Viktor Shokin, the former top prosecutor for Ukraine who was fired under pressure from then-Vice President Joe Biden, has finally spoken out, posting a video on Thursday that rebuts allegations of corruption in his office and why he believed Biden sought to end his investigation into Burisma.
Sitting in front of the camera, Shokin calmly explained the need for his corruption investigation following the surprise lifting of a seizure he had made of $23 million belonging to Burisma following the company’s move to bring Hunter Biden and associate Devon Archer into the fold.
It was only 10 to 12 days before his termination, Shokin said, that courts ordered millions of dollars in assets belonging to Burisma President Mykola Zlochevsky be seized including oil wells, cars, and real estate properties.
“The depiction of these investigations as ‘dormant’ has nothing to do with reality of the facts,” Shokin said. “I understand very well that the United States has one of the best intelligence services in the world, and of course, the investigation into Burisma was closely monitored, not only by legal means, but also illegal.”
“We have to believe that [Vice President] Biden believed we were going to start questioning his son,” Shokin said. Hunter Biden at the time was serving as outside counsel to Burisma while on the payroll for an influential D.C. firm. Zlochevsky had told Hunter and Archer that he specifically wanted “protection” under the “Biden brand.”
“Everyone understood that the fight was going to end very badly for them,” Shokin added.
It fell to Vice President Biden to use all means at his disposal, said the former prosecutor, including calling on certain members of parliament to increase pressure on the government to fire Shokin while acting disinterested in the case.
“Biden was acting in his own interests, not the interests of the American people,” he said. “That is the explanation, in my opinion.”
His case against Burisma did not include a pursuit of Hunter Biden, Shokin said, but that “Joe Biden has reason to fear that the investigation would eventually fall on his son.”
On Monday, Archer testified during a closed-door congressional hearing that Vice President Biden participated in dozens of meetings with himself, Hunter, and business associates including those at Burisma who wanted to see Shokin fired. Hunter’s business activities in Ukraine and other countries around the world generated millions of dollars in revenue for members of the Biden clan, though President Biden strongly denies his knowledge or involvement. House Republicans are continuing to investigate the matter as they seek to weaken the president’s standing heading into next year’s election.
Watch the full interview here:
This is Viktor Shokin. He is the Ukrainian prosecutor that Biden accused of being corrupt and had removed.
In this video he responds to accusations that his investigation into Burisma was dormant or that he was corrupt. He tells the truth about why he was removed as prosecutor.… pic.twitter.com/4kmXexBsmL
— MAZE (@mazemoore) August 4, 2023