♪ ♪
>> DID YOU DISCUSS JOE BIDEN, ♪ ♪
>> DID YOU DISCUSS JOE BIDEN, HIS SON, OR HIS FAMILY?
>> IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT I
DISCUSSED BUT SOMEBODY OUGHT TO
LOOK INTO JOE BIDEN’S STATEMENT
BECAUSE IT WAS DISGRACEFUL.
>> THE INVEST GALGSIGATION THE
PRESIDENT IS REFERRING TO DATES
BACK TO WHEN JOE BIDEN WAS VICE
PRESIDENT AND HIS SON WORKED FOR
A UKRAINIAN COMPANY.
HERE WITH US, ADAM, MAKE THE
TURN FROM HUNTER GATHERER,
YOU’LL FORGIVE ME, TO HUNTER
WHISPERER AND TELL US ABOUT
HUNTER BIDEN.
HUNTER BIDEN. WHAT WAS HE DOING IN UKRAINE?
WAS IT ON THE UP AND UP IN YOUR
VIEW?
VIEW? AND HOW MUCH DID JOE BIDEN KNOW?
>> SO, ONE OF BIDEN’S -- ONE OF
HUNTER BIDEN’S BUSINESS PARTNERS
HAD MET AN OLIGARCH WHO WAS
RUNNING THE UKRAINIAN GAS
COMPANY, AND HE OFFERED HIS --
HUNTER’S -- ASSOCIATE POSITION
ON HIS BOARD.
AND AS PART OF THAT, EVENTUALLY
THAT SAME EXECUTIVE OFFERED TO
BRING HUNTER ON THE BOARD.
THE RULE THAT HUNTER HAD WAS
THAT HE DIDN’T TELL HIS FATHER
ABOUT HIS CLIENTS, HE DIDN’T
TELL HIS FATHER ABOUT THESE
THINGS, AND HIS FATHER DIDN’T
ASK.
ASK. IT WAS A DON’T ASK DON’T TELL
POLICY.
POLICY. SO, HUNTER TOOK THE JOB WHICH
WAS QUITE LUKE TIFCRATIVE AND DI
TELL HIS FATHER AND DIDN’T
CONSULT.
CONSULT. AND THE NEWS BROKE IN THE
NEWSPAPER IN THE "WALL STREET
JOURNAL" IN 2014.
BUT IT’S UNCLEAR WHETHER JOE
BIDEN EVEN SAW THE REPORTS AT
THE TIME.
THE TIME. AND IT WASN’T UNTIL MUCH LATER
THAT ONE OF HIS STATE DEPARTMENT
ADVISERS BRIEFED HIM ON HUNTER’S
ROLE WITH THE COMPANY.
>> AND WHAT DID THE PEOPLE
AROUND -- WAS ANYONE SAYING,
LOOK, MR. VICE PRESIDENT, THIS
IS A BAD LOOK, NOT WITHSTANDING
ANY AGREEMENT YOU HAVE WITH YOUR
SON, DON’T ASK/DON’T TELL?
>> NO, THEY DIDN’T FEEL
COMFORTABLE SAYING THAT TO JOE
BIDEN.
BIDEN. THEY KNEW THAT JOE’S
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS TWO SONS
WAS VERY PERSONAL FOR HIM.
AND FRANKLY, I THINK THEY WERE
AFRAID TO RAISE IT WITH HIM.
SO, THEY LARGELY KEPT IT TO
THEMSELVES AS FAR AS I COULD
TELL EXCEPT FOR ONE STATE
DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL WHICH RAISED
IT SHORTLY BEFORE A NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHED A STORY DETAILING THIS
RELATIONSHIP THAT HUNTER HAD
WITH THEM.
WITH THEM. AND IT WAS A HEAD’S UP GIVEN TO
JOE BIDEN IN CASE HE WAS ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT IT DURING A
VISIT TO KEY VEF.
>> I’M SORRY TO ASK YOU TO COME
TO A JUDGMENT, BUT IN YOUR VIEW
DO YOU THINK WE’LL HEAR FROM
HUNTER BADEN BEFORE THIS IS
OVER?
OVER? >> I DON’T KNOW.
I WOULD SAY THAT HUNTER DOESN’T
REALLY THINK THAT THERE’S
ANYTHING WRONG WITH WHAT HE DID.
YOU KNOW, MANY PEOPLE AT THE
STATE DEPARTMENT WHO WERE
WORKING ON UKRAINE THOUGHT THAT
IT WAS VERY PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE
HERE WE WERE, JOE BIDEN IN
PARTICULAR, TAKING THE LEAD
TRYING TO TELL THE UKRAINIANS
THAT THEY NEEDED TO COMBAT
CORRUPTION.
CORRUPTION. AND HERE YOU HAD, YOU KNOW, THE
SON OF THE VICE PRESIDENT WHO
WAS -- HAD THIS LUCRATIVE ROLE
WITH THIS COMPANY.
SO, IT WAS -- YOU KNOW, I THINK
IT IS DEFINITELY -- WAS A
QUESTIONABLE DECISION THAT
HUNTER MADE ACCEPTING THIS
POSITION ON THE BOARD WHEN HIS
FATHER WAS PLAYING SUCH A KEY
ROLE.
ROLE. AND IT’S OBVIOUS THAT THE
EXECUTIVES AT THE COMPANY WANTED
HUNTER ON THE BOARD SO THEY
COULD SAY THEY HAD A BIDEN ON
THE BOARD.
THE BOARD. THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT
GIULIANI AND WHAT THE PRESIDENT
HAVE DONE TO TRY TO GET A
FOREIGN GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY
ONE THAT IS HISTORICALLY WEAK
AGAINST THE RUSSIANS, HAVING THE
UNITED STATES PUT THAT KIND OF
PRESSURE ON THEM TO EFFECTIVELY