Ukrainian Official: Hunter Biden Appointed to Burisma’s Board to ‘Protect’ the Company

breitbart ^ | October 19, 2019 | by HARIS ALIC

[Jim Robinson]

A Ukrainian official is claiming that Hunter Biden was only appointed to the board of directors of Burisma Holdings to “protect” the company at a time it faced foreign scrutiny over its business practices.

Oleksandr Onyshchenko, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament and ally of Burisma’s founder, made the admission to Reuters on Friday when discussing Hunter Biden’s ties to the oil and natural gas company.

“It was to protect (the company)” Onyshchenko said, noting that Hunter Biden’s appointment came the same month that Mykola Zlochevsky, Burisma’s founder, had his assets frozen in Great Britain under suspicion of money laundering.

The admission comes as Joe Biden and his aides rush to downplay the notion that Hunter Biden’s business dealings may have presented conflicts of interest for the former vice president. The controversy started last month when President Donald Trump suggested the Ukrainian government probe into how the younger Biden secured an appointment to Burisma’s board, shortly after his father was made the Obama administration’s point man on Ukraine.

As Peter Schweizer, senior contributor at Breitbart News, detailed in his book Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, Hunter Biden secured the position, which paid as much as $83,000 per month despite no background in energy or Ukraine. In fact, his background in investment banking, lobbying, and hedge fund management paled in comparison to that of current and past members of the company’s board of directors.

[DJ Frisat]

If anything comes out of this - doubtful - it won't be that Hunter was there for 'protection', it will be said that he was hired to 'clean it up'. He was acting as a deputy to Sheriff Joe, sent there by Obama to root out corruption.

Yeah, that's the ticket... [/sarc]

[Liz]

SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27403003
14 May 2014

Vice President Joe Biden's son joins Ukraine gas company

(BBC report) Burisma, a private oil and gas company in Ukraine, announced that it has appointed Hunter Biden, the youngest son of US Vice President Joe Biden, to its board of directors. The company, founded in 2002, is controlled by a former energy official in the government of deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The move has raised some eyebrows in the US, given the Obama administration's attempts to manage the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. "Joe Biden has been the White House's go-to guy during the Ukraine crisis, touring former Soviet republics and reassuring their concerned leaders," writes the National Journal's Marina Koren. "And now, he's not the only Biden involved in the region."She says that by appointing Hunter Biden head of its legal affairs unit, "Burisma is turning to US talent - and money and name recognition - for protection against Russia".

The younger Mr Biden isn't the only American with political ties to have joined Burisma's board. Devon Archer, onetime senior advisor to current SoS John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign and a college roommate of Mr Kerry's stepson HJ Heinz, signed on in April.

Mr Biden and Mr Archer are also managing partners at Rosemont Seneca Partners, a Washington, DC-based investment company. Both Mr Biden and Mr Archer have not responded to requests from reporters for comment.

In Burisma's press release announcing his hiring, Hunter Biden says: "I believe that my assistance in consulting the company on matters of transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities will contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine." All this could be explained simply as a foreign energy company looking to increase its visibility in the US and spur investment. State-controlled companies currently account for 90% of Ukraine's gas production, but this year Burisma became the nation's largest private producer.

The Federalist's Mollie Hemingway adds that there may be other, less savoury possibilities:
<><> most disturbing is attempting to curry favour with the US government
<><> enlisting the services of the close family friend of SoS Kerry and the son of the vice president.
<><> Biden/Archer pitches that their "relationship network" creates opportunities for portfolio companies compound to greater outcomes for all parties.

Hemingway concludes that this seems like a "cliched movie plot": "a shady foreign oil company
co-opts the vice president's son in order to capture lucrative foreign investment contracts".

The Obama White House emphasised that vice president Biden's son's new job will have no influence on US foreign policy. "Hunter Biden is a private citizen and a lawyer," said a spokeswoman for VP Biden in the Wall Street Journal. "VP Biden does not endorse any particular company and has no involvement with this company."

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Did Burisma include this pic in its corporate mailings?

[Bernard]

Chelsea Clinton only got $50,000 per month. Sounds like a wave discrimination lawsuit for Chelsea. How dare those nasty Ukranians pay a man more than NBC pays a Womyn!!!!

[csvset]

Yeah, see, protection.

[Pearls Before Swine]

I was telling the wife that the Obama administration’s bribery practices resembled the late 19th century Western “spheres of influence” in China. Biden had the Ukraine and China. Hillary had Russia and part of the Middle East. Obama had Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Each big player was able to collect tribute (or a kickback percentage on US aid) in his sphere of influence.

[Ann Archy]

HUnteds checks went thru 3 COUNTRIES before it got to him. So I will bet it went thru even more to JOE!

[BradyLS]

“Dis is a nice energy company ya gots here. Be a real shame if something’ bad wer’ta happen to it...”

[Chewbarkah]

Where was Hunter’s salary disbursed...?

Based on numerous reports, most was disbursed up his nose, the rest to various strippers and hookers.

[SpaceBar]

I’d trust the mafia more too.

[Erik Latranyi]

This same protection racket goes on inside the US

Joe Manchin’s daughter named CEO of an Epi-pen manufacturer while her father blocked any competition.

Pelosi’s husband securing billion dollar federal contracts.

Loopholes written into tax law so GE & Amazon pay no taxes on billions of net profit in return for favorable treatment and massive campaign contributions.

The gov’t broke up the mafia because it did not like the competition for protection money.

[X-FID]

I’m guessing a lot of perks too.

[dp0622]

The Founding Fathers would wonder what it will take for us to rise up.

Heck, I think they rose up based on less.

[TChad]

The implied threat is that Burisma would be subjected to Biden-inflicted harm if it failed to pay for protection

The implied threat was that Ukraine would permit the prosecutor who was already investigating Burisma to proceed with his investigation, and perhaps cripple the company. Joe Biden saved the company by threatening the Ukrainian government with loss of $1 billion in loan guarantees unless that prosecutor was immediately fired. By getting the prosecutor fired, Hunter proved that his outrageous salary was a bargain for Burisma.

Joe Biden's quid-pro-quo had tacitly informed Ukraine that the United States wanted Burisma to be excluded from any corruption investigations. Trump's phone call to Zelensky informed Ukraine that the U.S. no longer backed Burisma, so the investigation could proceed.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

And the worm turns!!!!

[cradle of freedom]

About Joe Machin and the Epi-pen...the Epi-pen costs 600 dollars! I heard that their were other companies that wanted to make an identical product for less money but were stopped. You wonder why medicines are sky high? How many games are going on between the pharmaceutical companies and the politicians?

[Erik Latranyi]

About Joe Machin and the Epi-pen.....what is worse is that Manchin’s daughter was named CEO and Manchin sat on the Senate Committee over the FDA.

Basically, Sen Manchin ensured his daughter had a monopoly.

Then, Manchin sponsored legislation to mandate all schools keep Epi-Pens on hand incase a student has an allergic reaction to something.

It is not just medical/pharmaceutical where such corruption exists. It is in every industry regulated by gov’t.

This is why our Founders wanted a small gov’t...so it could not devolve into such corruption.

Liberals lament corporate money in politics. Well, it would not happen if those corporations could not buy influence and an advantage in the market.

The problem is that our elected leaders have sold us out unconstitutionally.

[cradle of freedom]

Liberals may lament corporate money in politics but how many of them would refuse that money? Many Republicans as well.