Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wasted no time during her Q&A with the witnesses at Tuesday's public hearing for the Trump-targeted impeachment inquiry. While many of her Democratic colleagues were busy defending the witnesses against President Trump's character attacks and accusing Trump of bribery, Stefanik was more interested in Ukrainian corruption, and Hunter Biden's ties to that corruption.
Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, sat on the board of Burisma Holdings, a corrupt Ukrainian gas company, for several years. He received millions of dollars for that role, despite having little knowledge of natural gas or Ukraine. Lt. Col. Vindman, who testified this morning, admitted as much.
Vindman: “As Far As I Can Tell” Hunter Biden Did Not Have Qualifications For Burisma’s Board pic.twitter.com/8pp93Ie7UI
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) November 19, 2019
Stefanik wondered why more of her colleagues weren't talking about that disconnect. She got Vindman to admit that he too had concerns about Burisma, including its questionable business dealings, and tax evasion. And both Vindman and Williams acknowledged that Hunter Biden sitting on the Burisma board has the "potential appearance of a conflict of interest."
Every witness the committee has talked to has said the same. And yet, "Adam Schiff refuses to allow this committee to call Hunter Biden despite our requests," Stefanik noted.The freshman lawmaker reminded the panel, the witnesses, and the audience of two important facts: "One, Ukraine received the aid and, two, there was no investigation into the Bidens."