The President's Daily Brief - January 10th, 2023. Classified Files Found in Joe Biden's Possession from His Days as VP.

Episode Date: January 10, 2023

It’s January 10th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ A good day to you, ladies and gentlemen. I’ve got three briefs for you this morning that are shaping America — and the world. First, some breaking news out of Washington DC. The White House confirming this morning that Joe Biden mishandled classified information — and may have put the country at risk. I’ll share the latest. Second, a war between the United States and China would be devastating — but who would win? There’s a new assessment out for us to consider. Third, we’ve got an international mystery this morning involving a Russian ship, a South African naval base, and cargo loaded in the dead of night. I’ll give you the details. Later, we close out the podcast with a story about which Americans amongst us are happiest — and why.  ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's January 10th. You're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. A good day to you, ladies and gentlemen, I've got three briefs for you this morning that are shaping America and the world. First is some breaking news out of Washington, D.C. The White House confirming this morning that Joe Biden mishandled classified information and may have put the country at risk. I'll share the latest. Second, a war between the United States and China would be devastating. But who would win? There's a new assessment out for us this morning to consider.

Third, we have an international mystery to solve this morning involving a Russian ship, a South African naval base, and cargo loaded in the dead of night. I'll give you those details in a bit. Later, though, we close out the podcast with a story about which Americans amongst us are the most happy and why. But before we get to that, we got to get started with this. We've got a new White House scandal to report this morning. According to CBS News, Joe Biden was in the unlawful possession of at least 10 classified documents

from his days as vice president. They were left buried in a pile of other documents in an old office that Mr. Biden used from 2017 to 2020. They were discovered during a recent move. Now, at this hour, we have more questions than answers, but here's what we know so far, confirmed by White House attorneys this morning. last November just before the midterm elections, Mr. Biden's staff was going through assorted paperwork at his old office at something called the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

So that organization is a think tank and he took a position there after he left the vice presidency in 2017. He remained there until he announced his run for the presidency in 2020. So for whatever reason, that office had not been properly packed up over the presidential. couple of years, which is quite odd. But as his staff was doing so last fall, they found at least 10 documents with classified markings. Now, that classified material was mixed up with unclassified material, strewn about in a closet or a cabinet. By the way, all this is according to reports from not just CBS News, but multiple media outlets at this point, from Reuters to Politico to Fox News. But regardless, we have no idea what level of classification these documents.

had. Nor do we know, for instance, whether the material involved human sources or informants, or perhaps intercepted phone calls or emails. But what we do know is that Biden's attorney contacted the Justice Department and the National Archives upon discovering this material, and they later took possession of all of it. So at that point, this last fall, the Justice Department tasked a U.S. attorney in Chicago to conduct a damage assessment. That will look at the sensitivity of the intelligence of these classified materials, and whether there are now lives at risk, especially of these informants abroad. So this assessment will also look at who took this classified information out of these secure areas at the White House. Also, when did they do it and why?

Moreover, did they share this information with anyone? And finally, was Biden's son Hunter aware of any of it because we know that he had contacts around this time with folks all around the world to include Chinese nationals. Now, at present, we do not know how far along this damage assessment is, although we are getting some indications that we should probably get something in the next two to four weeks. So folks, that is the extent of what we know this morning. And with that, let's now pivot to my analysis and counsel. Well, this breaking news probably reminds many of us of the case of former President Donald Trump, who allegedly had classified material at his home in Florida. Now, the FBI rated it to get it back. Now, when that story broke last August, Joe Biden was asked

to comment on that situation, and he said, quote, how could that have possibly happened? How could anyone be that irresponsible? End quote. Oh, all right. That hypocrisy aside, a reasonable person might be asking themselves then if there's any difference between these two cases of Biden and Trump possessing this classified material. Well, the answer is absolutely yes. There is a huge difference, and here's what it is.

First, when Mr. Biden or his staff took those materials, probably when he was vice president, he had no legal authority to remove those documents from government property to an unsecured location. That material, folks, has to be kept on government property in something called a skiff.

Removing it from a skiff and leaving it unattended or unsecured, which is what Biden did here, that is grounds for security clearances getting pulled and or facing prosecution. Meanwhile, in the case of Trump, it's more complicated. So he claims that he declassified all of that material that he possessed in Florida prior to his departure from the White House, in other words, while he was president.

So his argument is that the documents that were stamped class were in fact not because as president, he has the authority to declassify those documents as he wants. Well, his argument, according to most constitutional scholars, is legally sound. According to a 1988 Supreme Court case called the Department of Navy v. Egan, presidents have the authority to declassify virtually anything so long as they do so when they are president. Now, there is some debate about whether a president can declassify certain nuclear secrets, but that's about the only gray area on this issue. Now, I should mention just from a personal side here,

if what Trump did is constitutional and legal, that's fine, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it was good or smart. In fact, that's why there is an office that generally oversees the protocol of when someone, even a president, wants to declassify something. It's called the Information Security Oversight Office. But I want to emphasize something here. using that office is not a constitutional or legal requirement for the president.

He or she can do whatever they want. All right. So in this case with Biden, what comes next? Well, his Department of Justice will decide if he or his staff face some degree of penalty, which could range from fines to removal of security clearances to even prosecution. But when it comes to prosecution of Biden, it really becomes an issue for the House of Representatives to investigate and decide if it reaches the level of impeachment. And it's just too early to know what they would decide or do

because it's probably going to depend on how sensitive the information is that Biden and his team took unlawfully and then left unsecured. So in short, folks, if you remember nothing else, I want you to remember these two key takeaways. Mr. Biden and his team undeniably broke the law. You cannot possess classified information outside of a skiff and leave it unattended in this case for over six years. Second, Biden had no declassification authority to declassify those documents in his possession.

That is unlike Trump, who did have such an authority, even if we do not like or disagree with his decision to do so when it comes to those documents that were found at Marlago. So the bottom line, folks, I'm going to keep you posted on this scandal because it is one, and it is a very important thing to discuss no matter your politics. With that, ladies and gentlemen, let's take a quick break. When we come back, I've got two more critical pieces of news for you, so hang tight, and we will be right back. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band teas,

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Welcome back to the PDB. I've got two more critical pieces of news for you this morning. First up, if the United States and China ever went to war, who would win? Now, that is a very important question because, as I briefed you previously, many in the U.S. military and intelligence community believe it is quite possible that China will invade Taiwan in the next 10 years, perhaps as early as next year. So that's why the Center for Strategic and International Studies organized a group of retired U.S. generals and naval officers and former Pentagon officials to use their knowledge of what would happen if China invaded Taiwan and the U.S. and her allies came to their defense. So this group then participated in 24 rounds of what's called a tabletop exercise. They ran through all sorts of scenarios of what would happen with an ultimate focus on who would win and the costs for that victory.

So first they laid out how they thought China would attack. It would begin, they said, with a massive aerial bombardment that destroys most of Taiwan's Navy and Air Force within the first day or two. then the Chinese Navy would surround Taiwan and try to stop any attempts by the U.S. or our allies to get supply ships or aircraft to the island. Next, tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers would then cross the street of Taiwan and take key beachheads on the west coast. Airborne Chinese troops would then land further inland. Now, that would likely be days one through two to three. So what happens next, though, by day four, that becomes critical.

does Taiwan surrender or do they fight? Because if they fight and keep China bogged down, then it gives the Americans and our allies, especially the Japanese, time to launch a counterstrike. First, we would hit the beaches with those troops, and most critically, we would use underwater warfare to sink ships in the Taiwan Strait. So then who would win week one? Well, no doubt about it, it would be bloody and costly to ever. everyone. America and Japan would lose dozens of ships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of service members. As for China, its Navy would be in shambles and tens of thousands of soldiers who would take in those beaches. Well, they would be prisoners of war. Finally, as for Taiwan, the island's economy would be in tatters, as you would expect, and survivors would be struggling without electricity or basic services, but the island would remain free. Its military

victorious. In other words, America and our allies would win the first round, but the cost to everybody for years to come would be tremendous. And that's why these folks from the Pentagon and the Navy advised a few key things. First, they said, arm Taiwan now with robust military weaponry, not later. Unlike Ukraine, they said, Taiwan has to start with everything it needs. It can't be dependent on being resupplied in that first week or two. Second, their needs. to be an increase in focus on America's undersea platforms like the submarines. So what this exercise showed is that this undersea counter strike was able to severely damage the Chinese Navy, but with more of it, the Chinese would have been sunk far faster. Finally, Japan becomes the lynch

pin in China's defeat. Without America's basis on that country, U.S. aircraft are largely removed from the fight because many of our naval assets, like our aircraft carriers, would be severely damaged or destroyed. And that's why, as the report concludes, we must strengthen our relationship with Japan and further arm that country to prepare for war with China. Well, if anyone in D.C. is reading this report, they have a chance to do exactly that later this week. And that's because Japanese Prime Minister, Kishita, will be in Washington, D.C. on Friday, slated to meet with Joe Biden and others. According to the White House, on the agenda includes issues of North Korea, Ukraine and tensions with China over Taiwan.

By the way, if you want to dig into this war game report, it really is a great read. It's called the First Battle of the Next War. Although you might want to set aside an afternoon for it, it is 165 pages long. Finally this morning, we've got a mystery ship to talk about, and it might just be secretly fueling the Russian war in Ukraine. So for this brief, you might want to pull out your maps, whether Would that be on your phones or computers or simply in your minds? And I want you to find the country of South Africa, specifically the city of Cape Town.

Just a touch south of Cape Town, just before you get to the Cape of Good Hope, you find the small city of Simons Town. It was established in the year 1680 and has been a critical naval base and harbor for over 200 years. By the way, it's a pretty beautiful place. It's got the nearby Table Mountain, Boulder's Beach, where you can see a colony of penguins. But anyway, in this small city of Simonstown, that is where we start with our mystery ship this morning. Her name is the Lady R.

It's a Russian merchant ship. The United States and others in the West have long believed it to be running weapons from around the world, either to ship Russian weapons to its allies or vice versa to bring foreign-made weaponry back home to Moscow. So about a month ago, the Lady R turned off its transponder. And that's normally done when a ship, is trying to hide itself. According to the Wall Street Journal, the ship suddenly then showed up

at Simons Town Naval Base, that's South Africa's largest naval installation. Well, according to satellite imagery and local reports, the crew unloaded something and then reloaded the ship with something else. Now, we do not know

what was inside those containers going in either direction, but we do know that the containers were transported by military vehicles with official escorts, plus armed guards were watching the entire process. Now, the ship was there for two nights,

with the loading and unloading occurring only at night, which was unusual in one regard. South Africa is plagued by blackouts due to corruption and incompetence in the national utility, so there's often no power at night. But on those two nights, the naval base had all the juice it needed, and that attracted attention. One local woman apparently got to be a lot of,

a bit snoopy and was following a truck that was leaving the base and she got chewed away, but not before documenting what she saw. Regardless, on the morning of December 9th, the Lady R left that naval base and that evening turned its transponder back on. Since then, it's traveled to the African country of Mozambique and is currently sailing towards Istanbul, Turkey. It's a short hop to Ukraine and Russian territory. So you might be wondering, do we have any guesses at all as to what was or is on that ship. Well, South Africa is known to have purchased Russian ammunition in the past, so it could be that that was what was offloaded. But what about

those containers that were loaded back onto the Lady R? Well, naturally, the South African government has the answer to that question, but they are not sane. Here's their response when asked for details. Quote, Washington, D.C. is threatening Africa, not just South Africa, when we have anything that is even smelling of Russia. Meanwhile, the Russian government isn't saying a thing either. No comment, they said. One final thing for you to know.

The South African government and its governing party, the African National Congress, or ANC, has had a very long and very close relationship with the Russians, and the Chinese too, in fact. Indeed, their navies are actually scheduled to hold joint exercises later next month. So, folks, those are the details as we know them this morning about this mystery ship. So what do you think is going on? Well, let me tell you what I think pivoting briefly now to analysis and opinion. So folks, I suspect that what we are seeing here is South Africa helping its longtime friends to bust Western sanctions.

And it speaks to the great challenge that I previously briefed you on. is difficult or even impossible to use sanctions to truly weaken Russia. As we have seen throughout recent history from North Korea to the old Soviet Union, sanctions are wickedly difficult to successfully implement so long as these countries have friends who are willing to help them. Friends that in this case might be in South Africa who are able to buy, oh, I don't know, say critical parts for drones, for instance. I briefed you last week on how Ukrainian and Western intelligence agencies have found technical

gadgetry from American and European companies inside of Russia's drones, even though those parts are sanctioned. Well, somebody's buying them. All in all, folks, I will keep you posted on this mystery ship, the lady are, and see if we can't uncover what exactly is on that ship. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we conclude your morning brief, but I've got one more thing before I let you go. We'll be right back. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount. New vehicle discount. Storage discount. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like

Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing, to selling, and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into, sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. Welcome back to the PDB folks. I've got one more thing before I let you go. If you are a farmer, rancher, or logger, I have good news for you. You are. You are a, the happiest of people in America with the least stress and living lives that are the most fulfilling. Those are the key takeaways from data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2010 to

2022. By the way, at the bottom of this happiness list were people in finance and insurance. Sorry if that is any of you all. Meanwhile, the most stressful were those folks in teaching and once again in finance and insurance. But here's what I found interesting about this data. The people that were the happiest, the least stressed, and leading the most fulfilled lives had one thing in common. Their jobs took place outside. There's a connection then to nature. And that actually matches other data that we have. Rural people tend to be happier than those in cities, although some studies question that. Meanwhile, there's evidence that if you're ill and recovering, your health will improve faster if you see, nature, including trees. In fact, in Japan, they practice something called forest bathing,

which isn't bathing in our sense, but rather just being surrounded by nature, taking walks and seeing the sights and smells and sounds. So I flagged this data for you all for two reasons. First, isn't it interesting that the oldest professions known to mankind of farming, ranching, and logging, still give us the greatest happiness and fulfillment? It's remarkable to me that after all the progress over thousands of years, people still find the greatest fulfillment and joy doing what humans have always done. The second, we live in a time, though, where I think that's changing, at least again in my view. In fact, I would argue that there is a war on the very things that make us happy.

There's a war on farming and ranching and logging. There's a war on nature, too. So I briefed you on how governments in New Zealand, Ireland, and the Netherlands are slaughtering cows and seizing farms all in the name of climate change. We've seen those same policies advanced here in America too. Policies like the Green New Deal, which advocated slaughtering not just some of America's cattle, but all of them, again, because of climate change. And then we have the war on nature.

Last month, the Biden administration announced that it would open up federal lands out west to build thousands or tens of thousands of thousands of. of acres of solar and wind farms. Plus, we know that dirty green energy will require a massive amount of mining all around the world to build those lithium batteries for a new global fleet of electric vehicles. But remember, though, nobody wants those mines

in their backyards, in part because those mines are ugly, because people would rather look at and live in nature. So you can do with that as you will. Reasonable people can disagree on, this, but more importantly, if you were thinking about selling that house on the city and heading back to the farm, well, now you have another good reason to do so. Turns out, it might just make you happier. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes your morning brief. As always, we close out the show reminding each other of why we are here, talking about our country

and our world. It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from Joe. John, chapter 8, 1st 32. And you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. Good day. Spring is the season everyone refreshes everything except their blinds. People put it off because they think it's complicated. But at blinds.com, we've spent 30 years proving it's not.

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