GTI Energy (GTR:AU) has announced Placement Shares Issued & Drilling Approval Expected August
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GTI Energy (GTR:AU) has announced Placement Shares Issued & Drilling Approval Expected August
Download the PDF here.
Brightstar Resources (BTR:AU) has announced Drilling recommences at Yunndaga
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The Biden-era kid gloves are off.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the United States is imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the controversial United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Palestinian rights.
‘Albanese’s campaign of political and economic warfare against the United States and Israel will no longer be tolerated,’ Rubio posted on X. ‘We will always stand by our partners in their right to self-defense.’
Albanese has pushed to haul U.S. and Israeli officials before the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing outrage from lawmakers, diplomats, and human rights advocates alike.
In multiple reports and public comments since her 2022 appointment, Albanese has accused Israel of apartheid and dismissed Hamas violence as ‘not surprising.’ According to her July 2025 report to the UN Human Rights Council, Albanese claimed the U.S. may be ‘liable for the international crime of aggression’ for President Trump’s strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.
Albanese has also taken aim at American-based companies supplying defense technologies to Israel, suggesting they should face legal consequences for ‘aiding and abetting’ alleged crimes. In a now‑deleted 2022 post, she questioned whether ‘the Jewish lobby’ controlled U.S. foreign policy, a comment she later retracted amid criticisms that it espoused antisemitism.
‘The State Department is to be congratulated for finally taking action against Albanese, her virulent and violent antisemitism and her constant attacks on the United States, American businesses and the very existence of the State of Israel,’ said Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices, in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital.
‘Albanese poses a direct threat to the well-being and security of U.S. citizens – not to mention her utter disregard for the theoretical purposes and principles of the United Nations – and as such, the United States is not obligated to admit her. President Trump’s Executive Order requiring action on international actors bent on throwing American and Israeli soldiers into International Criminal Court dungeons in the Hague needs even more enforcement,’ Bayefsky added.
‘Add Navi Pillay and her diabolical UN Commission of Inquiry. There is an answer for those who would incorrectly argue that the U.S. is impotent in the face of the U.S-UN host agreement: kick the UN out of the U.S. along with Albanese and her UN partners in crime,’ the statement concluded.
Israeli leaders quickly backed Rubio’s move. ‘A clear message. Time for the UN to pay attention!’ Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted in response.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon also weighed in to the Jerusalem Post: ‘Albanese consistently undermines the credibility of the UN by promoting false and dangerous narratives… We will not remain silent.’
Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, weighed in with a statement to Fox News Digital, writing: ‘This is a bold and courageous move by Secretary Rubio. No UN official — in this case, a purported official, as her reappointment was illegal — has ever been sanctioned before in history. Then again, no UN official has ever been condemned for Holocaust distortion and antisemitism by France, Germany, Canada, and both Democratic and Republican US administrations.’
‘She will never again spread her poison on American campuses or enter the country. Justice is served. Good triumphs over evil.’
US President Donald Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his strong grasp of the English language on Wednesday. But the African leader was educated in Liberia, where English is the official language.
As he hosted five African leaders at the White House, Trump asked Boakai: “Such good English, it’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Boakai informed Trump of his place of education, prompting Trump to express his curiosity. “That’s very interesting,” he said, “I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Liberia was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society whose goal was to resettle freed slaves in Africa. The country declared independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847, and a variety of languages are spoken in the country today, with English being the official language.
Several Liberians voiced their offense over Trump’s comment to Boakai, given the US president’s past remarks on African countries and the colonial legacy left by the US organization in Liberia.
“For him to ask that question, I don’t see it as a compliment. I feel that the US president and people in the west still see Africans as people in villages who are not educated.”
Veronica Mente, a South African politician, questioned on X: “what stops [Boakai] from standing up and leav[ing]?”
The White House Press Office defended Trump’s statement on Wednesday.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said that Trump’s comment was a “heartfelt compliment” and that “reporters should recognize that President Trump has already done more to restore global stability and uplift countries in Africa and around the world than Joe Biden did in four years.”
“What President Trump heard distinctly was the American influence on our English in Liberia, and the Liberian president is not offended by that,” Nyanti said.
“We know that English has different accents and forms, and so him picking up the distinct intonation that has its roots in American English for us was just recognizing a familiar English version,” she continued.
Trump has previously applauded the English language abilities of other leaders during diplomatic meetings. During a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump complimented his “good English” and asked if it was as good as his German.
Merz laughed and noted that he tries to “understand almost everything” and said he makes an effort “to speak as good as I can.”
The US president has centered the English language as part of this “America First” platform. During a 2015 presidential debate, Trump asserted that the US is “a country where we speak English.” In March, he signed an executive order making English the official language of the US.
Trump has previously landed in hot water for things he has said about the African nations. In 2018, the president referred to migrants from African countries and other nations as coming from “shithole countries.”
In May, he lectured South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on false claims that White South African farmers are the victims of a genocide.
Trump struck a different tone on Wednesday as he met with the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, praising their countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits, and wonderful people.”
In turn, he was met with approval from the African leaders, who heaped praise on the president as they urged him to invest in their countries and develop their plentiful natural resources.
Boakai even remarked that Liberia “(believes) in the policy of making America great again.”
Sarama Resources (SRR:AU) has announced Completion of Tranche 1 Equity Placement & Cleansing Notice
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Silver is a notoriously volatile metal capable of wide price swings in either direction. However, the metal is also seen by many as a safe-haven investment and a hedge against inflation.
While investing in silver bullion is one popular method for gaining exposure, silver-mining companies offer another route.
Silver-mining companies with strong balance sheets and experienced management teams are able to capitalize on high silver prices and weather the storm of low silver prices. Some of the most profitable silver-mining companies are even able to offer investors dividends, which may be appealing for those who are in it for the long haul.
Dividends are especially attractive in the often-unstable mining sector because they give investors a degree of security — if a company pays a dividend, it generally feels that it has the cash to do so and believes it will have the ongoing profits it needs to keep those payments coming.
There are several dividend-paying silver stocks for investors to choose from. The companies below are ordered by dividend yield, and all data is current as of June 19, 2025.
LSE market cap: GBP 10.66 billion
Dividend yield: 1.71 percent
Major miner Fresnillo bills itself as the world’s leading primary silver producer and a significant gold producer. Its precious metals operations are all located in Mexico, including the Fresnillo mine, which is the largest primary silver mine in the world. It also holds a portfolio of exploration prospects in the country and silver streaming contracts.
Fresnillo’s attributable output from its mines for the full 2024 year came to 56.3 million ounces of silver and 610,646 ounces of gold. The company’s reported mine production for the the first quarter of 2025 comes to 12.4 million ounces of silver and 156,100 ounces of gold.
Dividends from the company are paid in pounds sterling unless shareholders elect to be paid in US dollars. This silver stock pays two dividends per year, with the dividend split unevenly between the two; one third is paid in the interim dividend and two-thirds in the final dividend. Its dividend policy takes business profitability and underlying earnings growth into account, as well as capital requirements and cash flow.
Most recently, Fresnillo paid its 2024 final dividend of 19.6521 pence, or US$0.261, on May 30, 2025. Additionally, due to its 2024 financial performance, including revenue growth of 26.9 percent, the company paid a special one-off dividend of 31.4736 pence, or US$0.418 per share, the same day. This made 2024 Fresnillo’s highest recorded dividend payout year yet.
TSX market cap: C$14.39 billion
NYSE market cap: US$10.55 billion
Dividend yield: 1.41 percent
Founded by Ross Beaty in 1994, Pan American Silver currently operates four primary silver mines, which are located in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. It also has a portfolio of gold mines produce silver as a by-product.
The company’s 2024 silver production came in at 21.1 million ounces alongside 892,000 ounces of gold. For Q1 this year, output reached a total of 5 million ounces of silver and 182,200 ounces of gold.
In May, Pan American announced a definitive agreement to acquire silver producer MAG Silver (TSX:MAG,NYSEAMERICAN:MAG), which owns a 44 percent interest in the large-scale, high-grade Juanicipio mine, operated by Fresnillo.
The highest dividend Pan American has ever paid is US$0.125 per share, and it was able to pay a dividend of that amount a noteworthy nine times in a row between March 18, 2013, and March 13, 2015. The silver stock paid its most recent quarterly dividend on June 2, 2025, at US$0.10 per share.
TSX market cap: C$56.63 billion
NYSE market cap: US$41.58 billion
Dividend yield: 0.71 percent
Wheaton Precious Metals is a well-known name in the silver space largely because of its business model — it is the world’s biggest precious metals streaming company.
Streaming companies operate differently from miners, making upfront payments to a variety of metals companies in order to gain the right to purchase all or a portion of their metal production at a low, fixed cost.
The company currently has streaming agreements in place for 18 operating mines and 28 development-stage projects. It is interested in companies operating in politically stable jurisdictions, and states that its value should rise with the price of silver and gold. As a result, Wheaton sees itself offering investors multiple benefits while reducing many of the downside risks that traditional miners face.
Wheaton pays a quarterly dividend. So far in 2025, it has already made two dividend payments of US$0.165 per share, with the latest payment on June 10, 2025.
TSX market cap: C$1.29 billion
NYSE market cap: US$950.85 million
Dividend yield: 0.59 percent
Silvercorp Metals operates the Gaocheng and Ying silver-mining operations in China, and is also focused on acquiring and growing underdeveloped projects with high upside.
Its silver production for its 2025 fiscal year ended March 31 came in at approximately 6.95 million ounces, and the company also produced 7,495 ounces of gold. The company’s 2026 production guidance is set at 7.38 million to 7.6 million ounces of silver and 9,100 to 10,400 ounces of gold.
Silvercorp offers shareholders a semiannual dividend, which it states is “based on a number of factors including commodity prices, market conditions, financial results, cash flows from operations, expected cash requirements and other relevant factors.” Its most recent dividend was paid on June 26, 2025, at a rate of US$0.0125 per share.
NYSE market cap: US$3.76 billion
Dividend yield: 0.59 percent
Last on this list of silver stocks that pay dividends is Hecla Mining Company, which wholly owns and operates four mines and has a large exploration portfolio. The oldest precious metals miner in North America, Hecla is also the largest primary silver producer in the US and Canada and the third largest in the world.
In the US, Hecla operates the Greens Creek and Lucky Friday silver mines, located in Alaska and Idaho respectively. As for Canada, Hecla has the Keno Hill silver mine in the Yukon’s Keno Hill silver district, which is home to some of the world’s highest silver grades, as well as the Casa Berardi gold-silver mine in Québec.
Hecla reported 2024 production of 16.2 million ounces of silver, the second highest in the company’s history, and 142,000 ounces of gold. As for Q1 2025, the company produced 4.1 million ounces of silver and 34,242 ounces of gold.
Hecla pays an annual minimum common stock dividend, distributing it on a quarterly basis. Its dividends previously included a silver-linked component, but the company removed this in February 2025 in part to refocus the capital on growth opportunities.
Currently, the company’s annual minimum common stock dividend is set at US$0.015 per share, divided into quarterly payments of US$0.00375. Its most recent payment was on June 10, 2025.
Hecla also pays a quarterly US$0.875 per share dividend for its Series B cumulative convertible preferred stock, which it states is typically paid on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.
Dividend stocks regularly pay a sum of money to a class of shareholders out of the company’s earnings. To qualify for a dividend payout, an investor must have owned the stock on the ex-dividend date.
Dividends are often issued as cash payments sent to a shareholder’s brokerage account, but can also be issued as stock or discounts on share purchases.
You can invest in dividend-paying stocks through a stock broker or stock platform, and a stock broker can offer advice on how to take advantage of companies offering dividend programs. Some dividend stocks may also offer a dividend reinvestment program, allowing shareholders to automatically buy new shares with their dividends, either commission-free or at a reduced cost.
A company’s board of directors is responsible for setting a dividend policy and will determine the size of the dividend payout based on the firm’s long-term revenue outlook.
The size of an individual shareholder’s dividend payout depends on the number of shares owned in that company. For example, if an investor owned 1,000 shares of Wheaton Precious Metals, which is currently paying a dividend of US$0.165 per share, they would get US$165 every quarter, totaling US$660 annually.
There are no physical backed Silver ETFs with dividends. However, ETFs that track dividend-paying silver stocks such as those listed above may offer the potential for dividend income. A few examples of are Global X Silver Miners ETF (ARCA:SIL), and iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF (BATS:SLVP).
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Is there a direct link between what US President Donald Trump says and what Russian President Vladimir Putin does?
Certainly, the harsh words and bitter violence of recent days in Ukraine suggest the answer is maybe.
First, President Trump vented his frustrations at the lack of commitment from his Russian counterpart to engage in a serious peace process.
“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump blustered in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” he complained.
The very next day, as if infuriated by the remarks, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine, sending 728 drones and 13 missiles to strike cities around the country in multiple waves.
It was a “telling attack,” observed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who condemned the strikes as timed to rebuff peace efforts.
There are apparent signs of a pattern.
Last week, after Trump publicly bemoaned that he had made “no progress” towards a ceasefire after a lengthy telephone call with the Kremlin leader, Russia unleashed yet another massive barrage on Ukraine. It rained down 539 drones and 11 missiles in what Ukrainian officials described as one of the worst attacks of the conflict.
You might be forgiven for thinking that every time President Trump expresses anger, frustration or even negativity about his Kremlin counterpart, the immediate response from Russia is to step up the ruthless punishment it metes out to its Ukrainian neighbor.
But it’s not as straightforward as that.
The problem is, Russia also carries out devastating strikes on Ukraine during periods when the US president is relatively silent about the conflict he notoriously vowed to end in a single day.
On June 29, for example, Moscow launched 477 drones and 60 missiles against Ukraine – at the time, the biggest Russian aerial assault of the war. Yet President Trump had made few significant public comments about Russia in the days before.
Furthermore, when President Trump told fellow G7 leaders of industrialized democracies that he essentially regretted the absence of Putin at the June summit, and criticized previous leaders for kicking Russia out of what was then the G8. Moscow went on to ratchet up attacks on Kyiv, killing at least 28 people in a single night of drone and missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital days later.
Even positive remarks from the US president, which you might reasonably expect to temper any simmering Russian anger at how it is spoken about in the White House, do not appear to act as a brake on the Kremlin’s excesses.
For its part, the Kremlin has played down any suggestion that President Trump’s recent critical outburst has had much impact.
“We are taking it quite calmly,” the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on a daily conference call, adding that “Trump, in general, tends to use a fairly tough style and expressions.”
In reality, Russian military tactics are much more likely to be driven by its own unrelenting military objective of seizing as much territory as possible before the grinding conflict in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, ultimately comes to a halt.
Likewise, the terrifying increase in the use of Russian drones in recent weeks is more likely to be a reflection of missile shortages and increased drone production in Russia than any angry Putin retort to one of President Trump’s off-hand comments.
With a fully permitted, high-grade gold project, established infrastructure and first gold production on the horizon, Maritime Resources is set to become Atlantic Canada’s next gold producer, positioning the company for significant re-rating and long-term growth.
Maritime Resources (TSX:MAE) is a Canadian gold development company focused on generating near-term cash flow from the Hammerdown gold project, a high-grade past-producer in the prolific Baie Verte mining district of Newfoundland & Labrador. The project is fully permitted, de-risked and shovel-ready, with construction underway and first ore deliveries to the Pine Cove Mill expected in late summer to early fall 2025.
Hammerdown project site
Hammerdown benefits from significant infrastructure synergies, including proximity to paved roads, power, ports and Maritime’s wholly owned Pine Cove processing facility. Unlike many greenfield developers, Maritime is executing a bootstrap production model that leverages its installed infrastructure and local skilled labor to reduce costs, minimize risk and accelerate value creation through short term cash flow generation during a period of record high gold prices
Longer term, the company plans to build out a 100,000 oz/year production platform by incorporating nearby deposits (Orion, Stoger Tight, Deer Cove) and utilizing its idle 700 tpd Nugget Pond gold plant. Maritime’s regional land package includes more than 435 sq km of highly prospective ground with gold, VMS, and porphyry-style mineralization potential.
The Hammerdown gold project is Maritime’s flagship asset and is strategically located near the town of King’s Point in the Baie Verte mining district of Newfoundland and Labrador. A past-producing, high-grade deposit formerly operated by Richmont Mines, Hammerdown is being redeveloped as a shallow open-pit operation. The project hosts proven and probable reserves of 1.89 million tonnes at an average grade of 4.46 grams per ton (g/t) gold for 272,000 oz of contained gold, making it one of the highest grade open pit projects in North America
A feasibility study completed in 2022 outlined annual production of approximately 50,000 oz over a 5-year mine life, with attractive economics including a pre-tax NPV (5 percent) of US$251 million at a gold price of US$2,500/oz and an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$912/oz. Since then Maritime has taken steps to de-risk the project including acquiring the Pine Cove mill, allowing for significant savings in capital costs compared to using the Nugget Pond mill.
The processing plan entails crushing ore on site and trucking it approximately 130 km to the Pine Cove Mill. Maritime has completed all major permitting for the project, and construction began in spring 2025 with pre-stripping, civil works and crushing infrastructure installation. The company completed more than 8,750 meters of tight-spaced (10×10 meters) grade control drilling, confirming excellent continuity and high-grade intercepts such as 24.5 g/t gold over 13.9 meters, including 42.2 g/t over 8.0 meters. First gold production is expected in late summer to early fall 2025, with ramp-up to 700 tpd mill feed supported by the fully operational Pine Cove Mill.
Pine Cove gold pour
Located near Baie Verte, the Pine Cove Mill is a 1,300-ton-per-day gold processing facility recently brought back online after two years of care and maintenance. The mill flowsheet includes crushing, grinding, flotation, regrinding of the float concentrate and Merrill-Crowe leaching circuits for gold doré production. The facility will be upgraded with a new 500 hp regrind circuit (replacing a 150 hp unit), a ball mill inching drive, and an enhanced material handling system to optimize recovery and reliability. The site also includes a large in-pit tailings storage facility, existing waste dump capacity, and access to a deepwater port. Pine Cove has already produced 700oz of gold from processing low grade mineralized stockpiles from around the site. The mill is now preparing to receive and process feed from Hammerdown, with full integration scheduled for H2/2025.
Nugget Pond Gold Circuit
Maritime also owns the 700 tpd carbon-in-pulp (CIP) gold circuit at the Nugget Pond Plant, located 40 km east of Pine Cove. Although currently idle, this plant represents a key component of Maritime’s long-term production strategy to scale toward 100,000 oz per year. The plant is fully configured for gold recovery and is well-positioned to process feed from future regional deposits or third-party toll milling. Maritime’s envisions Nugget Pond operating as a second production hub, enabling parallel processing capacity as the company develops additional deposits in the district.
Located within 10 km of the Pine Cove Mill, Stoger Tight and Deer Cove are advanced-stage deposits with near-term development potential. Stoger Tight hosts a historical NI 43-101 resource of 642,000 tons grading 3.02 g/t gold for 62,300 oz (indicated), with an additional 53,000 tons at 5.63 g/t for 9,600 oz (inferred). It is partially permitted and has the potential to become a satellite source of ore for Pine Cove.
Deer Cove is a high-grade system discovered by Noranda, featuring 500 meters of historic underground development. Recent drill results include 6.9 g/t over 25.1 meters, including 26.1 g/t over 3.6 meters. Stockpiles of 4,275 tons at 3.1 g/t gold have been identified. Both projects benefit from road access and proximity to infrastructure, making them ideal candidates for phased development and integration into Maritime’s hub-and-spoke production model.
Maritime’s broader exploration portfolio includes more than 435 sq km of prospective ground in the Baie Verte district, encompassing gold, copper, VMS and porphyry-style targets. The Green Bay project includes the Orion deposit, a near-surface gold target located along strike from Hammerdown. Whisker Valley is an epithermal gold system with porphyry potential, returning 6.2 g/t gold over 5.8 meters in previous drilling. El Strato hosts one of the highest-grade soil and bedrock anomalies in Newfoundland, with gold values up to 200 g/t in outcrop. Additionally, the Black Ridge VMS target features grab samples grading up to 12.6 g/t gold, 181 g/t silver, and 11.8 percent copper. These regional assets offer significant blue-sky potential and provide a robust pipeline of targets that could be developed and processed through Maritime’s existing infrastructure.
Garett Macdonald is a mining engineer with over 30 years of experience in mine development, engineering and operations. Former VP operations at Rainy River Resources, where he advanced the 8 Moz Rainy River project to construction prior to its $310-million sale to New Gold. He also served as VP project development at JDS Mining, leading the Curraghinalt feasibility study (+5 Moz gold), and held technical and management roles at Placer Dome, Teck and Suncor Energy.
A chartered accountant with more than three decades of financial leadership in the mining sector, Germaine M. Coombs is the former CFO of Aurelius Minerals and Stonegate Agricom, and former corporate controller at FNX Mining and the Iron Ore Company of Canada.
Perry Blanchard brings over 25 years of experience in health, safety and environmental leadership across major Canadian mining projects. Blanchard previously managed permitting and sustainability at Detour Gold’s flagship mine and Vale’s Voisey’s Bay operations.
Peter Goudie is a veteran operations leader with over 35 years of experience in mining and contracting, including roles with Guy J. Bailey and Shoreline Aggregates. He manages day-to-day operations at the Hammerdown project, with deep knowledge of logistics, mobile equipment and site execution in Newfoundland’s mining sector.
Dwight Goudies is a mill operations specialist with over 40 years of metallurgical and processing experience at gold and base metal mines across Newfoundland and Labrador. He is the former mill manager at FireFly Metals and Rambler Metals & Mining’s Nugget Pond facility, and currently oversees all operations at the Pine Cove Mill.
A mining engineer with more than 15 years of experience in mine engineering, project management and consulting, Billy Grace is the former general manager at Aureus Gold, and technical services manager at Newmont’s Musselwhite mine. He also worked at Golder Associates and Mining Plus.
Larry Pilgrim is an exploration geologist with more than 45 years of experience in Newfoundland. He is the former chief geologist at Richmont Mines and Rambler Metals, where he helped delineate the original underground reserves at Hammerdown and served as chief geologist during mine operations. He has been leading exploration activities for Maritime since 2018.
Eric Tremblay is a highly regarded mine builder with over 30 years of operations experience. He is the former GM at Osisko’s Canadian Malartic Mine and IAMGOLD’s Westwood and Sleeping Giant operations. Tremblay is currently the COO of Dalradian Resources, leading the multi-million ounce Curraghinalt gold project in Northern Ireland. Tremblay provides Maritime with expertise in mine construction, operational scale-up and technical risk management.
Paolo Toscano has over 30 years of experience in engineering and construction. He most recently served as senior vice-president of engineering and construction for Calibre Mining at the Valentine gold project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Prior to Calibre, he was director of projects for Alamos Gold and New Gold.
Former White House physician Kevin O’Connor’s closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee ended after less than an hour on Wednesday morning, with the doctor giving investigators virtually no new insights.
O’Connor pleaded the Fifth Amendment to multiple questions about his time with former President Joe Biden during his sit-down. It resulted in a hasty end to what could have been an hours-long deposition.
‘I’m going to read the first two questions that were asked. ‘Were you ever told to lie about the president’s health?’ He pleaded the Fifth Amendment. He would not answer that question. The second question, ‘Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duty?” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told reporters after the meeting.
‘Again, President Biden’s White House physician pled the fifth. This is unprecedented, and I think that this adds more fuel to the fire that there was a cover-up.’
The doctor’s lawyers said O’Connor’s refusal to answer questions on Fifth Amendment grounds was not an admission of guilt, but rather a response to what they saw as an unprecedented investigatory scope that could have violated the bounds of patient-physician privilege.
‘This Committee has indicated to Dr. O’Connor and his attorneys that it does not intend to honor one of the most well-known privileges in our law – the physician patient privilege. Instead, the Committee has indicated that it will demand that Dr. O’Connor reveal, without any limitations, confidential information regarding his medical examinations, treatment, and care of President Biden,’ the attorney statement said.
‘Revealing confidential patient information would violate the most fundamental ethical duty of a physician, could result in revocation of Dr. O’Connor’s medical license, and would subject Dr. O’Connor to potential civil liability. Dr. O’Connor will not violate his oath of confidentiality to any of his patients, including President Biden.’
The House Oversight Committee has been investigating whether Biden’s former top aides covered up evidence of his mental and physical decline while in office. Biden’s allies have denied such allegations.
But Comer suggested to reporters that O’Connor’s invocation of the Fifth Amendment could have been evidence to the contrary.
‘Most people invoke the fifth when they have criminal liability. And so that’s what would appear on the surface here,’ he said. ‘We’re going to continue to move forward. Obviously, I think his actions today speak loud and clear.’
But O’Connor’s lawyers wrote in their statement, ‘We want to emphasize that asserting the Fifth Amendment privilege does not imply that Dr. O’Connor has committed any crime. In fact, to the contrary, as our Supreme Court has emphasized: ‘One of the Fifth Amendment’s basic functions is to protect
innocent men who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, who made a surprise appearance at the interview and was the only lawmaker there, save for Comer, defended O’Connor’s use of the Fifth Amendment.
‘As someone who has served as a criminal defense attorney and actually been in courtrooms, it’s kind of astounding to hear someone say, if you invoke the Fifth Amendment, that is only because you are guilty,’ Crockett said.
She pointed out that the Trump administration had launched a contemporaneous criminal probe.
‘We have a constitutional right that anyone who may be under fire can invoke. And unfortunately, with this rogue DOJ, it has decided that it wants to run a contemporaneous investigation, criminal investigation, involving the doctor – I think he did what any good lawyer would advise him to do,’ Crockett said.
O’Connor’s lawyers have asked the committee to pause its investigation while the Department of Justice (DOJ) probe is underway.
He and his legal team appeared to catch reporters by surprise with their hasty exit on Wednesday morning, roughly thirty minutes after entering.
One of O’Connor’s lawyers said they would be making ‘no comments to press’ in response to a shouted question by Fox News Digital.
Comer, for his part, insisted the investigation would go on.
‘This is something I think every American is concerned about. I think that the American people want to know the truth. We’re going to continue this investigation. We’ll move forward,’ Comer said. ‘We have several other witnesses that are going to come in for depositions and transcribed interviews. We will do everything in our ability to be transparent with the media and be transparent with the American people.’
The committee previously interviewed former Biden staff secretary Neera Tanden. Comer has summoned several other ex-White House aides to appear.
Triumph Gold offers investors exposure to a multi-million ounce gold resource base with established deposits, significant expansion potential, and new discovery opportunities across a true district-scale land package, all strategically positioned in the mining-friendly Yukon.
Triumph Gold (TSXV:TIG,OTC:TIGCF) is a Canadian gold exploration company strategically positioned to capitalize on the rising gold market. The company is primarily focused on advancing its 100 percent owned Freegold Mountain project, a district-scale property located in the Yukon Territory’s prolific Dawson Range gold-copper belt.
Founded with a vision to discover and develop significant precious metal resources, Triumph Gold has assembled a portfolio centered around its flagship Freegold Mountain project. With over 20 mineralized zones identified along a 34 km stretch of the Big Creek Fault system, the company possesses significant exploration upside with established resources across multiple deposits. The project benefits from excellent infrastructure, being accessible via all-weather government roads, which provides cost advantages compared to more remote exploration projects.
The Yukon Territory has a storied history as one of the world’s most famous gold jurisdictions, dating back to the legendary Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s that drew over 100,000 prospectors to the region. Today, the territory continues to be recognized as one of the world’s premier exploration destinations, hosting world-class deposits like Victoria Gold’s Eagle mine (3.3 million ounces), Western Copper’s Casino project (8.9 million ounces gold, 4.5 billion pounds copper), and Newmont’s Coffee project (4 million ounces).
The Yukon government has consistently demonstrated strong support for responsible mining development. The territory offers a stable regulatory environment, clear permitting processes, and collaborative relationships with First Nations, making it an attractive jurisdiction for resource development. Additionally, the Yukon Resource Gateway Project, a $360 million infrastructure initiative, continues to improve access to mineral-rich areas throughout the territory.
With geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures, and currency devaluation concerns driving investor interest in safe-haven assets, gold exploration companies with substantial resource potential like Triumph Gold are well-positioned to benefit from this strengthening market cycle.
The Freegold Mountain project represents Triumph Gold’s flagship asset – a district-scale property that spans 34 kilometers along the prolific Big Creek Fault mineralization system in the Yukon. What makes this project particularly compelling is the presence of mineralization in every rock type across the property, including Paleozoic metamorphics, Jurassic intrusives and Cretaceous intrusives, each hosting different styles of precious and base metal deposits.
The project currently hosts three defined deposits – Nucleus, Revenue and Tinta Hill – with a combined resource of more than 2 million ounces of gold equivalent. What’s particularly exciting about Freegold Mountain is that these deposits represent just a fraction of the more than 20 mineralized zones identified across the property. With extensive permitted exploration programs, ongoing geological work, and vast untested areas, Freegold Mountain exemplifies true district-scale potential where new discoveries could substantially increase the overall resource base.
The Nucleus deposit represents a compelling bulk tonnage oxide gold opportunity with similarities to Victoria Gold’s Eagle mine. With indicated resources of 748,000 ounces gold equivalent and inferred resources of 189,000 ounces gold equivalent, the deposit features favorable metallurgy with approximately 77 percent cyanide recoverable gold based on preliminary testing. Recent drilling has expanded the resource by 50 to 100 meters both laterally and vertically, with mineralization remaining open in all directions. Drilling has also confirmed significant oxide mineralization extending up to 150 meters vertically, enhancing the potential for heap leach processing.
The Revenue deposit is a substantial porphyry system with indicated resources of 252,000 ounces and inferred resources of 677,000 ounces gold equivalent. It shows similarities to Western Copper’s Casino deposit but with double the gold grade. The deposit contains multiple high-grade zones including the Blue Sky and WAu zones, which were expanded through recent drilling programs. The company has identified a more than 5 km structural trend connecting various mineralized zones, suggesting significant resource expansion potential. Geophysical and geochemical surveys have identified numerous untested anomalies worth exploring.
Revenue – Casino deposits comparison
With inferred resources of 216,000 ounces gold equivalent, Tinta Hill is a polymetallic deposit with substantial gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc values. The property has historical underground development including two adits with extensive drifting completed in 1980-1981. There’s a 25,000-ton stockpile from previous mining operations that could represent near-term cash flow potential. The deposit remains open along strike and at depth, with opportunities to extend mineralization through additional IP and ground magnetic surveys.
Beyond the three established deposits, Triumph Gold holds several promising early-stage exploration targets across the Freegold Mountain Project and beyond, including:
Located in central Utah, Coyote-Knoll is Triumph Gold’s most recent acquisition. It is approximately 40 km southwest of the prolific Tintic mining district, known for its rich mining history, with gold, silver, lead and zinc from both epithermal and carbonate replacement deposits. The Bingham Canyon copper-molybdenim-gold porphyry deposit is about 85 km away.
Following its discovery in 1988, Coyote Knoll underwent exploration work, including mapping, trenching, rock sampling, and induced polarization and magnetic geophysical surveys. Approximately 2,600 metres of RC drilling have been completed at the property to date, with compelling results including 1,350.36 g/t silver and 3.86 g/t gold over 3 metres. Historical rock samples returned high-grade silver and gold values, up to 6,730 g/t silver and 23.30 g/t gold, and 6,687.08 g/t silver and 26.37 g/t gold.
Historic drilling highlights at Coyote Knoll
A 12-ton representative bulk sample was also mined from a shallow open pit, centered over the east-west trending mineralized structure. Silver and gold epithermal mineralization was exposed over approximately 60 metres within the open pit and has been delineated for 1.5 km through surface trenching, sampling and shallow RC drilling.
With over 20 years of experience in resource sector capital marketing, John Anderson brings strategic vision to company growth and management. His extensive background in capital formation and corporate development provides Triumph Gold with strong leadership as it advances its portfolio of projects.
Brian Bower contributes 30 years of experience in exploration and mining to the Triumph Gold team. He has been a key member in the development of several significant mining projects including New Afton, Kemess South, Blackwater, Mount Milligan mines and the Casino deposit, bringing valuable technical and operational insights to the company’s development strategies.
With more than 25 years of experience in mineral exploration, Jesse Halle has specialized in advancing multiple porphyry copper-gold deposits in Yukon and British Columbia. His extensive work with similar deposits, including the Casino and Copper Mountain deposits, brings critical technical expertise to Triumph’s exploration programs.
Marty Henning contributes over 15 years of mineral exploration and mining experience to the team. His background includes focused work on construction, production and exploration at the New Afton block cave mine, providing valuable operational perspective to Triumph’s exploration approach.
With 20 years of experience in data management and GIS, Graeme Hopkins has been involved with the Freegold Mountain project since 2008. His long-term knowledge of the project and technical expertise provides valuable continuity and insight to Triumph’s exploration and development activities.
Emily Halle brings over 15 years of experience in exploration and project management to the team. Her focus on porphyry copper-gold systems in British Columbia and Yukon, combined with additional experience in South Africa, Alaska and Eastern Canada, ensures efficient and effective management of Triumph’s exploration programs.