Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declined to answer a question on the “tired” topic of Burisma Holdings, the company that hired Hunter Biden.
In his impeachment testimony, Ambassador William Taylor claimed that Ambassador Gordon Sondland was told that President Trump demanded an announcement of an investigation into Joe Biden by Zelensky. During a brief encounter with the press, Zelensky was asked if Taylor’s claim was true.
Zelensky replied, “I think everybody in Ukraine is so tired about Burisma. We have our country, we have our independence, we have our problems and questions. That’s it.”
Ukraine President Zelensky: “I think everybody in Ukraine is so tired about Burisma.” pic.twitter.com/26TglO4ymI
— The Hill (@thehill) November 19, 2019
Burisma, a natural gas firm in Ukraine, hired Hunter Biden to serve in a high paying position on their board while his father was leading American policy in Ukraine under President Obama. The company was on the U.S. radar for corruption prior to the Trump administration, as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch noted in her impeachment testimony.
A July 25 phone call between Trump and Zelensky has been the basis of the House’s impeachment. Democrats claimed that Trump withheld military aid from Ukraine unless Zelensky would investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, which could help Trump’s 2020 reelection if Biden were the candidate.
Zelensky denied that he felt any pressure to act on Trump’s behalf to obtain the aid. The military aid was transferred to Ukraine, and an investigation into the Bidens was never launched, leaving many Republicans to argue there was no quid pro quo.
