Jackass Joe Biden's son was conveniently appointed to the board of directors of Ukraine's Largest Gas Co. Remember when Cheney was attacked by the media for his ties with Halliburton? Bad then but OK now. Bad for Russia to help in Ukraine but OK for US to interfere. USA hypocrisy.
"Hunter Biden, son of US VP Joe Biden, is joining the board of directors of Burisma Holdings, Ukraine's largest private gas producer. The group has prospects in eastern Ukraine where civil war is threatened following the coup in Kiev.
Biden will advise on "transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities" to "contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine."
Joe Biden's senior campaign adviser in 2004, financier Devon Archer, a business partner of Hunter Biden's, also joined the Bursima board claiming it was like 'Exxon in the old days'.
Biden Jr.'s resume is unsurprisingly sprinkled with Ivy-league dust -- a graduate of Yale Law School he serves on the Chairman's Advisory Board for the National Democratic Institute, is a director for the Center for National Policy and the US Global Leadership Coalition which comprises 400 American businesses, NGOs, senior national security and foreign policy experts.
Former US President Bill Clinton appointed him as Executive Director of E-Commerce Policy and he was honorary co-chair of the 2008 Obama-Biden Inaugural Committee.
Burisma Holdings was set up in 2002. Its licenses cover Ukraine's three key hydrocarbon basins, including Dnieper-Donets (in eastern Ukraine), Carpathian (western) and Azov-Kuban (southern Ukraine).
The Biden board news came as Gazprom moved Ukraine to a prepaid gas delivery regime and sent Naftogaz, Ukraine's gas champion, a $1.66 billion bill that is due June 2, or Moscow will halt supplies.
Ukraine currently has about 9 billion cubic meters of gas in storage, but by the winter needs 18.5bcm. Kiev bought 27.7 billion cubic meters from Gazprom for which it still owes some $3.5 bn in 2013.
Gazprom is demanding Kiev pays $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, raised from $268.50 after Moscow was forced to cancel several discounts agreed upon under Yanukovich's tenure as president. Kiev rejects the new price as "politically motivated" and says it will only pay its debt if Gazprom lowers the price back to $268.50, or else open an arbitration case against the company in Stockholm."
The White House brushed off questions about any ethical issues on appointing the vice-president's son, Hunter Biden, to a leading post at a Ukrainian gas company. The concerns come amid US attempts to affect Kiev's energy policy.
Biden Jr. was appointed to board of directors of Burisma Holdings, Ukraine's largest private gas producer on Tuesday.
Speaking about his new position, Hunter Biden said he will advise on "transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities" to "contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine."
The decision immediately sparked questions if US actually supported Biden's promotion, as his father, US Vice-President Joe Biden, has frequently spoken about the need to increase Ukraine's energy independence, including during his recent visit to Kiev. "Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family are obviously private citizens, and where they work does not reflect an endorsement by the administration or by the vice-president or president," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki also responded bluntly to the questions, saying only that Hunter Biden is a private citizen. Joe Biden spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff also said "the vice-president does not endorse any particular company and has no involvement with this company."
However, Curtis Ellis, executive director at American Jobs Alliance, told RT that it is a typical Washington politics to exploit a foreign crisis for personal gain. "The US ... are trying to portray in the most altruistic and platonic fashion possible. However, it is very difficult to disentangle business interests from national interests," he said. Hunter Biden, 44, has a very impressive resume. A graduate of Yale Law School, he serves on the Chairman's Advisory Board for the National Democratic Institute. He is also a director for the Center for National Policy and the US Global Leadership Coalition, which comprises 400 American businesses, NGOs, senior national security and foreign policy experts. Former US President Bill Clinton appointed him as Executive Director of e-Commerce Policy and he was honorary co-chair of the 2008 Obama-Biden Inaugural Committee. The licenses of Burisma Holdings, founded in 2002, cover Ukraine's three key hydrocarbon basins, including Dnieper-Donets (in eastern Ukraine), Carpathian (western) and Azov-Kuban (southern Ukraine)." - Courtesy RT News