Emails indicate ex-Weiss prosecutor aided Burisma’s messaging in Hunter Biden probe.
Redacted Emails Suggest Close Biden Associate Involved in Shaping Stories
Recently released redacted emails from then-Vice President Joe Biden’s office have raised questions about the involvement of a close Biden family associate in shaping stories related to Hunter Biden’s work for Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Alexander Mackler, who served as a legal counsel to Joe Biden at the time, later worked in the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office during the initial stages of the Hunter Biden criminal investigation.
In one email from December 8, 2015, Mackler and Joe Biden’s then-Communications Director Kate Bedingfield appeared to discuss a story published in the New York Times about Hunter Biden’s role at Burisma. However, the entire email was redacted by the Biden administration.
In the days leading up to the unflattering New York Times story and another on the same topic in the Wall Street Journal, Mackler was copied on discussions about how to respond. Some of those emails were also redacted.
The House Oversight Committee Chairman, James Comer, has demanded unredacted versions of these emails from the National Archives. Comer has expressed concerns that the National Archives may be withholding certain communications between Joe Biden’s political aides and Hunter Biden’s business associates.
Emails from December 2015 reveal that Bedingfield collaborated with Eric Schwerin, one of Hunter Biden’s closest business partners, to craft a response from Joe Biden’s office to reporters inquiring about Burisma. Schwerin even provided input on Bedingfield’s draft statements and offered guidance on how to soften a story about Hunter Biden’s work.
Private emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop indicate that Schwerin was simultaneously coordinating with a Burisma executive, Hunter Biden, and their business partner, Devon Archer, while working on the response with Joe Biden’s office.
Mackler’s involvement in internal discussions about Hunter Biden’s Burisma work in 2015 is significant because he later joined a prosecutorial team investigating the same work. The criminal investigation, supervised by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, examined the details of how Hunter Biden and his business partners earned millions of dollars from Burisma and how they utilized the funds.
It remains unclear whether Mackler recused himself from the Hunter Biden case before leaving Weiss’s office. However, emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop suggest that Mackler considered Hunter Biden a close friend and maintained regular contact with him.
Timing and Context
The timing of the National Archives emails is noteworthy. In December 2015, Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Ukraine for high-profile meetings with Ukrainian leaders. During this visit, he delivered a speech in Kyiv, emphasizing the need for Ukraine to combat corruption. The press coverage surrounding his visit focused on how Hunter Biden’s position on the Burisma board could undermine Joe Biden’s credibility on the issue.
During this time, Mackler was in private contact with Hunter Biden while still serving in the vice president’s office. In November 2015, Mackler reached out to Hunter Biden using a private email address, seeking his thoughts on Joe Biden’s plans after leaving the vice presidency.
Furthermore, when the flurry of emails regarding negative press about Hunter Biden and Burisma emerged in early December 2015, Hunter Biden was in Dubai meeting with Burisma executives.
According to testimony to the Oversight Committee, Burisma executives pressured Hunter Biden to “call D.C.” about the Ukrainian investigations into alleged corruption at the company during his visit to Dubai.
While it was initially stated that Hunter Biden and Burisma executives stepped away from a meeting to call Joe Biden, it was later clarified that the exact nature of the call was uncertain.
These redacted emails and their context shed light on the close coordination between Joe Biden’s political aides and Hunter Biden’s business associates, as well as the potential influence on shaping stories related to Hunter Biden’s work for Burisma.
Source: The Washington Examiner
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