Trump’s View of Ukraine Prosecutor Contradicts Historical Record

(Bloomberg) -- The impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump centers on his contention that there was something untoward about Joe Biden’s diplomatic efforts in Ukraine at the time his son Hunter was on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

But Biden wasn’t alone in wanting prosecutor Viktor Shokin out of office. A look at the record shows Democrats and Republicans alike were concerned about his ability to fight corruption.

Ethics experts say President Barack Obama could have chosen a better point person than Biden to lead the effort to remove Shokin -- given Hunter’s work with Burisma Holdings -- but no politician of either party objected publicly to the effort.

Here’s a look at what was said and by whom.

U.S. ambassador: Shokin ‘undermined corruption cases’

On Sept. 24, 2015, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, an Obama appointee, told the Odessa Financial Forum that Shokin’s Prosecutor General’s Office was not targeting corruption strongly enough, but he stopped short of calling for his removal.

“We have learned that there have been times that the PGO not only did not support investigations into corruption, but rather undermined prosecutors working on legitimate corruption cases,” Pyatt said. “We want to work with Prosecutor General Shokin so the PGO is leading the fight against corruption.”

State Department: Shokin’s office ‘ripping off’ Ukrainians

In an Oct. 8, 2015, hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland called for broader reform of the prosecutor general’s office led by Shokin.

“As I said, though, much difficult work remains to reform the economy and the justice sector and to clean up endemic corruption. Next steps for the reform agenda should include the following kinds of things: a cleanup of the Prosecutor General’s Office so that it begins to serve the Ukrainian people rather than ripping them off.”

GOP Senator: Ukraine ‘will be judged’ on corruption

In that Oct. 8, 2015, hearing, Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, then the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that Ukraine was “at least 20 years behind the rest of Europe” on fighting corruption in part because of its status as a former part of the Soviet Union.

“If Ukraine wants to go in the right direction, if Ukraine wants the rule of law, it has to keep making real changes,” he said. “Ukraine’s leaders are enacting key reforms, but they will also be judged on how they address corruption.”

Corker, who retired from the Senate early this year after repeatedly clashing with Trump, has declined to comment about the matter, saying that “it’s not appropriate” because of the impeachment inquiry.

Senators told Ukraine to ‘press ahead’ with reform

In a Feb. 12, 2016 letter to the Ukrainian president, Republican Senators Rob Portman, Ron Johnson and Mark Kirk as well as Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Jeanne Shaheen, Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal and Sherrod Brown called for the Prosecutor General’s Office to be reformed, noting the recent resignation of economic development minister Aivaras Abromavicius over concerns about corruption.

“Succeeding in these reforms will show Russian President Vladimir Putin that an independent, transparent, and democratic Ukraine can and will succeed,” they wrote. “It also offers a stark alternative to the authoritarianism and oligarchic cronyism prevalent in Russia. As such, we respectfully ask that you address the serious concerns raised by Minister Abromavicius‎. We similarly urge you to press ahead with urgent reforms to the Prosecutor General’s office and judiciary.”

In early October, Portman said that it was “not appropriate” for Trump to “engage a foreign government with an investigation with a political opponent,” but argued that it is not “an impeachable offense.” Johnson has defended Trump by arguing that his administration was “sabotaged from the day after the election.” Kirk was defeated for re-election in 2016.

Deputy: Shokin’s office ‘a hotbed of corruption’

In a televised resignation speech on Feb. 15, 2016, reform-minded deputy general prosecutor Vitaliy Kasko argued that his boss was actively enabling corruption.

“Today, the General Prosecutor’s office is a brake on the reform of criminal justice, a hotbed of corruption, an instrument of political pressure, one of the key obstacles to the arrival of foreign investment in Ukraine,” he said.

In a tweet, Ambassador Pyatt responded that Kasko’s “resignation is a blow to #Ukraine’s reform progress.”

Republican Senator: Is Ukraine fighting corruption enough?

In a review of the State Department budget released on Feb. 23, 2016, Republican Senator David Perdue asked Secretary of State John Kerry: “Is Ukraine making sufficient efforts to fight corruption and enhance the rule of law? If so, how?” Kerry responded by pointing out that Shokin had recently submitted his resignation, among other things.

“The PGO’s new Inspector General Unit is also now functioning, and we are hopeful that the prosecutorial reform process will be rejuvenated now that the Prosecutor General, Victor Shokin, has resigned,” Kerry wrote.

In late September, Perdue argued that the whistle-blower whose complaint sparked the impeachment inquiry is “not a whistle-blower” and “wasn’t on the phone call” between Trump and the Ukrainian president.

EU Ambassador: ‘Fresh start’ after Shokin’s resignation

In a Facebook post on March 29, 2016, Jan Tombinski, head of the European Union delegation in Ukraine, praised the Ukrainian legislature’s acceptance of Shokin’s resignation.

“This decision creates an opportunity to make a fresh start in the Prosecutor General’s Office. I hope that the new Prosecutor General will ensure that the Office of the Prosecutor General becomes independent from political influence and pressure and enjoys public trust. The Prosecutor General’s Office should contribute to ensure the justice and rule of law that the Ukrainian people expect and deserve so much.”

U.S. ambassador nominee: Shokin had ‘lost trust’

In June 21, 2016, testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ukrainian ambassador nominee Marie Yovanovitch cited Shokin’s resignation as progress.

“I am especially optimistic about Ukraine’s reform trajectory this year, given several key achievements since the reformation of the coalition and government in April,” she said. “Ukraine overwhelmingly approved constitutional amendments to strengthen judicial independence; raised energy tariffs to 100% of market rates ahead of the IMF’s schedule; and replaced a Prosecutor General who had lost the trust of civil society with one who has committed to reforming the PGO.”

In May 2019, Trump recalled Yovanovitch as ambassador after complaints from his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Trump: Shokin was ‘very good’ and his removal was ‘unfair’

In a Sept. 24, 2019, call with new Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy that has become the center of an impeachment inquiry, Trump argued that Shokin was “very good” and his removal was “unfair,” blaming Biden.

“There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great,” Trump told Zelenskiy, referring to U.S. Attorney General William Barr. “Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it,” Trump said. “It sounds horrible to me.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan Teague Beckwith in New York at rbeckwith3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John Harney

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