There is a obvious concern this week over the selection of the newest member of the board of directors for Burisma Holdings, Ukraine’s largest private gas producer: Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter Biden. Despite a strong resume, it seems rather coincidental that Ukraine is receiving aid from the United States and recently had a visit from Vice President Joe Biden only to decide that his youngest son was the very best person to sit on its board.
Hunter Biden will be in charge of the Burisma’s legal unit and will “provide support” among international organizations. The White House spokesman would only say that “Hunter Biden and other members of the family are obviously private citizens and where they work is not an endorsement by the president or vice president.”
Reporters were referred to Biden’s law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, which declined to coment.
Alan Apter, the chairman of the company’s board of directors, said it views the selection as part of its effort to “introduc[e] best corporate practices, and we’re delighted that Mr. Biden is joining us to help us achieve these goals.” Those “best corporate practices” are hardly the best ethical practices if the company is hiring the children of high ranking officials to curry favor. This is particularly a concern in Ukraine which, as we discussed earlier, leads Europe as one of its most corrupt nations where the family members of powerful politicians are routinely showered with gifts and positions.
Like many spouses and children of our politicians, Hunter Biden made a fortune as a lobbyist in Washington. That common path for children continues to raise troubling questions of influence peddling and corruption for our leaders as discussed in this earlier column. The company recently added Devon Archer, a wealthy investor and Democratic campaign bundler. Archer previously declared how his business deals at Rosemont Seneca rely on a “relationship network creat[ing] opportunities for our portfolio companies which then compound to greater outcomes for all parties.” That “relationship network” is precisely what many have objected to in the hiring of family members tied to our leaders — allowing companies to give millions legally to families of Democratic and Republican leaders.
In addition to his position as counsel with the firm, Biden is a co-founder and a managing partner of investment advisory company Rosemont Seneca Partners and serves as director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a network of 400 businesses. He is also the chairman of the advisory board for the National Democratic Institute, a non-profit that works to support democratic institutions and elections around the world. Even with this experience, I am rather skeptical. First, his selection as counsel to Boies, Schiller, Flexner, LLP, seems designed to create a tie to his father and the Administration. He was was chief executive officer, and later chairman, of hedge fund PARADIGM Global Advisors – an association that he co-founded with convicted financier Allen Stanford. He was later appointed by Bill Clinton to serve in the United States Department of Commerce under Secretaries Norman Mineta and William M. Daley. He was then nominated by President George W. Bush to the board of directors of Amtrak. It is a resume that many would envy but also one that reflects the type of opportunities that are often afforded children of our ruling elite.
Of course, the selection of a Bush for such a position in the prior administration would have had Democrats and liberals in an uproar but they are again largely silent in the face of another deal benefitting one of our ruling elite. Obviously, Hunter Biden is an adult and does not need the approval of his father to accept a position, though his father has had an obvious impact on his past opportunities. It is simply worth noting that while we rightfully criticize the Chinese for the “Red Nobility,” we have a long list of children and spouses receiving millions in cushy deals and positions in this country. However, in the blue state/red state politics fosters by both parties, such issues are quickly brushed aside by those arguing again that the other side is worse or that such ethical questions are merely an effort to smear their side.
Schulte:
“Manichean Paranoia has been out of favor since about 2007, you should catch up with the times.”
That’s odd. Bush and Cheney didn’t leave office until 2009. And I see a lot of Manichean paranoia going on in here.
“You hammer on about 500000 dying in Iraq.”
You bet I do.
“Would you mind backing up those numbers?”
You bet I will.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/10/131015-iraq-war-deaths-survey-2013/
“And just how did Bush lie again?”
Good grief…
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/
“President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups.”
Now, Schulte, tell me how that’s exactly the same as what Bill Clinton did.
Clinton is personally a chickenhawk. The aspirin factory was ‘pay-back’ for a terrorist attack except he got the wrong target. Bosnia was fly over country, not boots on the ground for us.
Supak – on that lying thing. It appears that there is some doubt about the lying and who did it. They article is counting up all the Bush admin lies. I would love to see what they do with the Obama administration just on Obamacare. However, my concern is, just how did Bush lie? Not anyone else, just Bush.
Schulte:
“You need to grow a sense of humor”
I have a great sense of humor. I just haven’t found anything you said funny… And I’m really sick of people assuming things about me, and then offering unsolicited advice on how to fix those things.
But, what? Are you saying you were just kidding in everyone of your statements above?
Or is this just a cop out because you don’t have any actual replies to the subjects of my statements, so you go for the personal attack?
Don’t worry, I won’t run to the professor and tattle on you for your personal attack against me and your inability to address the facts at hand.
feynman
“I’m lost on the 1928 part.”
1928 was the last Presidential election where the GOP won without a Nixon or Bush on the ticket.
Schulte
“Clinton lobbed a Cruise missile at an aspirin factory and bombed Bosnia.”
I mentioned that he stopped a genocide in Bosnia. How many people died. And how many died at the aspirin factory?
500,000 people DIED in Iraq because GW Bush lied us into that multi-trillion dollar debacle.
Like I said, seems our friends on the right really have trouble with matters of degree… Some kind of Manichean Paranoia.
Schulte:
“maybe it was a very very small pool of one”
Maybe nepotism has been going on in this country since it was founded. Maybe parents naturally want to help their kids do better.
And maybe if anyone actually cares about this stuff, we’d start by ending the legacy BS that gets the elites’ kids into colleges when there are more qualified applicants who should be able to take those spots.
You know, like the way Dubya got into Yale.
Supak – Manichean Paranoia has been out of favor since about 2007, you should catch up with the times.
You hammer on about 500000 dying in Iraq. Would you mind backing up those numbers? And just how did Bush lie again?
feynman Duh! Does not anyone here know that Ike gave Nixon his start? He was his VP.
Clinton lobbed a Cruise missile at an aspirin factory and bombed Bosnia.
Scott,
I’m lost on the 1928 part.
Schulte, @ 4:35:
“You are habitually wrong.”
Schulte, @ 4:53:
“although you are right…”
“Why would I vote for Biden?”
Why would you vote for Cheney?
Paul S
You do not understand the definition of chickenhawk. He ducked one – hence the ‘chicken’. Missing the hawk part.
Schulte
“How can we forget that notable chickenhawk Clinton.”
I said “The Chickenhawk database is notably short on Democrats.” I didn’t say there weren’t any.
Further, as usual, it seems Republicans are incapable of seeing matters of degree. Bill Clinton stopped a genocide in Bosnia, GW Bush lied us into a multi-trillion dollar war that killed a half a million people.
Supak – I told this to Dredd yesterday, so I will pass it on to you. You need to grow a sense of humor, I will not hang by my thumbs until it happens, but someday?????
Supak – although you are right, I never vote for the bottom of the ticket, since a disaster has to happen for that to happen. Why would I vote for Biden?
just google clinton chickenhawk. should not be hard to find.
Darren,
Better cross Ike off you list, eh?
Schulte
“Darren – please, facts just confuse people.”
Yes, like the fact that the GOP hasn’t won the Presidency without a Bush or Nixon on the ticket since 1928. Seems that fact confused both you and Darren.
Darren Smith, who was Ike’s VP? And like I said, 1928, when Hoover won with his VP Charles Curtis. That was the last time the GOP won the Presidency without a Nixon or Bush on the ticket.
Elaine M.
Hard to hate on Iran as much now days…
Iran Going Big With Renewables! 5,000 MW Of New Solar & Wind Capacity By 2018?
http://www.juancole.com/2014/05/renewables-solar-capacity.html
“Heh. The GOP hasn’t won the Presidency without a Nixon or Bush on the ticket since 1928.”
~+~
There was Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower
Schulte
“Supak – if you understood military strategy, the allies won (fulfilled their objectives) for the first Iraqi War.”
Who’s talking about the first Iraqi war? You know which one I’m talking about.
“if you understood military strategy”
Please don’t guess what I understand. You are habitually wrong.
“It is clear from your writing that you have little or no understanding of either military strategy or strategic bombing.”
It is clear that you said we should have gone after NV targets. We did. And we still didn’t win. 20,000 tons of bombs dropped on Hanoi in about 24 hours, and you say we didn’t go after their targets. Operation rolling thunder, and you say we didn’t go after their targets.
McNamara should have hired you to tell the air force what to bomb, eh?
How many more dead in Vietnam would you have been OK with? Or, if you only care about Americans, how many more US dead would you have been OK with?
Clinton was a chickenhawk? Anybody have some history on that?