The transparency group Judicial Watch announced Thursday it had filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the State Department, seeking more information about Joe Biden’s boast that he pressured Ukraine to fire its top prosecutor.
The litigation came a day after President Trump, seeking to turn the tables against Democrats as they pursue an impeachment inquiry, highlighted what he called Biden’s own possible misconduct while in office.
“The latest assault on President Trump is an obvious attempt to protect Joe Biden from the corruption scandals involving his son,” Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said in a statement. “Judicial Watch’s latest lawsuit will be the first of many to try to get to the bottom of this influence-peddling scandal.”
Biden has acknowledged on camera that, when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire that prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who was investigating the natural gas firm Burisma Holdings — where his son Hunter Biden had a highly lucrative role on the board reportedly paying him tens of thousands of dollars per month, despite limited relevant expertise.
The former vice president specifically said he threatened to pull nearly $1 billion in Obama administration loan guarantees if Shokin wasn’t fired, potentially crippling Ukraine’s government. – READ MORE