Declassified Documents Contradict former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch's testimony on Burisma, Hunter Biden Briefings
Newly released State Department emails and memos show former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch and her staff received frequent briefings on Burisma Holdings and Hunter Biden between 2016 and 2019, conflicting with her congressional testimony that the matter was not a significant issue.
Tommy Flynn
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, a key witness in the 2019 impeachment of then-President Donald Trump, received repeated emails, memos, and briefings on Burisma Holdings, its owner Mykola Zlochevsky, and Hunter Biden’s board role, according to documents released Friday by the White House Government Transparency Task Force.
The records contrast with Yovanovitch’s October 11, 2019 testimony. Asked whether embassy staff briefed her on Burisma issues after she arrived, she replied that she did not recall such briefings and that “it just wasn’t a big deal.” She stated she had other information but did not recall the source of her impression.
A November 22, 2016 email from her deputy George Kent stated that “someone in Washington needed to engage VP Biden quietly and say that his son Hunter’s presence on the Burisma board undercut the anti-corruption message the VP and we were advancing in Ukraine.” Kent and others noted Ukrainians heard one message while observing the family association with a company viewed as corrupt.
Documents show Yovanovitch’s embassy handled multiple communications about Blue Star Strategies’ efforts to rehabilitate Burisma’s image, requests for meetings, and concerns that certain proposals “would not pass the Washington Post sniff test.” Staff forwarded one-pagers on the U.S. government’s prior involvement in a case involving Zlochevsky’s assets, including FBI investigative support. Kent continued updating Yovanovitch on related developments into 2018.
Yovanovitch was removed by Trump in May 2019. The documents also include references to Burisma board member Cofer Black seeking a courtesy call and other outreach. Just the News had previously reported aspects of some emails while classified; the White House declassified the Kent email and released the broader set.
Yovanovitch has not issued a new public response to the release. The materials form part of ongoing reviews of the 2019 impeachment proceedings and related Ukraine policy.
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