Sometime in the future I will probably feel compelled to write more thoroughly about Hunter Biden’s decision to accept a job on the board of directors of a Ukrainian natural gas company, but for now I just want to make a rather obvious observation. If you have the right connections in this world, you can get paid a ton of money for doing almost nothing. Whether in this country or abroad, offering someone a job on a corporate board of directors is often a way that rich people help other rich people. It’s a small insulated world, and you’re lucky if you can be a part of it.
Hunter Biden might have received such a offer as the son of a longtime senator. Other people receive such opportunities because they’re ne’er-do-well son-in-laws who have no more legitimate prospects. But he almost certainly received the offer because he was the son of the sitting American vice-president.
There is something inherently unfair and foul-smelling about such arrangements, but this case smells worse because there is a political aspect to it. The reason he should have declined the offer is not because it was illegal or particularly far out of the ordinary. The reason is precisely what we’re seeing now, which is political fallout for his father.
As a political clan, the Bidens should have avoided this. There are other ways to make money. But the Republicans could not help themselves. They took what was a legitimate appearance problem and turned into a tapestry of lies and misinformation, and enlisted foreign government officials to help them spread their lies.
So, now, there’s really no alternative but to defend Hunter Biden because what he is being accused of doing is a lie. What Joe Biden is being accused of doing is a lie. And those lies now constitute clear and convincing rationales for the removal of the president and the imprisonment of Rudy Giuliani.
Presumably the n’er-do-well son took it to cash in on being a Biden, and the aging 50-years-in-DC VP father didn’t think he was going to run for anything ever again—so take the money and run, son. If Papa Biden DID think he was going to be running for prez when the cashola green light was given to Hunter, then pater can’t think two moves ahead of the game—greeeaaat!
So back to the days of Billy C, with Dems having to endlessly defend dubious actions because “conservatives” blow them out of all reasonable reality and start humping them for national delectation. Tired of it, but as you say we are now absolutely caught on the flypaper because Biden’s Ukrainian Gas forms the basis of Der Trumper’s latest abuse of office. But this will absolutely be turned into the next “Bengazi!!” or “Email Server!!”, the exact sort of shit that our failed elections turn on and foolish voters fall for. Thanks, Joe!
I would argue that it’s up to Biden to defend Biden. If he can’t defend his own son…why would we trust him to defend us? Not impressed with the dexterity of the Biden campaign’s response so far.
Yeah, pretty much. Apparently Biden was one of a few prominent non-Ukrainians put on the board of the company to give it added credibility in international markets. And he got the seat because he was the lawyer working on the account for David Boies’ law firm (Boies Shiller Flexner, LLP). And the $50,000/month was Burisma’s monthly retainer fee for Boies Schiller Flexner as their outside counsel (which is apparently the going rate for corporate law deals these days).
Furthermore, is there some “conservative” argument that the son did something illegal by cashing in on being a Biden? Isn’t the argument that (witless) Joe corruptly forced out a noble Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating son Hunter’s corp and then bragged about being responsible for the great deed? That means it’s candidate Joe that (primarily) needs to be defended. Rest assured that the National Trumpalist hive has already internalized the Ukrainian gas “scandal”.
We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Point out the lies, and own the story. Let it go for a few news cycles, then stop playing Agent Orange’s game. Give an eye roll to reporters, be like “this pack of lies again”, and remind the reporters that the whole administration was involved in making this up.
Classic example of Republican overreach, if we play it smart.