'Favors for his mates': Biden slammed as DHS rejects demand for releasing Prince Harry's US visa records

WASHINGTON, DC: The Biden administration has blatantly rebuffed demands for the release of Prince Harry's US visa records.

The rejection comes in the wake of what has been described as "extraordinary" comments made by President Biden's ambassador to the UK, Jane Hartley.

Heritage Foundation's challenge to Department of Homeland Security

The skirmish began when the Heritage Foundation, a prominent Washington DC-based think tank, initiated legal proceedings against Biden's Department of Homeland Security under the Freedom of Information Act.

Their objective? To gain access to the immigration papers of the royal scion, Prince Harry.

The catalyst for their legal endeavor was Ambassador Hartley's televised assertion that Harry would not face deportation from the United States during Biden's presidential tenure.

The Heritage Foundation argued that Hartley's remarks significantly undercut the Biden administration's stance on maintaining the confidentiality of the documents, thereby bolstering the case for their disclosure.

In a meticulously crafted legal document spanning over 100 pages, the Foundation presented a full transcript of Hartley's televised interview with Sky News on March 25.

However, in a counter move, lawyers representing the Department of Homeland Security submitted a response to Judge Carl Nichols in Washington DC, firmly refuting the Foundation's assertions.

"Plaintiffs argue that Jane Hartley, US Ambassador to the Court of Saint James, revealed information about the Duke’s immigration status during an interview with Sky News. But Hartley’s comment was simply a reaction to former President Donald Trump suggesting that, if he is elected to the presidency again, he would consider deporting the Duke," they wrote.

"Contrary to Plaintiffs’ representations, Hartley’s comments did not reveal any non-public information regarding the Duke’s status, and Hartley did not state that the Duke would not be deported 'regardless of future circumstances," the lawyers continued.

The legal volley intensified as the US government lawyers dismissed the notion that Hartley had definitively ruled out Harry's deportation irrespective of future circumstances.

"If anything, Hartley’s comment that the Duke would not be deported under the Biden Administration is consistent with the position that Defendant has taken in this litigation, namely that the Duke’s admission to and residence in the United States suggests no government impropriety," they added.

At the crux of the dispute lies the Heritage Foundation's quest to unearth whether Prince Harry disclosed his history of drug use, including marijuana, cocaine, and psychedelic mushrooms, on his visa application. Such disclosures are mandated by US immigration protocols and can impact visa applications significantly.

The Foundation's filing underscored their contention that Hartley's remarks had punctured the veil of secrecy surrounding the immigration status of Prince Harry.

This, they argued, directly contradicted the Biden administration's insistence that "none of the information that we have can be released without acknowledging what Prince Harry’s immigration status is or tipping our hand as to what it is."

"But on March 25, 2024, the Hon. Jane Hartley, the United States Ambassador to the Court of Saint James’s did just that. Hartley spoke directly not only to the Duke of Sussex’s current immigration status, but HRH’s future immigration status as well," the filing noted.

The legal tussle assumed a political hue when former President Donald Trump weighed in, expressing his intent to take "appropriate action" if Harry was found to have misrepresented his drug history on his visa application. Trump did not rule out the possibility of Harry's deportation from the United States.

Ambassador Hartley retorted to Trump's comments, declaring, "Well it’s not going to happen in the Biden administration," as quoted by Newsweek.

Social media backlash

Hartley's comments ignited a firestorm on social media platforms, with many denouncing Biden.

"Did anyone expect him to? He lets in millions of illegals," one posted on X.

"Don't they have to wait until after the federal judge makes a decision, to show the documents or not after he has viewed them in private?" another wondered.

"So basically Biden is corrupt doing favors for his mates," someone else alleged.

"I’m a very jaded American. I don’t believe he will be deported, no matter what. I wish he would be, but I don’t have any hope," a comment read.

"All the more reason for Trump to win," another added.

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