The Other McCain

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Angry Biden: ‘It’s Not a Conflict of Interest … I’m Not Going to Respond to That’

Posted on | October 5, 2019 | Comments Off on Angry Biden: ‘It’s Not a Conflict of Interest … I’m Not Going to Respond to That’

 

The stench of corruption:

Former Vice President Joe Biden exploded at the media on Friday when asked about his youngest son’s shadowy business dealings in Ukraine.
The tense altercation occurred during a campaign stop in Los Angeles, California, where the former vice president was asked if Hunter Biden’s service on the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian oil and gas giant, had posed a conflict of interest during his time in the White House.
Biden, who in the past had refused to discuss his son’s business dealings with foreign governments, appeared perturbed by the question.
“It’s not a conflict of interest,” the former vice president said. “There’s been no indication of any conflict of interest, from Ukraine or anywhere else, period. I’m not going to respond to that.”
The question regarding the potential conflict of interest came only hours after the newly appointed Ukrainian Prosecutor General announced he was reviewing allegations of criminal conduct against Burisma.
Hunter Biden joined the company’s board of directors in April 2014, despitehaving no prior background in either the energy industry or Ukraine. As Peter Schweizer, senior contributor at Breitbart News, detailed in his book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, Hunter Biden secured the position, which paid as much as $83,000 per month, around the same time his father was tapped to lead the Obama administration’s policy in Ukraine.
The timing of Hunter Biden’s ascension to Burisma’s board immediately raised questions from ethics watchdogs in both the U.S. and Europe concerning conflicts of interest. Adding to the ethical cloud over that appointment was that Mykola Zlochevsky, Burisma’s founder, had his assets seized in the United Kingdom for suspicion of money laundering. Many have speculated Hunter Biden’s position on Burisma’s board was an attempt by Zlochevsky to curry favor with western leaders to prevent further scrutiny of his business dealings.
Such a brazen attempt would not be totally ill-suited for Zlochevsky. The Burisma founder is rumored to be one of eastern Europe’s top oligarchs, a position obtained while serving in the Ukrainian government under former President Viktor Yanukovych — a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was during his tenure in government as Ukraine’s minister of natural resources that Burisma received its oil and gas licenses.

Remember that Biden denied ever talking to Hunter about his business in Ukraine, but then a photo turned up of Biden and Hunter playing golf with an executive from the Ukrainian gas company. When reporters tried to ask him about that photo, Biden again refused to answer:

“This is the guy that’s unhinged,” Biden said about the president. “He is unhinged. I worry about what he’s going to do — not about me or my family. I’m worried about what he’ll do in the next year in the presidency, as this thing continues to rot on his watch.”

Don’t ask Joe questions about Ukraine! He gets angry when you do that.



 

Category: Joe Biden, Ukraine

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