June4, 2021- 11:54 a.m.
The Justice Department is reportedly looking into potential illegal lobbying allegations against a consulting firm tied to Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, previously served on the board.
Politico reported Thursday that four people familiar with the matter said officials are looking into Blue Star Strategies, which took on Burisma as a client when Hunter Biden still served on the board.Â
The probe, in part, reportedly includes whether the firm did not comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act by not disclosing lobbying efforts for foreign officials or political parties.Â
There is no information that ties Hunter Biden himself to the investigation, and Politico noted that Blue Star co-founder Karen Tramontano said that the president’s son did not direct any of the firm’s work for Burisma.
Politico reported that the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s Office is involved in the probe into Blue Star, as are lawyers with the Justice Department’s National Security Division.Â
Hunter Biden is currently under investigation by the Delaware office for potential tax violations.
The Hill has reached out to Blue Star and a representative for Hunter Biden for comment.Â
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The reported probe comes as Hunter Biden, who served on the board of Burisma from 2014-2019, has denied any wrongdoing with his work for the energy company, despite repeated claims from former President Trump and his allies that there was a conflict of interest with his father serving as vice president.
Burisma’s founder was under investigation by Ukraine’s then-prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, who the U.S., United Kingdom and other Western governments argued had failed to rein in corruption in the country.
Hunter Biden in April defended his decision to serve on the Burisma board but said he would not do it again following the repeated attacks and scrutiny from Trump and his allies.
Trump pressed Ukrainian officials to help look at Burisma’s relationship with Hunter Biden, saying in a phone call that the U.S. would deny promised aid to the country unless there was a probe.
The phone call led to the first impeachment of Trump by the House.
Side Note: The U.S., while Biden was vice president, threatened to withhold approximately $1 billion in loan guarantees if Shokin was not replaced as prosecutor general.
