NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden was allegedly paid $5 million by a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings, while his son, Hunter Biden, sat on the companyโs board.
According to a Fox News report, a high-ranking Burisma executive paid when he was serving as the vice-president with an aim of exerting influence over US policy decisions.
The report is based on information received by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from a confidential source described as โhighly credibleโ, who claimed to have had multiple meetings and conversations with a top executive at Burisma, beginning in 2015. The source sought advice from the executive regarding access to US oil rights and involvement with an American oil company.
During the discussions, the source questioned the necessity of seeking advice on US oil access if Hunter Biden was already on Burismaโs board. In response, the executive referred to Hunter Biden as โdumbโ and explained that payments had to be made to the Bidens due to an ongoing investigation into Burisma by Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin.
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The source further detailed a conversation where the executive suggested paying โ$5 million for one Biden, $5 million for the other Biden.โ
While the document references โthe Big Guy,โ allegedly referring to Joe Biden, it notes that the Burisma executive did not directly pay the โBig Guy.โ The source claimed that the Burisma executive mentioned making payments to the Bidens through various bank accounts, making it difficult for investigators to uncover the transactions for at least a decade.
The identity of the Burisma executive in question remains redacted in the FBI document cited by Fox News.
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Joe Biden has previously acknowledged pressuring Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin while he was vice-president. Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings at the time, and Hunter Biden held a lucrative position on the companyโs board. Critics have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and alleged a โpay-to-playโ dynamic.
The FBI documentโs release follows a whistleblowerโs approach to Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. The whistleblower claimed that the FBI possessed the document, which prompted the House Oversight Committee to subpoena it. After negotiation, the committee members were allowed to view the document in a secure setting on Capitol Hill.
The White House reiterated its position that President Biden has never been involved in his sonโs business dealings and has not discussed them with him. Hunter Biden is currently under federal investigation for his tax affairs, which were initially flagged due to suspicious foreign transactions.
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