AND IS SET TO BEGIN TRIAL LATER THIS YEAR.
THE LONG-AWAITED SALE OF THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS IS FINALLY COMPLETE — AFTER N-F-L OWNERS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED IT THURSDAY.
THE DEAL IS WORTH A RECORD 6-POINT-OH-5 BILLION DOLLARS.
THE TEAM — NOW UNDER THE OWNERSHIP OF A GROUP LED BY INVESTOR JOSH HARRIS — AND INCLUDES BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER MAGIC JOHNSON.
“We’re very excited to get to work and to start the new era of Washington football and, yeah, I mean we are humbled and awed by the level of responsibility that we have to take care of this city and to win championships and really to excite the fans again.”
JUST MINUTES AFTER THE SALE WAS ANNOUNCED — THE N-F-L ALSO ANNOUNCED THAT **PREVIOUS COMMANDERS OWNER DAN SYDER HAS BEEN FINED 60 MILLION DOLLARS.
THE FINE IS A RESULT OF AN INVESTIGATION THAT FOUND SNYDER SEXUALLY HARASSED A TEAM EMPLOYEE — AND OVERSAW EXECUTIVES WHO DELIBERATELY WITHHELD MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE FROM OTHER TEAMS.
A LARGE-SCALE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR AN ELUSIVE ANIMAL NEAR BERLIN – BELIEVED TO BE A LIONESS.
POLICE HAVE USED DRONES, HELICOPTERS AND INFRA-RED CAMERAS SINCE IT WAS FIRST SPOTTED EARLIER IN THE WEEK, BUT TO NO AVAIL.
AUTHORITIES ARE HOPING TO FIND AN EXPERT ON ANIMAL TRACKS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO HELP LOCATE THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PREDATORY CAT.
POLICE HAVE SAID NONE OF THE ZOOS, ANIMAL SHELTERS, OR CIRCUSES IN TOWN ARE MISSING A LIONESS.
THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON ONE BEING OWNED PRIVATELY IN THE AREA EITHER.
NOT EVERYONE IS TAKING THE SEARCH SERIOUSLY, THOUGH.
AUTHORITIES SAY SOME YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PLAYING LOUD RECORDINGS OF A LIONS ROAR ON A BLUETOOTH DEVICE DURING THE NIGHT.
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