While former Vice President Joe Biden oversaw foreign policy in Ukraine, his son Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma Holdings, the largest gas company in the fledgling democracy.
Despite a recently concluded investigation by Senate Republicans that found no wrongdoing by the Bidens, claims to the contrary have continued to circulate on social media.
“VP Biden threatened to withhold 1 billion dollars from Ukraine to save his son’s job,” reads a meme posted to Facebook by Secure America Now. The meme has been shared more than 9,000 times since Oct. 18.
Secure America Now did not respond to a request from USA TODAY for comment.
Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 57 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 57
Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, for abuse
of power by enabling bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 21, 2021
Mrs. Greene of Georgia submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States, for abuse
of power by enabling bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Joseph Robinette Biden, President of the United
States, is impeached for abuse of power by enabling bribery and other
high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following article of
impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate:
Article of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives
of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people
of the United States of America, against Joseph Robinette Biden,
President of the United States of America, in maintenance and support
of its impeachment against him for abuse of power by enabling bribery
and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
article i: abuse of power
The Constitution provides that the House of Representatives ``shall
have the sole Power of Impeachment'' and that the President ``shall be
removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason,
Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors''.
In his conduct as the former Vice President and current President
of the United States, in violation of his constitutional oath
faithfully to execute the offices of the Vice Presidency and President
of the United States, and, to the best of his ability, preserve,
protect, defend, the Constitution of the United States, and in
violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be
faithfully executed--Joseph Robinette Biden abused the power of the
Office of the Vice President, enabling bribery and other high crimes
and misdemeanors, by allowing his son to influence the domestic policy
of a foreign nation and accept various benefits--including financial
compensation--from foreign nationals in exchange for certain favors.
As Vice President, Joseph Biden was the senior Obama Administration
official overseeing anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine. Hence, any
illegal activity involving corruption conducted by Hunter Biden within
or in relation to Ukraine would fall under the purview of the Office of
Vice President Biden and the Obama State Department's anti-corruption
efforts. In fact, many State Department officials within the Obama
Administration repeatedly registered reservations about Hunter Biden's
role on the board of a corrupt company. Thus, any instances of
corruption on behalf of Hunter Biden via his role as a board member of
the Ukrainian-operated Burisma energy firm were either not investigated
or covered up. The evidence of widespread knowledge, corruption, and
collusion on behalf of the Biden family with foreign nationals is clear
and compelling.
Among other examples, it has been materially demonstrated that:
(1) According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee
on Finance, the Vice President's office and State Department
officials were aware but ignored concerns relating to Hunter
Biden's role on the board of a Ukrainian-based natural gas
company (hereafter, ``Burisma'').
(2) According to the same sources, Hunter Biden's and his
family's financial transactions with Ukrainian, Russian,
Kazakh, and Chinese nationals raise criminal concerns and
extortion threats.
(3) In early 2015 the former Acting Deputy Chief of Mission
at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, George Kent, raised
concerns to officials in Vice President Joe Biden's office
about the perception of a conflict of interest with respect to
Hunter Biden's role on Burisma's board. Kent's concerns went
unaddressed, and in September 2016, he emphasized in an email
to his colleagues, ``Furthermore, the presence of Hunter Biden
on the Burisma board was very awkward for all U.S. officials
pushing an anticorruption agenda in Ukraine.''.
(4) In October 2015, senior State Department official Amos
Hochstein raised concerns with Vice President Biden, as well as
with Hunter Biden, that Hunter Biden's position on Burisma's
board enabled Russian disinformation efforts and risked
undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine. Vice President Biden did
not resolve this conflict of interest. Instead, he enabled it.
(5) In addition to the over $4 million paid by Burisma for
Hunter Biden's board membership, Hunter Biden, and his family
received millions of dollars from foreign nationals with
questionable backgrounds. Specifically, the ongoing FBI
investigation into Hunter Biden's laptop revealed that Hunter
received a 2.8 carat diamond gift from a high-ranking Chinese
official in 2017. Hunter Biden told the New Yorker Magazine
that he ``felt uncomfortable receiving the diamond and gave it
to other associates''.
(6) Hunter Biden had business associations with Ye
Jianming, founder of the CEFC China Energy Company, Ltd.,
Gongwen Dong, and other Chinese nationals linked to the
Communist government and the People's Liberation Army. Those
associations resulted in millions of dollars in cash flow.
There exists a vast web of corporate connections and financial
transactions between and among the Biden family and Chinese
nationals.
(7) Hunter Biden paid nonresident women who were nationals
of Russia or other Eastern European countries and who appear to
be linked to an ``Eastern European prostitution or human
trafficking ring''.
(8) In 2016, Ukraine's top anti-corruption prosecutor,
Viktor Shokin, had an active and ongoing investigation into
Burisma and its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky. At the time, Hunter
Biden continued to serve on Burisma's board of directors.
According to news reports, then Vice-President Biden
``threatened to withhold $1 billion in United States loan
guarantees if Ukraine's leaders did not dismiss [Shokin]''.
After that, Ukraine's Parliament fired Shokin.
(9) Hunter Biden received millions of dollars from foreign
sources as a result of business relationships that he built
during the period when his father was Vice President of the
United States and after. The financial transactions which
Hunter engaged in illustrate serious counterintelligence and
extortion concerns relating to Hunter Biden and his family.
(10) Hunter Biden's work with Chinese nationals connected
to the Communist regime illustrate the deep financial
connections that accelerated while his father was Vice
President and continued after he left office.
(11) On June 23, 2011, Sean Conlon, a business associate of
Hunter Biden, suggested that a $10 billion deal could be struck
in exchange for certain persons meeting Vice President Biden.
This shows deliberate ``pay-for-play'' and ``quid-pro-quo''.
The email, in full, to Robert Biden, from Sean Conlon, is as
follows:
(A) ``So we have engagement letter if they get
other 10 bonds they have a face value of 10b. While it
is far fetched Devon [Archer] said he talked to his
professor and these get traded. We get 10% in fees. We
need to get these guys to an event or something where
they get to just formally meet your Dad. For follow on
they can talk to Chief of Staff. Let me know how soon
we can do that. V brief. If Nagi get that done we get
more bonds to move. Regards your hard working partner
in Positano! Sean'' (emphasis added).
(12) Emails between Hunter Biden and his cousin reveal that
the President of Hunter's Chinese Communist Party-linked firm,
Eric Schwerin, repeatedly asked Hunter for an appointment to
the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage
Abroad--a position he ultimately received. The email from
Hunter to his cousin, Missy, regarding the request for the
appointment to the Commission is as follows:
(A) ``Eric asked for one of these [an appointment]
the day after the election in 2008. You know better
than me what are real and interesting appointments.
Let's go through the list with Steve and see what makes
sense. I don't know how much 2016 and nepotism plays
into it.''.
In all of this, President Biden gravely endangered the security of
the United States and its institutions of government. Through blatant
nepotism, he enabled his son to influence foreign policy and
financially benefit as a result of his role as Vice President. He
supported his son engaging in collusion with Chinese Communist Party-
linked officials. He allowed his son to trade appointments with his
father and other high-ranking administration officials in exchange for
financial compensation. He permitted his son to take money from Russian
oligarchs, including Elena Baturina, the wife of the former mayor of
Moscow.
In so doing, Joseph R. Biden threatened the integrity of the
democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power,
and imperiled a coordinate branch of government. He thereby betrayed
his trust as former Vice President and current President, to the
manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore President Biden, by such conduct, has demonstrated that
he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the
Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner
grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.
President Biden thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from
office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor,
trust, or profit under the United States.
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