Thread by @MacWBishop

In Kyiv, we spoke to several individuals about Burisma, Hunter Biden and the Ukrainian prosecutors involved in the widening scandal at the center of Donald Trump's impeachment hearings.

What follows is a basic timeline of key dates and developments in Ukraine. 1/n

18 April 2014 - Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company with revenue around $400 million per year, invites Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Poland’s former president, and Hunter Biden to join its Board of Directors. 2/n

Hunter Biden was a founder of Rosemont Seneca Partners - a hedge fund - as well as a lawyer for Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, an American law firm. According to Burisma's press release, his role at Burisma was to be a legal one under Boies Schiller.

SOURCE: Buzzfeed “Biden’s son quietly signs on to Ukrainian Gas Company”: buzzfeednews.com/article/maxsed…
SOURCE: Press release from Burisma, subsequently deleted from its website: burisma-group.com/hunter-biden-j…
SOURCE: Archived version of Burisma press release: documentcloud.org/documents/5980…

28 April 2014 - Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) begins preliminary investigation into money laundering by Mykola Zlochevsky, the founder of Burisma, freezing US$23 million in his bank accounts.

The SFO began the investigation after being notified of a massive transfer of funds into an account held by Zolchevsky in February 2014 by the London branch of BNP Paribas.

SOURCE: Britain's Serious Fraud Office Press Release sfo.gov.uk/2014/04/28/mon…
SOURCE: Blog of Ukrainian MP Sergiy Leshchenko, member of the Parliamentary Committee on Corruption Prevention and Counteraction blogs.pravda.com.ua/authors/lesche…

13 May 2014 - US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki says that the White House is unconcerned about perceived conflicts of interest as Hunter Biden was a “private citizen.”

SOURCE: C-SPAN ***VIDEO*** c-span.org/video/?c481996…

25 May 2014 - Petro Poroshenko becomes president of Ukraine after unscheduled elections.

27 June 2014 - Journalists publicly question whether Hunter Biden’s role and Burisma’s hiring of well-connected DC lobbying firm ML Strategies will influence Ukraine policy.

Four US Senators, all Democrats, write a letter to President Obama calling for the US government to assist Ukraine in “improving its energy efficiency, increasing its domestic production, and reforming its energy markets.”

SOURCE: Letter from Edward J. Markey, Ron Wyden, Jeanne Shaheen and Christopher S. Murphy to President Obama markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…

All four senators deny any influence by Biden or ML Strategies in their decision to draft the letter.

SOURCE: Time Magazine, “Ukrainian Employer of Joe Biden’s Son Hires a DC Lobbyist” time.com/2964493/ukrain…

05 Aug 2014 - Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) begins investigation into Mykola Zlochevsky, for tax fraud and money laundering. The investigation focuses on Brociti Investments Limited.

SOURCE: ***In Ukrainian*** Blog of Ukrainian MP Sergiy Leshchenko, includes scanned copy of letter from Ukrainian Main Investigative Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office detailing Case No 42014000000000805 blogs.pravda.com.ua/authors/lesche…

02 Dec 2014 - Ukrainian PGO issues letter to British law enforcement stating “uncertain legal status and absence of notification of suspicion of Mykola Zlochevskyi” at the request of Zlochevsky’s defense attorneys.

Essentially this is seen by British and American investigators as foot-dragging on the part of Ukrainian prosecutors, as it means they have uncovered no new information about the case.

SOURCE: London Criminal Court Case No: RSTO/7/2104 antac.org.ua/wp-content/upl…

25 Dec 2014 - US government sends letter to Ukrainian PGO warning that if Zolchevsky’s funds are unblocked, it could have repercussions for all of the sanctions put in place against former Yanukovych associates.

SOURCE: ***In Ukrainian*** Blog of Ukrainian MP Sergiy Leshchenko, member of the Parliamentary Committee on Corruption Prevention and Counteraction, includes scanned copy of letter to Ukrainian Attorney General discussing the letter from the USG:blogs.pravda.com.ua/authors/lesche…

21 Jan 2015 - Central Criminal Court of London cancels seizure of Zlochevsky’s accounts, citing lack of new information from Ukrainian prosecutors.

SOURCE: London Criminal Court Case No: RSTO/7/2104 antac.org.ua/wp-content/upl…

10 Feb 2015 - Viktor Shokin - an ally of ousted president Viktor Yanukovych - is appointed prosecutor-general of Ukraine.

SOURCE: Ukraine Crisis Media Center: uacrisis.org/17614-viktor-s…

24 Sep 2015 - Speaking at the Odessa Financial Forum, US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt says “Corruption kills,” and gives a speech specifically criticizing Shokin’s office for stymying anti-corruption cases, including the investigation into Zlochevsky.

SOURCE: Transcript of Speech by US Ambassador Pyatt: justsecurity.org/wp-content/upl…

08 Oct 2015 - In testimony to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland specifically calls for reform of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.

SOURCE: US Senate Foreign Relations Committee transcript: foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…

SOURCE: ***VIDEO*** of US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing: foreign.senate.gov/hearings/the-e…

07 Dec 2015 - Joe Biden travels to Ukraine, where he asks Poroshenko to do more to battle corruption, including by firing Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, who many independent analysts believe is blocking anti-corruption efforts.

SOURCE: NY Times, “Joe Biden says US is still backing Ukraine,” nytimes.com/2015/12/09/wor…

SOURCE: NY Times, “Joe Biden, His Son and the Case Against a Ukrainian Oligarch,” nytimes.com/2015/12/08/wor…

09 Dec 2015 - Joe Biden speaks before Ukraine's Parliament, calling for anti-corruption reform. "...it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption. The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform."

SOURCE: White House Archives: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-offi…

04 Feb 2016 - Ukrainian economic minister Aivaras Abromavičius resigns, citing widespread corruption in the Poroshenko administration. Abromavičius is widely trusted by Western diplomats and economic players; his resignation is seen as a blow to anti-corruption efforts.

SOURCE: Financial Times, “Ukraine’s economy minister resigns, cites high-level corruption,” ft.com/content/201de2…

SOURCE: British Embassy Kyiv Press Release: gov.uk/government/new…

SOURCE: The Guardian: “Economic Minister’s Resignation Plunges Ukraine into New Crisis,” theguardian.com/world/2016/feb…

10 Feb 2016 - IMF announces it will withhold US$40 billion in cash from Ukraine.

SOURCE: theguardian.com/world/2016/feb…

15 Feb 2016 - Deputy Prosecutor General Vitaly Kasko resigns, accusing Shokin of blocking reform.

SOURCE: RFE/RL “Reformist Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Resigns,” rferl.org/a/ukrainian-ka…

SOURCE: Kyiv Post, “Kasko resigns, citing interference with his work,” kyivpost.com/article/conten…

16 Feb 2016 - Viktor Shokin resigns.

SOURCE: NY Times, “Ukraine Ousts Viktor Shokin, Top Prosecutor, and Political Stability Hangs in the Balance,” nytimes.com/2016/03/30/wor…

SOURCE: Kyiv Post, “Prosecutor-General Shokin Resigns,” kyivpost.com/article/conten…

SOURCE: RFE/RL, “Poroshenko’s Office Announce’s Receipt of Shokin Resignation,” rferl.org/a/ukraine-poro…

12 May 2016 - Yuriy Lutsenko is appointed prosecutor-general of Ukraine.

SOURCE: UNIAN, “Lutsenko appointed prosecutor-general in Ukraine,” unian.info/politics/13437…

01 Nov 2016 - PGO closes criminal proceedings against Zlochevsky.

SOURCE: ***In Ukrainian*** Letter from PGO to Ukrainian MP Viktor Chumak regarding the judgment in Criminal Investigation No. 42014000000000805 reyestr.court.gov.ua/Review/55416526

SOURCE: Translation of letter via the NGO Anticorruption Action Center: antac.org.ua/wp-content/upl…

23 Jan 2018 - Biden, by his own account, told Ukraine’s leaders that they had to fire Shokin if they wanted $1 billion in US aid released:

Biden: “I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. (Laughter.) He got fired. And they put in place someone who was solid at the time.”

SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations ***VIDEO at 52:50 mark*** cfr.org/event/foreign-…

06 Mar 2018 - President Poroshenko fends off calls for the creation of an anti-corruption court.

SOURCE: “Poroshenko fends off IMF demands for anti-corruption court” ft.com/content/752e5a…

07 June 2018 - Ukraine approves establishment of an independent anti-corruption court.

SOURCE: NY Times, “Ukraine approves anticorruption court in effort to unblock foreign aid,” nytimes.com/2018/06/07/wor…

Apr 2019 - Hunter Biden resigns from Burisma's board as his father announces a presidential bid.

SOURCE: Washington Post, "As vice president, Biden said Ukraine should increase gas production. Then his son got a job with a Ukrainian gas company," washingtonpost.com/politics/as-vi…

20 May 2019 - Vladimir Zelensky is elected president of Ukraine.

29 Aug 2019 - Lutsenko resigns as prosecutor-general.

SOURCE: Interfax-Ukraine, “I am submitting my resignation today - Prosecutor-General Lutsenko,” en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/5…

This is not a definitive timeline of events, nor of interactions between US and Ukrainian officials.

But it should provide key context for understanding the investigation into Zlochevsky as it relates to Burisma, Hunter Biden's involvement with the company, and international efforts to reform Ukraine's anticorruption efforts through the Prosecutor-General's Office.

For more detailed timelines, I recommend the groundbreaking work carried out by the Ukrainian NGO Anticorruption Action Center here: antac.org.ua/en/publication…

As well as this excellent resource from @ViolaGienger and @rgoodlaw at Just Security: justsecurity.org/66271/timeline…

@violagienger @rgoodlaw In any case, this is all a matter of public record. Efforts to remove Shokin and investigate allegations of corruption on the part of Zlochevsky were multinational and widespread.

At the same time, there is no evidence that Hunter Biden was the target of any investigation on the part of Ukrainian prosecutors.

Hunter Biden's involvement in Burisma reeks of nepotistic privilege and - even when it was first disclosed - raised questions about conflicts of interest in the US' Ukraine policy.

But the allegations raised by the whistleblower against Trump are about that president's efforts to use foreign aid as leverage, to coerce a foreign country to investigate his political opponent.

Nothing in the timeline I have just described changes that accusation.