A. Well, there was that Q&A that I mentioned.[1]
According to testimony, the Obama State Department actually took steps to prevent the U.S. government from associating with Burisma. In his closed-door deposition, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent recounted a story about how he stopped a taxpayer-funded partnership with Burisma in mid-2016.[2] He said he learned that Burisma sought to cosponsor a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) program to encourage Ukrainian school children to develop ideas for clean energy.[3] Kent said he advised USAID not to work with Burisma due to its reputation for corruption.[4]
U.S. law enforcement in the past has examined employment arrangements in which a company hires a seemingly unqualified individual to influence government action. In 2016, the Obama Justice Department fined a Hong Kong subsidiary of a multinational bank for a scheme similar to Burisma's use of Hunter Biden and other well-connected Democrats.[5] There, the company hired otherwise unqualified candidates to "influence" officials toward favorable business outcomes.[6] At the time, then-Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell explained that "[a]warding prestigious employment opportunities to unqualified individuals in order to influence government officials is corruption, plain and simple."[7]
During their public testimony, Democrat witnesses testified that Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board of directors created the potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest. LTC Vindman testified that Hunter Biden did not appear qualified to serve on Burisma's board.[8] Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent explained that the issues surrounding Burisma were worthy of investigation by Ukrainian authorities.[9] Kent testified:
Q. But given Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board of directors, at some point, you testified in your deposition that you expressed some concern to the Vice President's office. Is that correct?
A. That is correct.
Q. And what did they do about that concern that you expressed?
A. I have no idea. I reported my concern to the Office of the Vice President.
- ↑ Yovanovitch deposition, supra note 115, at 150-53.
- ↑ Kent deposition, supra note 65, at 88, 102-03.
- ↑ Id. at 103
- ↑ Id. at 102.
- ↑ Press Release, U.S. Dep't of Justice, JPMorgan's Investment Bank in Hong Kong Agrees to Pay $72 Million Penalty for Corrupt Hiring Scheme in China (Nov. 17, 2016), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/jpmorgan-sinvestment-bank-hong-kong-agrees-pay-72-million-penalty-corrupt-hiring-scheme.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: LTC Alexander Vindman and Ms. Jennifer Williams, supra note 6.
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: Ambassador William B. Taylor and Mr. George Kent, supra note 2.
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