Q. But the legitimate concern about Hunter Biden's role was legitimate, correct?
A. I think it creates a concern that there could be an appearance of conflict of interest.[1]
During her public testimony, Dr. Hill testified:
Q. Dr. Hill, you told us during your deposition that, indeed, that there are perceived conflict of interest troubles when the child of a government official is involved with something that government official has an official policy role in, correct?
A. I think any family member of any member of the U.S. Government, Congress or the Senate, is open to all kinds of questions about optics and of perhaps undue outside influence, if they take part in any kind of activity that could be misconstrued as being related to their parent or the family member's work. So as a matter of course, yes, I do think that's the case.[2]
Despite this evidence, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has prevented Republican Members from fully assessing the role of Hunter Biden on Burisma's board of directors. Chairman Schiff refused to invite Hunter Biden and Devon Archer to testify during public hearings.[3] Chairman Schiff declined to concur with a Republican subpoena for Hunter Biden to testify in a closed-door deposition.[4] Chairman Schiff declined to concur with a Republican subpoena for documents relating to Hunter Biden's role on Burisma.[5]
In addition to Burisma, there are questions about why the Ukrainian government fired then-Prosecutor General Shokin—according to Vice President Biden, at his insistence [6]—when it did not fire his successor, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko. Although Shokin and Lutsenko were both seen by State Department officials as corrupt and ineffective prosecutors, there was no effort to remove Lutsenko to the same degree or in the same way as there was with Shokin.[7] Ambassador Yovanovitch testified:
Q. And was he, in your experience—because you're very knowledgeable about the region, so when I ask you in your opinion, you have a very informed opinion—was Lutsenko better or worse than Shokin?
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, supra note 4.
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: Dr. Fiona Hill and Mr. David Holmes, supra note 210.
- ↑ See, e.g., Allan Smith, Democrats push back on GOP effort to have whistleblower, Hunter Biden testify, NBC News, Nov. 10, 2019.
- ↑ Impeachment Inquiry: Ms. Laura Cooper and Mr. David Hale, supra note 246.
- ↑ Id.
- ↑ Council on Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs Issue Launch with Former Vice President Joe Biden (Jan. 23, 2018).
- ↑ Kent deposition, supra note 65, at 90-98, 144-49.
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