Staff Reports
In a new development in the ongoing debate regarding Joe Biden's involvement in Ukraine, it has come to light that the prosecutor general who replaced Viktor Shokin has connections to Hunter Biden. State Department emails indicate that Yuri Lutsenko, who assumed the position following Shokin's dismissal, relied on the same lobbyists representing the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and its CEO, Mykola Zlochevsky. Hunter Biden recruited these lobbyists in 2015 with the intention of halting investigations into Burisma.
After then-VP @JoeBiden succeeded in pressuring Ukraine to remove its prosecutor general Viktor Shokin, the next person to hold the job had ties to Hunter Biden.https://t.co/CcOmk8C5pQ
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 8, 2023
This newly discovered connection raises questions as to whether Shokin was in fact investigating Burisma when Joe Biden pressed for his removal. Devon Archer, the former business associate of Hunter Biden, testified that board members of Burisma were given a "narrative" that Shokin did not pose a threat to the company. However, Archer also acknowledged that the elimination of Shokin benefited Burisma.
Blue Star Strategies, a lobbying firm hired by Hunter Biden to shield Burisma from legal scrutiny, claimed to also represent Lutsenko, according to internal State Department communications. This raises the possibility that the firm used its ties to the Clinton campaign to advance its interests with Lutsenko by promising access to high-level campaign officials.
In addition, the Justice Department is investigating Blue Star Strategies over allegations of unregistered foreign lobbying. The investigation was closed despite the company's failure to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act for years. In addition, a whistleblower from the IRS claimed that an effort to obtain search warrants for Blue Star Strategies' communications was thwarted.
These revelations cast doubt on the claim that Shokin's dismissal was incidental to the investigation of Burisma. The prosecutor who succeeded him, who had business connections to Hunter Biden, appeared more receptive to the lobbying efforts of Burisma than Shokin. This contradicts Democratic claims that Joe Biden's actions were morally sound, given that Shokin was more receptive to Burisma.
In conclusion, the new evidence concerning Hunter Biden's ties to the prosecutor general who replaced Viktor Shokin raises significant questions about Joe Biden's motivations for pushing for Shokin's dismissal. It suggests that a concerted effort was made to shield Burisma from investigation using political connections and lobbying influence. These revelations necessitate a closer look at the Biden family's commercial dealings in Ukraine and the potential for conflicts of interest.
