Grassley: Burisma executive who allegedly paid Biden has audio recordings of conversations with Joe, Hunter

[useapen]

Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday that the Burisma executive who allegedly
paid Joe Biden and Hunter Biden kept 17 audio recordings of his
conversations with them as an "insurance policy," citing the FBI FD-1023
form that the bureau briefed congressional lawmakers on.

Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed from the Senate floor Monday what was said to
be a redacted reference in the FBI-generated FD-1023 form alleging a
criminal bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a
foreign national that involved influence over U.S. policy decisions.

Fox News Digital exclusively reported on the contents of the form last
week. The FD-1023 form, dated June 30, 2020, is the FBI's interview with a
"highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and
conversations he or she had with a top Burisma executive over the course
of several years, starting in 2015. Fox News Digital has not seen the
form, which is redacted, but it was described by several sources who are
aware of its contents.

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A
BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

Grassley said the FD-1023 has a redacted reference that the Burisma
executive possesses fifteen audio recordings of phone calls between
himself and Hunter Biden.

According to Grassley, the FD-1023 also states that the executive
possesses two audio recordings of phone calls between himself and then-
Vice President Joe Biden.

Grassley, from the Senate floor, slammed the FBI for not complying with
the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena, saying Congress "still lacks a
full and complete picture with respect to what that document really says."

"That’s why it’s important that the document be made public without
unnecessary redactions for the American people to see," he said. "Let me
assist for purposes of transparency."

"The 1023 produced to that House Committee redacted reference that the
foreign national who allegedly bribed Joe and Hunter Biden allegedly has
audio recordings of his conversations with them," Grassley continued. "17
total recordings."

"According to the 1023, the foreign national possesses 15 audio recordings
of phone calls between him and Hunter Biden," Grassley said. "According to
the 1023, the foreign national possesses two audio recordings of phone
calls between him and then-Vice President Joe Biden."

EXCLUSIVE: PERSON ALLEGING BIDEN CRIMINAL BRIBERY SCHEME IS 'HIGHLY
CREDIBLE' FBI SOURCE USED SINCE OBAMA ADMIN: SOURCE

Grassley said the recordings were "allegedly kept as a sort of insurance
policy for the foreign national in case he got into a tight spot."

"The 1023 also indicates that then-Vice President Joe Biden may have been
involved in Burisma employing Hunter Biden," Grassley said.

Grassley demanded answers on "what, if anything has the Justice Department
and FBI done to investigate?"

"The Justice Department and FBI must show their work," Grassley said.
"They no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt."

The FBI brought the document to Capitol Hill last week after House
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer subpoenaed it last month. The FBI
briefed Comer and committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on the
form in a SCIF on Capitol Hill, but did not turn over the document. Comer
threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress.

The FBI made a further accommodation and later brought the form to a
secure setting on Capitol Hill for all Oversight Committee members to
view, but the document is still not in the committee's possession.

A source familiar told Fox News Digital on Monday that the FBI did not
redact the section of the FD-1023 referencing the audio recordings when
showing the document to solely to Comer and Raskin, but did so for the
full committee briefing. The source said Grassley and Comer had already
seen the form, even prior to the FBI sharing it with Congress.

Fox News Digital was exclusively briefed on the contents of the form last
week.

Sources told Fox News Digital that the confidential human source told the
FBI that the Burisma executive was speaking with the confidential source
to "get advice on the best way to go forward" in 2015 and 2016 in gaining
U.S. oil rights and getting involved with a U.S. oil company.

According to the FD-1023 form, the confidential human source said the
Burisma executive discussed Hunter’s role on the board. The confidential
human source questioned why the Burisma executive needed his or her advice
in acquiring access to U.S. oil if he had Hunter Biden on the board. The
Burisma executive answered by referring to Hunter Biden as "dumb."

The Burisma executive explained to the confidential source that Burisma
had to "pay the Bidens" because Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin was
investigating Burisma, and explained how difficult it would be to enter
the U.S. market in the midst of that investigation.

FBI TO BRING BIDEN DOCUMENT TO CAPITOL HILL MONDAY, AFTER THREATS TO HOLD
WRAY IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS

The confidential source further detailed that conversation, suggesting to
the Burisma executive that he "pay the Bidens $50,000 each," to which the
Burisma executive replied, it is "not $50,000," it is "$5 million."

"$5 million for one Biden, $5 million for the other Biden," the Burisma
executive told the confidential human source, according to a source
familiar with the document.

A source familiar said according to the document, the $5 million payments
appeared to reference a kind of "retainer" Burisma intended to pay the
Bidens to deal with a number of issues, including the investigation led by
Shokin. Another source referred to the arrangement as a "pay-to-play"
scheme.

Sources familiar told Fox News Digital that the confidential human source
believes that the $5 million payment to Joe Biden and the $5 million
payment to Hunter Biden occurred, based on his or her conversations with
the Burisma executive.

The confidential source said the Burisma executive told him he "paid" the
Bidens in such a manner "through so many different bank accounts" that
investigators would not be able to "unravel this for at least 10 years."

The document then makes reference to "the Big Guy," which, has been said
to be a reference to Joe Biden.

The Burisma executive told the confidential source that he "didn’t pay the
Big Guy directly."

Sources said the Burisma executive appears to be at a "very, very high
level" of the company. One source familiar suggested the confidential
source could be referring to the head of Burisma, Mykola Zlochevsky, but
said the name of the Burisma executive is redacted in the document.

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully
pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin
was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly-
lucrative role on the board receiving thousands of dollars per month. The
then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid
if Shokin was not fired.

The confidential source, according to the sources familiar with the FD-
1023 form, told the Burisma executive he should "get away" from the Bidens
and said the executive should "not want to be involved" with them.

A source familiar with the document told Fox News Digital that the
confidential human source goes on to detail a later conversation with the
Burisma executive following the 2016 presidential election. The
confidential source asked the Burisma executive if he was "upset" that
Donald Trump won.

WHISTLEBLOWER ALLEGES FBI, DOJ HAVE DOCUMENT REVEALING CRIMINAL SCHEME
INVOLVING BIDEN, FOREIGN NATIONAL

The source said the Burisma executive told the confidential source that he
was "an oracle," referring to his or her advice to "get away" from the
Bidens due to fears of potential investigations into their dealings.

The White House has maintained that President Biden has never been
involved in his son's business dealings and has never discussed them with
him. And it has noted that removing Shokin was administration policy at
the time.

Hunter Biden is currently under federal investigations for his "tax
affairs." The investigation began in 2018 and was prompted by suspicious
foreign transactions.

The White House declined to comment, pointing to a statement by Joe Biden
Thursday calling the allegations "a bunch of malarky."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/grassley-burisma-executive-who-allegedly-
paid-biden-has-audio-recordings-of-conversations-with-joe-hunter