The recently revealed photo from December 2015 showing then-Vice President Biden being briefed by Amos Hochstein aboard Air Force Two en route to Ukraine has raised new questions and scrutiny around Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings.
Hochstein, who was serving as special envoy for international energy affairs in the Obama administration at the time, had been communicating with Hunter Biden and his associates at Burisma in the months leading up to Biden’s trip to Ukraine. Emails show Hochstein was looped into discussions about Burisma’s concerns over Ukrainian legislative initiatives targeting private gas producers in 2014. Burisma executives indicated they planned to share information with Hochstein’s office to try to influence the policies.
The photo highlights the ethical issues posed by Hunter Biden serving on the board of a Ukrainian company while his father oversaw Ukraine policy as vice president. It raises questions about whether Hochstein ever discussed Burisma with Vice President Biden during their numerous meetings at the White House in 2015, including right before Biden’s December 2015 trip to Ukraine. It also increases scrutiny around whether Biden family business dealings improperly intersected with Vice President Biden’s official duties related to Ukraine policy.
While no direct evidence has emerged that Vice President Biden tried to influence Ukraine policies to benefit Burisma, the optics are concerning. The photo reignites worries about apparent conflicts of interest and whether Burisma was trying to curry favor with the Obama administration through Hunter Biden. It ensures renewed attention will be paid to Hochstein’s communications with Hunter and Burisma while handling sensitive diplomatic matters.
For critics like Rep. Elise Stefanik, the photo is “further evidence” that Biden and senior officials were aware of Hunter’s Burisma role and that Joe Biden was “intimately involved” in Hunter’s “corrupt foreign business dealings.” However, Biden defenders argue there is still no concrete proof of misconduct or abuse of power by the then-vice president related to Burisma. The ethics issues remain disputed along partisan lines.
Ultimately, the newly revealed Air Force Two photo from 2015 puts an increased spotlight on the ambiguities around Hunter Biden’s position at Burisma and its potential intersection with Vice President Biden’s official duties. It guarantees intensified scrutiny of Hochstein’s contacts with Hunter and Burisma while serving in the Obama administration and handling diplomacy with Ukraine. The broader ethical concerns and perceived conflict of interest raised by Hunter’s Burisma role will likely be reexamined in light of this photo.