Recent findings suggest a discrepancy in the narrative that former US Vice President Joe Biden dismissed Ukrainian Prosecutor Viktor Shokin in 2015 due to concerns over his commitment to fighting corruption.
An internal European Union memo from December 2015 indicates that Shokin had met the EU’s anti-corruption standards, Just the News reports.
The EU report highlighted Ukraine’s achievements, notably under Shokin’s leadership, in countering corruption, organized crime, and human trafficking.
It reads, “Based on these commitments, the anti-corruption benchmark is deemed to have been achieved.”
It further praised Shokin’s efforts to establish an FBI-approved National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
This memo’s revelations are significant as Biden had pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin by threatening to withhold U.S. loan guarantees.
Biden’s reasoning was grounded in the belief that Shokin was not aggressive enough in tackling corruption.
Interestingly, during the period under scrutiny, Shokin was probing Burisma Holdings, an energy company paying Biden’s son, Hunter, a significant monthly sum.
During the controversy, Biden stated, “I did nothing wrong. I carried out the policy of the United States government in rooting out corruption in Ukraine. And that’s what we should be focusing on.” However, the new EU and State Department documents suggest a more nuanced picture.
Victoria Nuland, then a top U.S. official, in a letter to Shokin, conveyed that Secretary of State John Kerry was “impressed” with Shokin’s progress.
Nuland later testified in 2020, asserting that Biden’s actions were aligned with broader policy recommendations: “It was a policy that was coordinated tightly with the Europeans, with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank. But not only did we not see progress, we saw the PGO go backwards in this period.”
However, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, publicly commended Ukraine on December 18, 2015, stating, “I congratulate the Ukrainian leadership on the progress made towards completing the reform process which will bring important benefits to the citizens of Ukraine in the future.”
Sen. Ron Johnson commented on the findings, expressing belief that Biden’s actions were influenced by his son’s association with Burisma.
He stated, “The European Commission was satisfied with this. The administration was satisfied with this” and “Joe Biden then on a dime, changed US policy to the surprise of everyone.”
Similarly, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene weighed in, saying, “It’s shocking, absolutely shocking. Now we have this information that the European Union completely approved of Viktor Shokin’s job and the job he was doing fighting corruption.”
“But yet it was Joe Biden as Vice President of the United States. He was the one that didn’t approve of Victor Shokin. And we all know why,” she added.
These revelations add a layer of complexity to a story that played a pivotal role in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment.
As Biden’s role in Shokin’s dismissal remains under scrutiny, the newly surfaced documents may have broader political implications in the U.S.
