Dive deep into the murky waters of political intrigue with "The Daily," where Mike Schmidt and Michael Barbaro, alongside notable figures such as Chuck Grassley and Kevin McCarthy, dissect an explosive yet uncorroborated piece of intelligence that targeted Joe Biden's integrity. The episode intricately unpicks how the Republicans used these allegations, founded on an informant's dubious claims of Ukrainian bribery involving Biden, to initiate an impeachment motion—even in the face of the claims being unproven and later exposed as fabrications.
Amidst a political landscape where perception often overshadows truth, "The Daily" explores the consequential fallout when elected officials act on unverified information. The narrative follows how the informant's allegations, steeped in deception and rooted in connections with Russian intelligence, were taken at face value by some Republican figures, raising debates on the responsibility and accountability in wielding such potent claims. This episode provides a window into the mechanics of political scandal and the robust scrutiny from justice departments that ultimately discredited the informant's narrative.
Sign up for Shortform to access the whole episode summary along with additional materials like counterarguments and context.
Unverified intelligence brought forward by an FBI informant claiming Joe Biden's involvement with Ukrainian bribery has been leveraged by Republicans to fuel an impeachment inquiry. The informant's allegatons, asserting that Biden took $5 million in bribes from Burisma to protect the company from investigation, were uncorroborated and later deemed fabricated. However, this did not stop Senator Chuck Grassley and other Republicans from demanding the information be made public and using it to justify an inquiry into Biden's actions, despite the source being indicted on charges of lying to the FBI. The Justice Department's findings discredited the informant's allegations, revealing inconsistencies and the informant’s connections with Russian intelligence.
1-Page Summary
The story of an FBI informant's uncorroborated allegations of corruption involving Joe Biden has taken center stage in the political arena, exemplified by Republicans using the claims to mount an impeachment inquiry, despite later determinations that the informant fabricated the allegations.
The roots of the allegation spiral from an FBI informant who claimed to have learned that Joe Biden took $5 million in bribes from the Ukrainian energy company, Burisma. This claimed exchange was a purported effort to protect Burisma from corruption investigations by a Ukrainian prosecutor.
Mike Schmidt characterizes this claim as raw source reporting, akin to rumor rather than verified intelligence. He also notes that this uncorroborated information was what Rudy Giuliani hoped to bolster with evidence during his trip to Ukraine.
Senator Chuck Grassley alleged that whistleblowers informed him of the FBI possessing very damaging intelligence regarding the Biden family. Despite the lack of concrete evidence, Grassley and his House Republican allies went on to subpoena the FBI for the document that describes these bribery allegations.
Mike Schmidt remarks that even after the indictment of the informant, some hardline Republicans stood by the claim, suggesting that it was now part of a coverup. However, Republicans had failed to establish any connection between Joe Biden and his son's business dealings in the years prior until they seized upon the informant's claim.
With little else to marshal against Joe Biden, Republicans used the unverified bribery allegation from the informant as the foundation of their impeachment inquiry. Kevin McCarthy announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Biden, placing the bribery claim at heart of their argument.
Michael Barbaro and Mike Schmidt discuss how the cornerstone allegation ...
How unverified intelligence alleging Biden corruption became weaponized by Republicans
Download the Shortform Chrome extension for your browser