Federal memos reveal efforts to block Ukrainian witness in Biden probe

Newly released memos from the White House Government Transparency Task Force indicate that federal agencies, including the FBI and State Department, moved to prevent a Ukrainian witness from testifying in a 2020 Senate investigation into the Biden family.

The documents show that in September 2020, officials sought to revoke the visa of Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian embassy aide, just as he was scheduled to be interviewed by Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley. The agencies alleged Telizhenko was spreading disinformation regarding Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Burisma Holdings and Joe Biden’s involvement in the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor.

However, the memos suggest these claims were used to obstruct the probe. While the Treasury Department sanctioned Telizhenko for election interference, internal intelligence indicated he had actually rebuffed Russian recruitment efforts. Furthermore, internal State Department communications from the period expressed belief that Hunter Biden’s position at Burisma had indeed undercut U.S. anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine.