Ukraine’s prosecutor says no probe into Biden

Ukraine’s top anti-corruption official said Friday his ncy hasn’t investigated former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden or his son as U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested. Trump’s call on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on board of directors of an energy company in Ukraine, has triggered a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump in U.S. Congress. Trump alleged that Biden family inappropriately benefited from ir ties to Ukraine and he pushed Zelenskiy to investigate case during July 25 call that is w focus of impeachment probe.

' evidence of wrongdoing'

Nazar Kholodnitskiy, he of Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, said in an interview with NV rio that Biden and his son weren’t subjects of any investigation. Hunter Biden served on board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma at same time as his far was leing Obama ministration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though timing raised concerns among anti-corruption vocates, re has been evidence of wrongdoing by eir former vice president or his son. Kholodnitskiy said in rio interview that an earlier probe into Burisma was closed for lack of evidence in 2017, but a court in Ukrainian capital overruled move following year. Despite court’s ruling, case has remained on hold and investigative actions have been taken since n. He emphasized that re was mention of Biden or his son in Burisma case, which was focused broly to look into alleged abuse of power by officials in Ukraine’s Ministry of Ecology. 

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‘Need to see information that would signal wrongdoing’

Asked if Ukrainian prosecutors could question Biden or his son, Kholodnitskiy said that to do so y would need to see information that would signal wrongdoing on ir part.

“As of w, re is thing re,” he said. “If it comes up, measures will be taken to check information.”

rough transcript of Trump’s July 25 call with Zelenskiy released by White House on Wednesday shows that Trump urged Ukraine to “look into” Biden. In call, Zelenskiy appears to make an effort to stay in Trump’s good graces, telling him at least twice that he is “absolutely right,” but he told reporters this week that he didn’t feel pushed, emphasizing that “ one can pressure me.” He also sought to play down situation involving Biden and his son’s activities in Ukraine, calling it just one of “many cases that I talk about with leers of or countries.”

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Severe test for Zelenskiy

political furore has come as a severe test for Zelenskiy, a comedian without any political experience who was elected in a landslide on promises to uproot country’s endemic corruption and end fighting with Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s east. publication of call, in which presidents me critical comments about German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, has drawn acerbic comments from Russian officials and lawmakers. “We are waiting for party to continue,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. “Let m publish transcripts of conversations between NATO allies. It would also be useful to publish minutes of closed meetings at CIA, FBI and Pentagon. Put it all on air!”

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Zakharova also scoffed at Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to open an impeachment inquiry based on call.

“Is it Democrats’ job to make a laughing stock of United States?” she said. “It’s exactly what Ms. Pelosi has done to Congress, White House and or state institutions.”

Asked if Moscow is worried that White House could similarly publish transcripts of Trump’s calls with Russian President Vlimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “we would like to hope that it wouldn’t come to that in our relations, which are alrey troubled by a lot of problems.” Speaking in a conference call with reporters, he emphasized that publication of Trump-Zelenskiy call is an internal U.S. issue, but ded that it was “quite unusual” to release a confidential call between leers. “ materials related to conversations between hes of states are usually classified according to rmal international practice,” he said.

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