Joe Biden Brags about getting Ukranian Prosecutor Fired
dagalagas
AI-assisted summary of Joe Biden Brags about getting Ukranian Prosecutor Fired — original source. Check the original for full context.
Source published:
Key ideas
- Joe Biden conditioned a $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee during a diplomatic trip to Kyiv on the immediate removal of Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Viktor Shokin. (0:15)
- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had agreed to take action against the prosecutor but initially failed to follow through before the scheduled aid announcement. (0:15)
- Facing pushback from Ukrainian leaders regarding his authority, Biden issued a strict six-hour ultimatum tied to his scheduled departure time. (0:15)
- The threat forced the immediate firing of Shokin, leading to the appointment of a replacement prosecutor deemed 'solid at the time' by U.S. officials. (0:15)
Detailed notes
## Background Published on YouTube by the channel dagalagas on September 20, 2019, this short clip features Joe Biden recounting a high-stakes diplomatic confrontation in Ukraine. According to the video's description, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin had identified Hunter Biden as receiving over $3 million from Burisma Holdings, prompting Joe Biden to use US loan guarantees as leverage to force Shokin's removal.
## TL;DR In the video, Joe Biden recounts a past diplomatic visit to Kyiv where he conditioned a $1 billion US loan guarantee on the immediate removal of Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Viktor Shokin. Despite prior assurances from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the prosecutor remained in office as the leaders prepared for a public press conference. Biden intervened directly, warning them that the funds would be withheld and giving them a strict six-hour ultimatum before his departure. The Ukrainian leadership yielded to the demand, firing the prosecutor and replacing him before Biden left the country.
## Atmosphere & style The delivery is frank, colloquial, and triumphant, presented in Biden's signature storytelling style before an engaged audience. It carries the tension of an eleventh-hour geopolitical showdown delivered with casual bravado and sharp punchlines. Watching the exchange feels like listening to an insider recounting behind-the-scenes strong-arm diplomacy, punctuated by Biden's colorful quip, 'Well, son of a bitch, he got fired.'
## Bulletin - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Joe Biden conditioned a $1 billion U.S. loan guarantee during a diplomatic trip to Kyiv on the immediate removal of Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Viktor Shokin. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had agreed to take action against the prosecutor but initially failed to follow through before the scheduled aid announcement. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Facing pushback from Ukrainian leaders regarding his authority, Biden issued a strict six-hour ultimatum tied to his scheduled departure time. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) The threat forced the immediate firing of Shokin, leading to the appointment of a replacement prosecutor deemed 'solid at the time' by U.S. officials.
## Key takeaways - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Biden recounted visiting Kyiv for roughly the twelfth or thirteenth time to finalize a major $1 billion loan guarantee package. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) The release of the $1 billion in U.S. financial backing was directly contingent on Ukrainian leadership overhauling state judiciary leadership. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had previously given explicit commitments to remove Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Upon arriving for the formal aid announcement, Biden discovered that Ukrainian leadership had not acted on their pledge to dismiss Shokin. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Biden halted the scheduled joint press conference, refusing to proceed until the personnel condition was met. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Ukrainian officials resisted Biden's stance, arguing that he lacked the authority to unilaterally withhold funds authorized under President Barack Obama. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Biden challenged the officials to call President Obama directly, reiterating that the funds would not be delivered. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) A strict six-hour deadline was established, matching the remaining time before Biden was scheduled to depart Kyiv. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Biden delivered an unambiguous ultimatum: if the prosecutor general was not fired within that window, Ukraine would forfeit the billion-dollar loan guarantee. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) The Ukrainian government complied with the ultimatum and fired Shokin before Biden's departure. - [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) Following Shokin's dismissal, Ukrainian leadership installed a replacement prosecutor who was considered 'solid' by U.S. officials at the time.
## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY&t=15s) The Billion-Dollar Ultimatum in Kyiv
Joe Biden recounts traveling to Ukraine—marking what he estimated to be his twelfth or thirteenth trip to Kyiv—after convincing the administration team that the United States should provide loan guarantees. He was scheduled to publicly announce a major commitment of another billion-dollar loan guarantee. However, this financial support was tied to an explicit political condition regarding the country's judiciary leadership. Biden had previously secured commitments from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk that they would take decisive action against the state prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, but upon his arrival, they had failed to fulfill that promise.
As the Ukrainian leaders prepared to head into a press conference to announce the aid, Biden abruptly halted the proceedings. He informed them directly that the United States would not release the funds under the current circumstances. When Ukrainian officials pushed back, arguing that Biden lacked the power to withhold the aid unilaterally and insisting that President Barack Obama had authorized it, Biden challenged them on the spot to verify his backing. As Biden recounted the exchange: “I said, 'I'm telling you, you're not getting a billion dollars.'”
Biden laid down a strict, time-sensitive ultimatum, giving the leadership mere hours before his departure to remove the prosecutor or forfeit the package entirely. Pointing to the clock, he delivered his final demand: “I said, 'I'm leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor's not fired, you're not getting the money.'” Concluding the story to audience reaction, Biden noted the immediate outcome of the threat, saying, “Well, son of a bitch, he got fired, and they put in place someone who was solid at the time.”
```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: Ukrainian Loan Guarantee Ultimatum Flow accDescr: Sequence of events during Joe Biden's visit to Kyiv conditioning US loan guarantees on firing the prosecutor general.
subgraph Conditions ["Initial Agreement"] A["US Team agrees to $1B loan guarantee"] B["Commitment from Poroshenko & Yatsenyuk to remove prosecutor"] end
subgraph Confrontation ["Kyiv Showdown"] C["Ukrainian leadership fails to remove prosecutor"] D["Biden refuses to announce aid prior to press conference"] E["Officials object: 'You have no authority, you're not the president'"] F["Biden's ultimatum: 'Call him... I'm leaving in six hours'"] end
subgraph Resolution ["Outcome"] G["Prosecutor General is fired"] H["Replacement installed deemed 'solid'"] end
A --> B B --> C C --> D D --> E E --> F F --> G G --> H ```
- **Number of visits:** Biden noted this trip was approximately his 12th or 13th visit to Kyiv. - **Financial leverage:** The aid package at stake was a $1,000,000,000 ($1 billion) loan guarantee. - **Ukrainian leadership involved:** President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. - **Deadline given:** A strict 6-hour window before Biden's scheduled departure from Kyiv.
## Mentioned Joe Biden, Viktor Shokin, Hunter Biden, Burisma Holdings, Petro Poroshenko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Barack Obama, United States, Ukraine, Kyiv
## Video description The date typo on the opening screen is corrected below:
In 2016 Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, in his investigation of corruption involving Burisma Holdings, a natural gas company, identified Hunter Biden as the recipient of over $3,000,000 from the company.
Not wanting this corruption exposed, Joe Biden swung into action, using US loan guarantees as hostage while demanding Skokin be fired.
Amazingly, Joe Biden now brags about his actions in this matter.
[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA--dj2-CY)