Declassified CIA documents now public lay out how Joe Biden, as vice president in 2015, pushed to keep intelligence under wraps that detailed Ukrainian officials’ frustration over his family’s connections to questionable business activities in their country. The records, released by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, include an email from February 10, 2016, where a CIA briefer relayed Biden’s wishes: “Good morning, I just spoke with VP/ NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated. Thanks for understanding.”
This message, originally marked secret, shows Biden stepping in to limit the spread of information that could have cast a shadow on his anti-corruption stance during trips to Ukraine.
The intelligence in question stemmed from reactions among Ukrainian government figures to Biden’s visit to Kiev in early December 2015. Officials in President Petro Poroshenko’s administration saw the Biden family’s alleged involvement in corrupt dealings as proof of a U.S. double standard on corruption and political influence. One assessment in the report put it plainly, noting that the situation “undermined the credibility” of Washington’s push against graft. Ukrainian leaders expected Biden to tackle real issues like personnel changes, but instead, he delivered what they viewed as a routine public address without diving into substance.
Biden’s speech on December 9, 2015, called out Ukraine’s need for genuine reforms. He declared, “And it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption. The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform.”
He went further, insisting, “The energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals,” and added, “Senior elected officials have to remove all conflicts between their business interest and their government responsibilities. Every other democracy in the world — that system pertains.”
These words carried weight at the time, yet they clashed with the reality of his son Hunter’s position on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy firm under scrutiny for corruption. Hunter pulled in substantial monthly payments—tens of thousands of dollars—while his father handled U.S. policy toward Ukraine.
That tension escalated when Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin investigated Burisma. By March 2016, Biden had leveraged U.S. aid to force Shokin’s removal, later boasting about it in a 2018 recount: “I said, ‘You’re not getting the billion.’ … I looked at them and said, ‘I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money,’” referring to his talk with Poroshenko.
This move cleared a path for Burisma, raising questions about whether Biden’s actions protected family interests over broader U.S. goals. Records from the House Oversight Committee timeline show the Bidens and associates received $6.5 million from Ukrainian sources, including Burisma payments to Hunter starting in 2014, just as Joe Biden ramped up involvement in Ukraine’s affairs.
Ratcliffe’s decision to declassify these materials aimed at exposing what he saw as misuse of intelligence. A senior CIA official explained to Fox News, “Director Ratcliffe believes this is an example of politicization of intelligence that we need to work to eliminate and for what we have zero tolerance. We believe transparency is important. We will release information and avoid any future weaponization of the intelligence community.”
The report itself came with strict warnings against further sharing, emphasizing penalties for breaches to safeguard sources.
This revelation ties into broader scrutiny of the Bidens. The House launched an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, concluding he committed impeachable acts by abusing his office in dealings with Ukraine and other foreign entities. It echoes events from 2019, when President Trump urged Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy to probe the Bidens’ actions, leading to Trump’s impeachment by Democrats—though the Senate acquitted him in 2020. Federal probes into Hunter Biden’s foreign transactions, including those flagged as suspicious, have continued, with some intelligence veterans later warning of potential Russian disinformation efforts around the story.
These documents pull back the curtain on decisions that shielded potentially damaging details from wider view, fueling ongoing debates about accountability in Washington. With transparency now in play, they offer a clearer look at how personal ties may have intersected with official duties during Biden’s time in office.
Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.