As House Democrats wrapped up the public impeachment hearings on Nov. 21, Senate Republicans sent the latest round of records requests as part of a growing inquiry into the Obama administration’s actions related to Burisma, the Ukrainian gas firm that hired Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Graham also requested information about a March 2, 2016, meeting between Devon Archer, Hunter Biden’s business partner, and then-Secretary of State John Kerry. The meeting took place weeks after Ukrainian authorities seized the assets of Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma. Archer and Hunter Biden were on the board of directors of Burisma at the time of the seizure.
The Republican inquiry is closely related to and may have an impact on the Democrat-run impeachment probe, which centers on a July 25 call between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Grassley is the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Johnson is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Graham is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
During the call, Trump asked if Zelensky would “look into” the firing of Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Joe Biden has publicly bragged about forcing Shokin’s ouster by withholding $1 billion in loan guarantees from Ukraine.
Weeks before submitting his resignation, Shokin’s office had ordered and executed the seizure of assets of Zlochevsky. While Biden withheld the loan guarantees, Ukraine faced a fiscal default and was fighting a war with Russia. At the same time, Biden’s son served a paid position on Burisma’s board.
The Epoch Times didn’t receive a response to a request for comment from the State Department, the White House, the attorneys for Hunter Biden and Archer, Burisma Holdings, the National Archives, or Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.
The offices of Grassley and Johnson declined to comment. A spokesman for FinCEN said the agency “does not comment on particular Suspicious Activity Reports, including whether or not they exist.”
The events relating to Burisma in 2015 and 2016 weren’t limited to Ukraine. A U.S. representative for Burisma, Karen Tramontano, reached out to the State Department in February 2016 and leveraged Biden’s position on the board in a request for a meeting with Deputy Secretary Catherine Novelli, according to emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Tramontano didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Biden and Archer made overtures of their own to the State Department. On Feb. 4, 2016, Shokin’s office announced the seizure of Zlochevsky’s assets, including several homes and a Rolls Royce Phantom luxury car. On the same day, Hunter Biden followed Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Twitter. According to Graham, the signal suggests “that the two may have initiated conversations regarding Prosecutor General Shokin’s investigation into Burisma.” Emails suggest that Biden and Blinken also met in May 2015 and July 2015. The senators are looking to learn whether the meetings occurred, what was discussed, and who attended.
“Devon Archer coming to see S today at 3:00pm -- need someone to meet/greet him at C street,” the email states.
Democrats running the impeachment inquiry allege that Trump sought to boost his reelection chances by asking Zelensky to look into what happened to the prosecutor who was investigating Burisma. The Democrats further allege that Trump delayed aid to Ukraine and leveraged the prospect of a White House meeting as part of the effort to pressure Zelensky. Zelensky has said he didn’t feel pressured and wasn’t aware of a connection between the hold on aid and Trump’s request for an investigation.
After weeks of hearings, the evidence House Democrats gathered to substantiate their allegations consists of hearsay, presumptions, personal opinion, and policy positions. No witness offered direct evidence of Trump’s intent to benefit himself politically or of a connection between the hold on aid and Trump’s request for a potential investigation.