The US Attorney Who Vetted Unverified Ukrainian Bribery Claims
The US attorney, Scott Brady, who in 2020 examined unverified allegations made by an FBI informant regarding alleged Ukrainian bribes paid to the Bidens, recently gave testimony to House lawmakers. According to a transcript reviewed by CNN, Brady found some of the material credible enough to pass it on to the prosecutor leading the criminal probe against Hunter Biden. This testimony offers one of the first pieces of evidence obtained by House Republicans that supports their claim that the bribery allegations deserve scrutiny from federal prosecutors.
However, Brady also stated that he did not determine whether the underlying bribery claims against the Bidens were true, and he admitted that his team did not review some key evidence that undermined the allegations. He disputed past Democratic claims that he “closed” the matter without recommending further investigation.
Brady, a Donald Trump appointee, gave his account to House lawmakers who are investigating claims of pro-Biden political interference within the Justice Department. His testimony sheds new light on how his office assessed the tip and challenges previous Democratic statements. However, it does not support the GOP narrative that Joe Biden or Hunter Biden were offered or accepted a bribe. Both Bidens deny the allegations.
During the Trump-Ukraine impeachment in early 2020, Brady was assigned by top Trump appointees at the Justice Department to examine information about the Bidens and Ukraine. This included material from Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who played a prominent role in spreading falsehoods about the Bidens’ involvement in Ukraine.
The unverified bribery claims against the Bidens originated in an FBI form known as an “FD-1023,” which captures information provided by a confidential human source (CHS). The CHS described interactions with Mykola Zlochevsky, a Ukrainian oligarch and owner of energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden served on the board. The informant claimed that Zlochevsky spoke of paying $10 million in bribes to the Bidens.
“We were able to corroborate certain information represented by the CHS and memorialized in this 1023,” Brady told House lawmakers. “Regarding some of the underlying allegations relating to Hunter Biden and President Biden made by Mr. Zlochevsky, we were not able to investigate further or assess their veracity.”
Brady further stated that “the 1023 had indications of credibility that warranted further investigation,” and his team passed it on to David Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware leading the Hunter Biden probe. Weiss’ ongoing investigation has scrutinized Hunter Biden’s finances and foreign business deals, including those in Ukraine.
The transcript suggests that some of Brady’s corroboration related to the informant’s travel records and whether he met with Zlochevsky as claimed. Brady also disclosed that he reviewed public information, consulted with the informant’s handler, and requested the FBI to re-interview the informant, which eventually happened.
However, Brady acknowledged that his team did not review certain exculpatory evidence regarding the alleged bribe. They did not see an interview where Zlochevsky contradicted what he supposedly told the FBI informant about the bribes, conducted by Giuliani ally Lev Parnas. Brady also admitted he did not review the public denial by then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that Joe Biden pressured him to end a Burisma investigation.
“Had we been aware of this, we would have definitely shared that with Delaware when we shared the 1023 with them, allowing them to reconcile the two and decide whether further investigation was necessary based on their discretion and knowledge,” Brady explained to lawmakers.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on Brady’s interview.
Secondhand Information
Congressional Republicans obtained the FBI document and publicly released it in July, despite objections from the bureau, which warned that it “unnecessarily risks the safety of a confidential source.” The FBI document describes a 2016 meeting where Zlochevsky allegedly stated that it cost $5 million to pay one Biden and another $5 million to pay a different Biden.
The FBI informant, described by the bureau as highly credible, was “not able to provide any further opinion as to the veracity” of the claims, according to the document. The informant also informed investigators that it was common for oligarchs like Zlochevsky to exaggerate and make lofty claims about payments and political influence.
There is no evidence that Joe Biden was involved in Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma or that he received payments related to his son’s foreign dealings in Ukraine or elsewhere.
Semantic Disagreement
Brady’s recent testimony contradicts past statements from certain House Democrats that downplayed the bribery allegations. In June, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, claimed that Brady “terminated the investigation” and that there were no grounds for further investigation. However, Brady testified that he did not shut down the investigation entirely but rather passed it along to Weiss, who was already conducting an extensive inquiry in Delaware.
Raskin’s office has been contacted for comment by CNN.
Comparisons to the Christopher Steele affair of 2016 can be made, where liberals embraced Steele’s claims of Trump-Russia collusion while Trump criticized the unverified dossier. This time, the political roles are reversed, with Republicans championing the unproven bribery claims and the Democrats attempting to discredit the material.
During his interview, Brady expressed uncertainty about whether conclusive determinations have been made by the US government regarding allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. This contradicts the consistent findings that the Kremlin attempted to assist Trump in winning.
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