By Smartencyclopedia Staff *
On Thursday, an FBI document was released, suggesting that Ukrainian businessmen paid bribes to President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. However, Republican lawmakers’ portrayal of the document as clear-cut evidence is disputed.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley released the document, which is central to the allegation that the Bidens took action to help the energy company Burisma Holdings, where Hunter Biden served on the board. House GOP leaders claim the document, referred to as an FD-1023 form, shows that each Biden was paid $5 million in bribes when Joe Biden was vice president, allegedly to influence the removal of Ukraine’s chief prosecutor, who was investigating Burisma.
But the document is not as straightforward as Republicans suggest. It consists of recollections made to the FBI by a confidential source between late 2015 and June 2022. The source claimed to have had conversations with Ukrainian businessman Mykola Zlochevsky, who asserted he was coerced into paying the Bidens.
Both the FBI and Justice Department have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
The White House discredits the document, pointing out that the Justice Department had already investigated the allegations during former President Donald Trump’s administration. White House spokesman Ian Sams criticized congressional Republicans for pushing debunked claims and cautioned that they could be fabricated.
On the other hand, the U.S. attorney in Delaware considers the allegations as part of an ongoing, active investigation.
According to the document, the conversations cited by the source occurred between 2016 and 2019, with Zlochevsky claiming he paid $5 million to “one Biden” and $5 million to “another Biden.” However, the document doesn’t specify that the payments were made directly to Joe and Hunter. Instead, Zlochevsky referred only to paying “the Bidens.”
Additionally, Zlochevsky claimed to have 17 recordings involving the Bidens, two featuring Joe Biden and 15 with Hunter Biden, according to the document.
The source had met Zlochevsky in person once and spoken to him twice on the phone but couldn’t provide further verification of Zlochevsky’s statements, as per the document.
Hunter Biden himself has admitted that taking the role with Burisma may have been a “poor judgment” as it became a contentious issue during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Source: With Agencies