The Biden family was once held in high regard by many Americans. Not anymore.
And now Joe Biden’s utterly stunned by what just leaked to the press about his VP tenure.
Biden Family’s Shadowy Ukraine Deals: A Tale of Secret Emails and Russian Gas
The Biden family’s involvement in Ukraine’s energy sector has long been a subject of scrutiny, but newly uncovered emails paint a damning picture of covert dealings that raise serious questions about their motives. While Joe Biden, as vice president, publicly championed sanctions against Russia for its 2014 invasion of Ukraine, behind closed doors, he was facilitating a deal to keep Moscow’s natural gas flowing to Kyiv. This move, conveniently timed with his son Hunter’s lucrative position at Ukrainian energy giant Burisma Holdings, suggests a troubling pattern of personal gain over national interest.
Emails recently obtained by reporters through an open records lawsuit reveal Joe Biden’s use of a private account under the pseudonym [email protected] to orchestrate this backdoor deal. These messages, partially redacted by the National Archives but fully disclosed to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, expose a stark contrast between Biden’s public rhetoric and private actions. At a time when he was urging Ukraine to reduce its reliance on Russian energy, Biden was secretly ensuring Moscow’s gas spigots remained open.
The deal’s significance cannot be overstated. In October 2014, as Ukraine faced a harsh winter without adequate gas supplies, Joe Biden’s intervention was pivotal. “Ukraine gas deal was just signed. The Germans earlier indicated to Tony that your call had come at a critical moment,” wrote Jeffrey Prescott, Biden’s Deputy National Security Advisor, in an email to the vice president’s private account. The message appears to reference then-Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, a Biden loyalist who later became Secretary of State. This suggests Biden’s influence was instrumental in sealing the agreement, despite Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel receiving public credit.
Adding to the intrigue, Prescott noted, “Amos (with an assist here internally from your team) was critical to the endgame,” likely referring to Amos Hochstein, a Biden energy advisor who had multiple interactions with Hunter Biden regarding Burisma. This raises the question: was Joe Biden’s involvement purely diplomatic, or was it influenced by his son’s financial stake in Ukraine’s energy market? The timing is suspicious, to say the least.
Just six days before Prescott’s email, Merkel had personally appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to restore gas flows to Ukraine, according to German news outlet DW. Yet, it was Biden’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering that apparently clinched the deal. This stands in sharp contrast to the public stance he and President Barack Obama took after Russia’s annexation of Crimea earlier that year. Both leaders imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies, and Biden traveled to Kyiv in spring 2014 to push for Ukraine’s energy independence.
Biden’s public call for Ukraine to break free from Moscow’s energy grip was undermined by his private efforts to maintain the status quo. “There is no immediate supplier solution to replace [Russia],” Hunter Biden wrote to his business partner Devon Archer in April 2014, the same month his father delivered his energy independence speech. Hunter, poised to join Burisma’s board, warned that a halt in Russian gas exports would devastate Ukraine’s energy supply and, by extension, Burisma’s profits. His foresight proved prescient, as Russia shut off gas to Ukraine that summer, creating a crisis that threatened Burisma’s bottom line.
Hunter’s email to Archer reveals a calculated strategy. “There will be enormous pressure on Burisma to lower prices for the national good. Even if the company takes a hit in profits it would seem imprudent to raise prices in concert with [Russian] price gouging,” he wrote. This suggests Hunter was keenly aware that maintaining Russian gas flows was in Burisma’s short-term interest, even if it meant propping up Moscow’s influence over Ukraine. The Biden family’s priorities seem clear: protect Burisma’s profits, even at the expense of Ukraine’s long-term energy goals.
The summer of 2014 was a tumultuous period for Burisma. Facing a criminal probe by Ukrainian authorities, the company’s founder, Mykola Zlochevsky, was under intense pressure. A legal defense plan crafted by Hunter Biden’s law firm, Boies Schiller & Flexner, and obtained by reporters, details an aggressive campaign to leverage Washington connections to quash the investigation. The plan targeted the State Department, Congress, and other power centers to shield Zlochevsky from scrutiny—a move that reeks of influence peddling.
Hunter’s concerns about public perception were explicit. “And it is in the moment (btw now and Elections) that he needs to weather,” he wrote, warning that any perception of Burisma profiting from Russia’s actions could reignite the probe. “If he is seen as unfairly profiting from the [Russian] induced price spike things could turn against him fast.” This email, turned over to Congress by IRS whistleblowers in 2023, highlights Hunter’s desperation to protect Burisma’s—and his own—financial interests.
Joe Biden’s willingness to facilitate Russian gas exports to Ukraine, despite his public opposition to Moscow, mirrors other questionable decisions during his tenure. In 2021, as president, he waived sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a move that baffled critics who feared it would deepen Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. This pattern of prioritizing personal or political expediency over principle casts a long shadow over the Biden family’s legacy.
The emails also hint at Hunter’s direct access to high-level officials. On October 27, 2014, his assistant informed him that the Secretary of State might call soon, just days before the gas deal was finalized. Meanwhile, Hunter and Archer were closely monitoring Ukraine’s energy landscape, collaborating with Burisma’s Washington lobbyist, David Leiter, to influence U.S. policy. Leiter’s efforts included persuading U.S. officials to oppose Ukrainian legislation that would raise taxes on private gas producers like Burisma, according to whistleblower documents.
Further evidence of Hunter’s influence campaign emerges from a September 2014 meeting with Frank Mermoud, a former State Department official. Mermoud’s follow-up email offered “further discussion on ways in which my international advisory firm of Orpheus could be additive to your efforts,” suggesting Hunter was actively building a network to bolster Burisma’s interests. These interactions, detailed in a 58-page Boies Schiller & Flexner memo, reveal a concerted effort to sway U.S. policy in Burisma’s favor.
Devon Archer, Hunter’s business partner and fellow Burisma board member, shed light on the company’s motivations. “But one thing I do know is that Burisma would do just about anything to survive, and one of those things was putting the vice president’s son on the board, and I think they did that very effectively,” Archer told media outlets. He added that he wouldn’t be surprised if Burisma asked Hunter to lobby Washington, given their “sheer desire for survival.” Archer’s candor exposes the cynical calculus behind Burisma’s decision to hire Hunter—a move that traded on his father’s influence.
The Biden family’s actions in Ukraine reveal a troubling disconnect between their public posturing and private dealings. While Joe Biden preached energy independence and sanctions against Russia, he quietly ensured Moscow’s gas kept flowing, aligning with his son’s financial interests at Burisma. This duality undermines any claim to integrity and fuels suspicions of corruption at the highest levels.
Congressional investigators have taken note, particularly after Democrats falsely claimed Burisma was not under investigation when Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire its lead prosecutor in 2015. The emails and Archer’s testimony suggest otherwise, pointing to an effort to shield Burisma from accountability. The House Oversight Committee’s ongoing probe may yet uncover more damning evidence of the Bidens’ misconduct.
The Conservative Column will update you on any breaking reports with this developing story.
