President Donald Trump’s defense team lawyer and former Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi ripped the legacies of both former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, in Ukraine on Monday.
Bondi suggested the Ukrainian gas firm Burisma only hired Hunter Biden to gain influence over his father, who was then Barack Obama’s point man on Ukraine.
She outlined how Burisma paid the younger Biden an exorbitant salary to sit on their board of directors, and how many observers have questioned the appointment. (RELATED: Sen. Graham Says Investigating Hunter Biden ‘Doesn’t Make Me A Russian Agent’)
“In fact, every witness who is asked about Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma agreed, there was a potential appearance of a conflict of interest. Multiple House Democratic witnesses, including those from the Department of State, the National Security Council, and others unanimously testified there was a potential appearance of a conflict of interest,” Bondi told those assembled in the Senate chamber.
The former state attorney general also outlined how Biden’s salary compared with others.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden depart after a pre-inauguration church service in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2009. Picture taken Jan. 18, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
“Hunter Biden was paid significantly more than board members for major U.S. Fortune 100 companies said Goldman Sachs, CitiGroup. The typical board member of these fortune 100 companies are titans of industry, highly qualified, and as such, they are well compensated. Even so, Hunter Biden was paid significantly more. This is how well he was compensated. Hunter Biden is paid over $83,000 a month. The average American family of four during that time each year made less than $54,000.”
“When speaking with ABC News about his qualifications to be on Burisma’s board, Hunter Biden did not point to any of the usual qualifications of a board member. Hunter Biden had no experience and natural gas, no experience in the energy sector, no experience with Ukrainian regulatory affairs. As far as we know, he doesn’t speak Ukrainian. Naturally, the media has asked questions about his board membership.”
Biden has been scrutinized for his seat on the Burisma board. He has said he has said his only regret for fulfilling that role is that people believe “ridiculous conspiracy theories” while waving off talk of conflict of interest because his father was wielding huge influence in Ukraine at the time. (RELATED: Ukrainian Business Says Gas Firm Hired Biden For Protection)
Bondi cited and showed the well-known video of Joe Biden bragging about how he had Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired by threatening to withhold a billion dollars in loan guarantees.
She continued, “What he didn’t say on that video, according to The New York Times, is that this was the prosecutor investigating Burisma, Shokin. What he didn’t say on the video is that his son was being paid significant amounts by the oligarch owner of Burisma to sit on that board. Even then, Hunter Biden does not leave the board. He stays on the board until April 2019.”