The fundamental need for basic transparency in government is underlined in the recent controversies surrounding the Biden family’s business dealings. The disclosure on Wednesday of emails dating back to 2014 and 2015 has cast a new shadow over the White House’s vehement denials that then-Vice President Joe Biden had any involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s business associations. The emails shed light on connections between Hunter Biden and Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings, while his father was the U.S. government’s “point person” on Ukraine.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams quickly refuted allegations of collusion, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that claims by House Oversight chair James Comer (R-KY) were “Total nonsense.” Yet, is it?
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Joe Bidenâs VP staff colluded with Hunterâs business partner on Burisma corruption media response.@RepJamesComer is calling on the National Archives to provide complete and unredacted documents related to the Office of the Vice President colluding with the Biden⌠pic.twitter.com/WtIOR9ITNW
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 6, 2023
Correspondence released by America First Legal indicates that Bidenâs former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, responded affirmatively to a press statement about Hunter’s involvement with Burisma. She emailed Hunter Bidenâs financial lieutenant Eric Schwerin, confirming that Joe Biden approved a statement regarding Hunter Bidenâs board position at Burisma. âVP signed off on this â will give this quote to reporters in my name shortly,â she said.
The public might ask why the Vice President would need to approve a statement about his sonâs business activities unless there was some level of engagement or at least awareness on his part. Despite not having any known expertise in Ukrainian affairs or the energy sector, Hunter was paid a whopping $83,000 per month by Burisma right after Joe Biden became the U.S. government’s representative on Ukraine. The timing alone warrants investigation.
Comer’s call for the National Archives to release unredacted emails and records between Joe Biden and Hunter Biden is an appropriate step toward truth and transparency. Emails from Hunterâs business associate Eric Schwerin sent to Bedingfield provided âquotesâ for Joe Biden to use in response to media inquiries about Hunterâs role in Burisma. If there was an âabsolute wall,â as we’re led to believe, why would the Vice President need to sign off on statements about his sonâs business dealings?
Furthermore, according to Devon Archer, Hunter Bidenâs business associate, Joe Biden was even put on a call with Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky. This flies in the face of Biden’s repeated claims that he was never involved with his sonâs business activities.
If the released emails and witness testimonies aren’t implicating collusion or conflicts of interest, they certainly highlight a convenient confluence of events. If Joe Biden was publicly pushing an anti-corruption agenda in Ukraine, wouldn’t it serve the public’s interest to ensure that his immediate family wasnât involved in a company that was itself under scrutiny?
At a time when trust in politicians is at an all-time low, the American people deserve full transparency. The House GOP’s efforts in seeking that through unredacted records should be applauded, not belittled as “nonsense.”
