Report: Ukraine Considers Opening New Investigations

Ukraine is considering new ways to curry favor with President Trump, two sources who recently met with Ukranian officials told CNN. The sources say one of the ways the country hopes to win the favor of the Trump administration is by opening new investigations that may be seen as politically favorable to the president.

Ukraine relies on the United States for security assistance and the two sources say the Ukrainians are currently looking for additional support from the United States.

According to the report, it is unclear when such investigations might be announced or what subjects such investigations would cover. Obviously, Joe Biden's role in the firing of the prosecutor investigating his son's employer, which Trump discussed with the president of Ukraine on his July 25th phone call, has been front and center in the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry. One of the sources did tell CNN that any new investigations in Ukraine would have to cover current issues as well as those that happened in the past.

Hunter Biden served as a board member of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company, drawing a lucrative monthly salary from 2014 – 2019. Biden has no natural energy experience, was discharged from the military for using cocaine and seemingly hired by Burisma only to buy the company influence with Hunter's father, then-Vice President Joe Biden. The move appears to have worked. Joe Biden proudly recalls the time he flew to Ukraine and bribed the government into firing the prosecutor who was investigating his son's employer.

Democrats accuse Trump of "blackmailing," "bribing" or "pressuring" Ukrainian President Zelensky into investigating Trump's political opponent Joe Biden. At the Democrat-led impeachment inquiry, Democrats brought in witnesses attempting to undermine Trump's claim that there was no pressure on President Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden tied to U.S. security assistance to the country.

President Zelensky himself has also denied being pressured by Trump to investigate the former vice president or his son Hunter Biden. "I don't want to be involved in the election of the USA," Zelensky said at a United Nations General Assembly meeting with Trump back in September. "I think we had a good phone call. It was normal and we spoke about many things," Zelensky said. "You read it [the July 25 call transcript]. Nobody pushed."

"There was no blackmail," Zelensky also said in October.

President Zelensky was asked by a reporter earlier in November if he had been ready to announce an investigation into Burisma after his July 25 phone call with President Trump. “I think everybody in Ukraine is so tired about Burisma,” Zelensky answered. “We have our country, we have our independence, we have our problems and questions.” Ukraine Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka announced earlier in November that his office has widened its investigation into Burisma founder Mykola Zlochevsky. The investigation will now follow up on claims that Burisma Holdings embezzled state funds, including some $33 million from the Central Bank. At the time of the announcement, Ryaboshapka said the investigation was on hold at the moment because Zlochevsky's current whereabouts could not be determined.