False: Hunter Biden had been paid millions of dollars 'to do nothing' when he was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company

By: Devika Kandelwal
August 26 2020

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There is no evidence that suggests that Hunter Biden was paid millions when he was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company to 'do nothing'. On the second night of the Republican National Convention, Pam Condi claimed that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was paid millions of dollars when he was on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian company. This is not the first time this claim has been made. President Donald Trump, in October 2019, tweeted that Hunter Biden ‘was handed $100,000 a month from a Ukrainian based company, even though he had no experience in energy.’ Trump further said that this suggested that this was an indication of potential wrongdoing. Hunter began working for Burisma in 2014, around the same time Joe Biden was spearheading the Obama administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to root out corruption. He served until 2019. NYT reported that during his time with Burisma, Hunter reportedly received compensation up to $50,000 a month. The Reuters reported that Hunter served as a director who provided advice on legal issues, corporate finance, and strategy during a five-year term on the board. Though some ethics watchdogs have criticized Hunter’s decision to work for Burisma in light of who his father is, there’s no evidence of wrongdoing or illegal activity on his part or, the former vice president’s. Ukraine’s government has released a statement that it has no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden or his father. Washington Post reported that former Ukraine prosecutor general Ruslan Ryaboshapka audited the many outstanding case files looking into Burisma and said he found no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens. No evidence has been found which suggested Hunter got the job to influence US foreign policy. Even though many experts said that it was a conflict of interest, as the son of the vice president, who had been leading the Obama administration’s policy on Ukraine, took a job as a director on the board of Ukraine’s largest private gas producer. Hunter has never been found guilty of any wrongdoings regarding his work with Burisma.