John Solomon: Debunking Ukraine Scandal Myths

Myth: There is no evidence the Democratic National Committee sought Ukraine’s assistance during the 2016 election.

The Facts: The Ukrainian embassy in Washington has confirmed that a DNC contractor named Alexandra Chalupa solicited dirt on Donald Trump and Paul Manafort during the spring of 2016.

Myth: There is no evidence that Ukrainian government officials tried to influence the American presidential election in 2016.

The Facts: There are two documented episodes involving Ukrainian government officials’ efforts to influence the 2016 American presidential election.

Myth: There is no evidence that then-Vice President Joe Biden tried to get the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating his son fired.

The Facts: Joe Biden is captured on videotape bragging about his effort to strong-arm Ukraine’s president into firing Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin by threatening to withhold $1 billion in U.S. aid to Kiev if he didn’t.

Myth: When Biden forced Shokin’s firing, Ukraine was no longer investigating Burisma Holdings.

The Facts: Ukraine’s official case file shows there were two active investigations going on, one involving corruption allegations and the other unpaid taxes.

Myth: There is no evidence Vice President Joe Biden did anything to encourage Burisma’s hiring of his son Hunter.

The Facts: The public facts create an appearance of impropriety in this matter that cries out for more investigation.

Myth: Hunter Biden’s firm only received $50,000 a month for his work as a board member and consultant for Burisma Holdings.

The Facts: Bank records obtained by the FBI in an unrelated case show that between May 2014 and the end of 2015, Hunter Biden’s and Devon Archer’s firm received $166,666 per month; in some months, the amount was even higher.

Myth: When President Trump talked to Ukraine’s president in July of this year, he was trying to force Ukraine to re-open the probe into Burisma.

The Facts: Ukraine had already re-opened this probe on March 28, 2019, three months before the call.

Myth: Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko retracted or recanted his claim that U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch in 2016 identified people and entities she did not what to see prosecuted in Ukraine.

The Facts: In a March interview with me, Lutsenko stated that, during his first meeting with Yovanovitch in summer 2016, the American diplomat gave him her “do not prosecute” list.

Myth: The narratives about Biden, the U.S. embassy and Ukrainian election interference are conspiracy theories invented by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to impact the 2020 election.

The Facts: Giuliani began investigating matters in Ukraine in late fall 2018 as a personal lawyer to the president. But months before his quest began, Ukrainian prosecutors believed they possessed evidence about Burisma, the Bidens and 2016 election interference that might interest the U.S. Justice Department. It is the same evidence that came to light this spring and summer and that is now a focus of the impeachment proceedings.

Click to see the whole article which includes evidence supporting the above.