Burisma Boss In Alleged Biden Bribe Scheme Claims To Have 15 Taped Conversations With Hunter, 2 With Joe: Grassley
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON — The FBI source who reported President Biden's alleged role in a bribery scheme said that a Ukrainian businessman claimed to keep as "insurance" 15 audio recordings of first son Hunter Biden and two of Joe Biden, a Republican senator revealed Monday.
Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) made the staggering claim in a Senate floor speech after FBI Director Christopher Wray last week allowed House Oversight Committee members to see a redacted informant file about the claim that Hunter and then-Vice President Joe Biden received $5 million apiece to serve the interests of Burisma Holdings owner Mykola Zlochevsky.
"Congress still lacks a full and complete picture with respect to what that document really says. That's why it's important that the document be made public without unnecessary redactions for the American people to see," said Grassley, accusing the bureau of needlessly redacting information about the recordings from the file shared with House lawmakers.
"Let me assist for purposes of transparency," the 89-year-old went on. "The 1023 [form] produced to that House Committee redacted reference that the foreign national who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden allegedly has audio recordings of his conversations with them. Seventeen total recordings.
Burisma Holdings owner Mykola Zlochevsky allegedly worked with Joe and Hunter Biden.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe FBI source who informed on President Biden's alleged role in a bribery scheme said that the Ukrainian businessman who allegedly paid off the Bidens also has recordings of the father and son.REUTERS
"According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses fifteen audio recordings of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden," Grassley continued. "According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden. These recordings were allegedly kept as a sort of insurance policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot. The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden."
The senator concluded: "So, as I've repeatedly asked since going public with the existence of the 1023, what, if anything, has the Justice Department and FBI done to investigate? The Justice Department and FBI must show their work. They no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt."
It's unclear if the FBI has possession of any of the purported tapes.
"Congress still lacks a full and complete picture with respect to what that document really says. That's why it's important that the document be made public without unnecessary redactions," said Sen. Chuck Grassley.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Sipa USAHouse Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) listens during a joint committee hearing with the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and House Committee.Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker
The Constitution shields members of Congress from prosecution for anything they say during congressional speech or debate, meaning Grassley cannot be prosecuted for revealing sensitive information.
Grassley learned of the informant file this year from a whistleblower and told House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), who in turn issued a subpoena to the FBI. The informant is a longtime paid FBI source.
Grassley said that the FBI's alleged disinterest in the Biden bribery allegation contrasts sharply with its treatment of former President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday will become the first former president slapped with federal charges for allegedly mishandling classified information after he left office.
"It's clear that the Justice Department and FBI will use every resource to investigate candidate Trump, President Trump and former President Trump," Grassley said. "Based on the facts known to Congress and the public, it's clear that the Justice Department and FBI haven't nearly had the same laser focus on the Biden family."
Trump was indicted in the classified documents case by special counsel Jack Smith.
A different special counsel, Robert Hur, is investigating Biden's handling of classified documents from his Senate years and vice presidency, which were found in late 2022 and early 2023 in his Delaware home and post-vice presidency DC office.
Biden on Thursday attempted to laugh off the bribery allegation against him, telling a Post reporter, "Where's the money?" before adding, "I'm joking. It's a bunch of malarkey" at the conclusion of a White House press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Hunter and Joe Biden allegedly received $5 million apiece to serve the interests of Burisma Holdings owner Mykola Zlochevsky.REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The bribery allegation against Biden was first made in 2017, but the informant file read by House lawmakers last week was created by the FBI in June 2020 after that tip received fresh attention.
Several Republicans said that the document accuses the Bidens of getting paid a total of $10 million in 2015 and 2016 in exchange for the then-vice president advocating the ouster of Ukrainian prosecutor general Viktor Shokin.
Joe Biden has publicly boasted of using $1 billion in US loan guarantees as leverage to get Shokin fired, though Democrats produced evidence during Trump's 2020 impeachment trial that other US allies also wanted Shokin fired for his own corruption.
Lawmakers also said the document refers to Burisma attempting to partner with an American company. It's unclear which company is cited, but the Ukrainian firm bought into a joint venture with US company Cub Energy in 2016 by acquiring a Canadian company's shares.
Grassley said that the FBI's alleged disinterest in the Biden bribery allegation contrasts sharply with its treatment of former President Donald Trump.AP/ Alex Brandon
Hunter Biden earned up to $1 million per year from 2014 to 2019 to serve on the board of Burisma, despite having no relevant energy industry experience.
Then-VP Joe Biden met with a Burisma executive at a DC dinner in April 2015, which featured in The Post's explosive first report on Hunter's abandoned laptop.
Other Joe Biden conduct in Ukraine has gotten attention, including the fact that he allegedly pushed US support for Ukraine's natural gas industry during a trip to Kyiv just days after Hunter quietly joined Burisma in April 2014.
Obama administration visitor logs indicate he met the same month with Hunter's partner Devon Archer, who was also in the process of joining Burisma's board.
Additional wealthy post-Soviet businesspeople worked with Hunter Biden, including Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov, who shopped for US property investments with the then-second son and allegedly explicitly described an expected quid pro quo to a colleague — as his cellphone company MTS was under federal investigation by the Obama-Biden Justice Department.
During and immediately after his vice presidency, Joe Biden also interacted with Hunter and first brother James Biden's associates from China, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Russia, according to laptop records, photos and witness recollections.
The White House and FBI did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment.
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This would mean that:
1) The FBI tried to hide it
2) The FBI most likely NEVER looked into it.
I guess Director Wray has more explaining to do.
No that does not mean that.
That could be possible.
OR They could have done a cursory investigation and found nothing to corroborate the report and moved on to other business.
What Grassely is saying is that someone said someone had tapes implicating Hunter & Joe and the FBI noted it as they are required to do. Everything else at this point is partisan political conjecture and inuendo.
Again I wish they found something concrete and we can all move on from Uncle Joe. Watching him work as President and run a re-election campaign is as interesting as watching beige paint dry. Then again... watching hard core partisan Republicans act all triggered when Biden farts is kind of funny.
Let's find the somebody.
Yeah, both Comer and Jordan are doing such a bang up job with these committees. I would have thought they'd have found this guy and played those tapes already. I mean Grassely has said he's seen the whole report now. MTG took notes to Fox News!!! SO where is the evidence already?
No need to be impatient, after all, we are all still waiting on Shifty Schiff to produce what evidence he claimed he always had on Trump collusion with Russians.
A little longer won't kill any of us.
True. And we are still waiting on Obama and Hilary to be indicted, or half the FBI to quit if they aren't. I mean sooo many things to look forward to!
0 = the evidence Republicans have produced that Biden took a bribe. And yet we can safely assume that the majority of MAGA dont understand that.
He has all of the unelected bureaucracy protecting him.
Eventually the truth will come out and future generations will hopefully be able to read about it.
Joe and Jill Biden's taxes are public record going back over twenty years. So, if there is proof they had unreported income you have them! There is none. So, you've got bupkis!
Money can easily be hidden. The Biden's have set up many LLCs.
What if we have tapes of Biden taking a bribe?
That's nice. Prove it...
Will you accept the evidence if it is proven?
What makes you think the truth hasn't already come out? It's not the truth's fault that right wingers refuse to accept it.
If it was that easy the FBI would have submitted the unclassified document to the Oversight Committee.
I would. I would welcome it. Would you ever accept there is no evidence?
Since when has the law or evidence ever mattered to Democrats/leftists?
Which democratic Presidents have been indicted?
When have any democrats or leftists been indicted?
They even let Bill Ayers off.
When they've deserved it.
"Which democratic Presidents have been indicted?"
A sitting president can't be indicted, but they can be impeached
I suspect that the Republicans should seriously start an impeachment process for Biden with the evidence they have already collected and haven't revealed yet. Won't go anywhere because of the Democrat traitors in the Senate, but it would show the whole world how dirty and corrupt the Biden regime is.