Internal FBI Document Alleges Biden Involvement in Bribery Scheme
GOP Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa has released an internal FBI document that contains unverified allegations of President Joe Biden’s involvement in an illegal foreign bribery scheme. The document, known as an FD-1023, was previously viewed by members of the House Oversight Committee but not released to the public. Grassley claims to have been able to release the document due to legally protected disclosures by Justice Department whistleblowers.
The 1023 form memorializes claims made by an FBI informant, but does not provide proof of their validity. Nevertheless, Republicans have seized on the unverified material as part of their broader investigation into the Bidens. The document reveals that the informant provided information to federal investigators in June 2020, describing meetings and conversations dating back to 2015.
According to the FBI document, an informant described a 2016 meeting where Mykola Zlochevsky, CEO of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, claimed to have made two $5 million payments to “the Bidens.” However, Zlochevsky did not specify who received the alleged bribes. The credibility of the claims made by the informant is uncertain, as they were unable to provide further opinion on their veracity.
While Hunter Biden was on the board of Burisma, earning a monthly salary of $50,000, there is no evidence to suggest that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s work for the Ukrainian energy company or received any payments. House Democrats previously released a transcript of comments made by Zlochevsky to Lev Parnas, a former ally of Rudy Giuliani, which contradicted the notion that he ever paid Joe Biden. Zlochevsky stated in the transcript that no one from Burisma had any contacts with Joe Biden or his staff.
Republicans, including Grassley and House Oversight Chairman James Comer, have been pushing for the FBI to publicly release the document, while the bureau has declined to do so. Grassley’s release of the document has been met with criticism from Democrats. Comer accused the Justice Department of seeking to bury the record to protect the Bidens, while Grassley thanked the whistleblowers for enabling him to disclose the material.
The FBI expressed concern in a letter to Comer that some members of the committee had broken their agreement by taking notes and discussing the document publicly after viewing it in a classified setting. The FBI emphasized the sensitivity and potential risk to sources if the information were to be widely distributed.
In response to the release of the FD-1023 form, an FBI spokesperson stated that it unnecessarily risks the safety of a confidential source. The White House spokesperson criticized congressional Republicans for pushing debunked claims and cautioned against taking them seriously. Democrats have called Grassley’s release of the document a desperate attempt to revive Conspiracy theories and distract from the lack of evidence of wrongdoing by the President.
The FBI document sheds new light on how Burisma executives allegedly hoped to leverage Hunter Biden’s position on their board to gain benefits from his father, who was then vice president. The document reveals that Zlochevsky and another Burisma official believed Hunter Biden could protect them through his father from potential problems. However, the existence of audio recordings that support these claims has not been substantiated.
Overall, the release of the internal FBI document has further fueled the ongoing investigation into the Bidens, with Republicans continuing to question their involvement in alleged bribery schemes. However, without concrete evidence, the validity of these claims remains uncertain.
Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-07-20 22:55:00