Ex-Ukraine prosecutor claims he was told to back off Biden-linked firm probe: report
October 2, 2019
Original Article – Tamar Lapin, New York Post
Ukraine’s former top prosecutor told Rudy Giuliani earlier this year that he was indeed asked to back off any probe of a natural gas company linked to Joe Biden’s son, according to a copy of Giuliani’s notes obtained by Fox News.
During the pair’s Jan. 23, 2019, phone call, scandal-scarred ex-prosecutor Viktor Shokin told Giuliani that his “investigations stopped out of fear of the United States,” after a top diplomat asked that he use “kid gloves” in pursuing the company, according to the notes of President Trump’s personal attorney, reported by the outlet.
“Mr. Shokin attempted to continue the investigations but on or around June or July of 2015, the U.S. Ambassador [to Ukraine] Geoffrey R. Pyatt told him that the investigation has to be handled with white gloves, which according to Mr. Shokin, that implied do nothing,” the notes from the phone call state.
Shokin was booted from his post in April 2016, amid accusations of corruption, including that his office was blocking major cases against allies and influential figures.
In March 2016, Biden, as vice president, had threatened to cut off $1 billion in guaranteed loans unless Ukraine ditched Shokin.