(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Aides to then-Vice President Joe Biden shielded Hunter Biden from scrutiny by blocking the circulation of an intelligence report to policymakers about his controversial business dealings.
The February 2016 order was made directly by the official in charge of Biden’s Presidential Daily Brief, Just the News reported on Tuesday.
“I just spoke with VP/NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated,” the briefer told the CIA. “Thanks for understanding.”
A current CIA official told Just the News that the directive was “extremely rare and unusual.” Reporting from Headline USA further suggested the 2016 order was part of Biden’s broader effort to use his office to protect his son and other family members from scrutiny.
The withheld CIA report documented the reactions of senior Ukrainian officials to Biden’s December 2015 visit.
Those officials “privately mused” about the ongoing criticism of Hunter’s business with Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company that was paying him up to $83,000 a month despite his lack of relevant experience.
At the time, concerns mounted over conflicts of interest and whether Biden would push for policies that benefited his son. Among those concerns was Biden’s decision to demand the firing of Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin, who was investigating Burisma. Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees unless Shokin was removed from office.
“These officials viewed the alleged ties of the U.S. Vice President’s family to corruption in Ukraine as evidence of a double-standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power,” the CIA report said, according to Just the News.
The Ukrainian officials also “expressed bewilderment and disappointment” about Biden’s visit for failing to adhere to the agenda items of the meeting.
The document’s disclosure comes as the second Trump administration continues to expose scandals of corruption and government weaponization tied to former presidents Barack Obama and Biden
