Declassified Memos: Biden Shielded Hunter Report
Biden’s Office Blocked CIA Report on Hunter’s Ukraine Dealings, Declassified Memos Reveal
A bombshell set of newly declassified memos shows that then–Vice President Joe Biden’s office intervened in February 2016 to stop the CIA from distributing an intelligence report on how senior Ukrainian officials viewed his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
The directive came directly from Biden’s national security advisor, according to the documents, and was described by a senior CIA official as “extremely rare and unusual.” The vice president’s daily intelligence briefer told the CIA: “I just spoke with VP/NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated. Thanks for understanding.”
What the Report Contained
The withheld intelligence compiled Ukrainian officials’ reactions to Biden’s December 2015 trip to Kyiv. Officials in then-President Petro Poroshenko’s government privately expressed disappointment at Biden’s lack of substantive engagement, while simultaneously “musing” about U.S. media scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s ties to Burisma Holdings.
The CIA’s summary stated plainly that Ukrainian officials saw “a double standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power,” citing Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board as a glaring conflict.
The Shokin Firing and Burisma Backdrop
This episode overlaps with Biden’s controversial demand that Ukraine fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin—who was investigating Burisma and its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky—or risk losing $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees. Though Biden’s defenders insist his move reflected international consensus, prior reporting shows both the State Department and the European Union had deemed Shokin’s anti-corruption reforms “sufficient” at the time.
Complicating matters further, then–U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt warned Biden’s advisors in 2015 that Burisma was widely seen as corrupt. Pyatt later acknowledged that Hunter Biden’s presence on Burisma’s board “undercut the anti-corruption message” the U.S. was pressing in Ukraine.
Unusual Intervention and Transparency Push
What makes the newly declassified memo remarkable is the intervention itself. CIA officials stressed that dissemination decisions are typically made internally, without political interference. The fact that Biden’s office even knew of the report—and acted to suppress it—remains unexplained.
Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who oversaw the declassification, framed the release as part of a broader effort to root out “politicization” within the intelligence community. According to a senior official, Ratcliffe viewed Biden’s action as emblematic of how political power distorted intelligence reporting.
Why It Matters
These revelations raise fresh questions about whether Joe Biden used his vice presidential office to shield his son’s Ukrainian business ties from scrutiny. At minimum, the memos show Ukrainian officials themselves questioned the integrity of America’s anti-corruption stance—at the very moment Biden was shaping U.S. policy in Kyiv.
With Biden’s 2015–2016 Ukraine role already under intense debate, this latest disclosure adds fuel to a long-running controversy that blends questions of foreign policy, family business interests, and political influence at the highest levels of government.