So this is from Just Facts - I am particularly skeptical about the honesty of this side given my last post about their brazenly dishonest “poll” about misinformed voters.
Let’s review this one.
So from my understanding of this article; the argument is that there are some emails in which Burisma engages Hunters company to apparently lobby for them in order to get the investigation dropped. This is not new information.
These emails appear relate to lobbying, they describe lobbying of various us and Ukraine officials to get them to drop the investigations. The emails suggest that it’s not Hunter doing the work : “if you [hunter] and Devon feel comfortable that they will deliver what in real terms we are talking about”.
The description of what the activities in the email suggest doesn’t seem to match what actually happened - what was requested was to get various officials to publicly and privately talk positively about their client - so unless you squint hard, they’re not talking about what happened. Which was concerted pressure to implement more anti-corruption policies in the PGO - from multiple world organizations and officials, culminating in the prosecutors removal.
There is no indication in the set of emails or links provided to support the claim that they “affirmed that only Hunter could credibly promise to get those officials to shield the oligarch from criminal charges.”
From this,a post-hoc-ergo-Propter -hoc rationale is given for Biden firing on the prosecutor. Oddly, this “just facts” website seems not to include some key facts relating to judging Biden’s actions here. Namely:
The IMF wanted Shokin removed for not doing enough on corruption:
https://www.ft.com/content/44c1641e-cff7-11e5-831d-09f7778e7377 As did the EU.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-hails-sacking-of-ukraine-s-prosecutor-viktor-shokin-1.2591190As did people in his office.
https://khpg.org/en/1455544883As did many in the population.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/why-poroshenko-s-support-for-shokin-is-dangerous/Some members of the senate questioned if enough was being done on corruption:
https://www.portman.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/portman-durbin-shaheen-and-senate-ukraine-caucus-reaffirm-commitment-helpAs did the US ambassador George Pyatt in the speech linked in Just Facts.
“That obstacle is the failure of the institution of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine to successfully fight internal corruption. Rather than supporting Ukraine’s reforms and working to root out corruption, corrupt actors within the Prosecutor General’s office are making things worse by openly and aggressively undermining reform.”
“The misconduct by the PGO officials who wrote those letters [attesting Zlochevsky committed no crime] be investigated, and those responsible for subverting the case by authorizing those letters should – at a minimum – be summarily terminated”
Despite “Just facts” claims - this speech was given in September 2015 - and was explicitly calling out current state of the PGO.
Pyatt did specifically reference events before Shokin took over - and then called for it to be investigated ; but to characterize this as meaning the entire speech was referring to the prior PG is clearly false; and omitting the parts of the speech that clearly call out the PGO for corruption is dishonesty - ESPECIALLY when they are accusing others of incorrectly contextualizing these comments.
In addition, this “just facts” also omitted key issues with Shokin:
That he wasn’t carrying out anti/corruption commitments:
https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/kyiv-post-plus/shokin-resists-change-jeopardizes-visa-free-travel-to-eu-and-12-billion-of-aid-400948.htmlWas accused of sabotaging the reform process:
https://khpg.org/en/1452117960That prosecutors involved suggest that the investigation into Burisma were dormant:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-07/timeline-in-ukraine-probe-casts-doubt-on-giuliani-s-biden-claimThat he pressured prosecuters to halt the case against one of the prosecutors in his office arrested for corruption in a diamond bust:
https://www.kyivpost.com/kyiv-post-plus/release-of-diamond-prosecutor-shows-fatal-flaws-of-law-enforcement-394791.htmlhttps://www.kyivpost.com/kyiv-post-plus/top-prosecutor-accused-of-covering-up-corruption-resigns-video-394474.htmlAnd also fired the prosecutor responsible for the bust
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-sakvarelidze-idUSKCN0WV0GUPresenting Shokin as someone who was fighting corruption, and not intricately involved in it - is clearly false.
Additionally - it omits the complete lack of any suggestion that Biden acted outside of US interests in the Republican investigation it shared.
So in addition to my post relating to JustFacts dishonest poll, this would appear to be clearly trying to sell a particular narrative rather than accurately show the facts - as frankly while this could be considered many things - a smoking gun it is not.