martes, 24 de septiembre de 2019

Trump and Biden in Ukraine/ Trump y Biden en Ucrania



Trump and Biden in Ukraine: navigating the murky waters of the illegal and the unethical.
(versión en español más abajo)
The latest political drama being played in Washington DC concerns Joseph Biden, Donald Trump and the Ukraine. From what we have been reading, it has to do (1), with the business links of Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter Biden, to a Ukrainian oil and gas company called BURISMA when Biden was vice-president of the U.S.  and, (2), with the pressure applied by President Trump to the Ukrainian president to investigate the Biden’s “corrupt” deals in that country, threatening to stop U.S. foreign aid to the country if he did not. As the new drama unfolds the reaction of the country suggests that while illegal activities should not be permitted, and clearly represent a crime, especially at the level of the presidency of the United States, few eyebrows are being raised due to the unethical, but not illegal, behavior of public officials and their families. While President Trump’s actions, if true, are being defined as a probable cause for impeachment, and justly so, the Biden’s business deals in Ukraine are not being seen as out of the ordinary, even by the political adversaries of the Biden candidacy. Fox News, for example, a great ally of President Trump has said that while there are no proofs of the Biden’s family doing anything illegal or, even, inelegant, both  Shep Smith and Joe Napolitano, two of its best known figures agree that President Trump now face imminent peril of impeachment for his actions, see:  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shep-smith-donald-trump-ukraine_n_5d89a441e4b0c2a85cb01f27
And yet, there is very little moral difference between Biden’s and Trump’s attitudes in their dealings with Ukraine. Biden’s son, who knows little or nothing about oil and gas, was given a place in the board by  BURISMA Oil company, which paid him $50,000 a month for doing nothing much, other than being there as the son of the then vice-president of the United States. It seemed a clear case of Influence Peddling. Trump, using the country’s money and political representation as president tried to pressure the Ukrainian government into acting against what he called Biden’s corruption, seemingly in order to eliminate a political competitor, a clear case of Graft.  
In the case of Hunter Biden his appointment to the Board of BURISMA has been considered by analyst M. Hemingway as an attempt by the oil company to curry favor with the U.S. government at a time in which Biden’s father was vice-president of the United States and in charge of dealings with Ukraine. In its website the company says, rather candidly, that “their relationship network creates opportunities for our portfolio companies which then compound to greater outcomes for all parties”, see:  https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27403003. In the case of President Trump he has already admitted calling the Ukrainian president regarding Biden while instructing his subordinates to delay U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine while he asked that country to act against Biden.
If findings corroborate the allegations being made in both cases these two political figures, Biden and Trump would be equally undeserving of the national trust, whether their cases are illegal or “simply” unethical. After all, ethics should be the very foundation of the law.    

                                          SPANISH VERSION
Trump y Biden en Ucrania: navegando las turbias aguas de lo ilegal y de lo carente de ética
El más reciente drama político en Washington DC está relacionado con Joseph Biden, Donald Trump y Ucrania. Por lo que sabemos tiene que ver con (1), la relación de negocios entre el hijo menor de Biden, Hunter Biden, y una compañía de petróleo ucraniana llamada BUURISMA, cuando Biden era vice-presidente de los Estados Unidos y, (2), con la presión aparentemente aplicada por el Presidente Trump al presidente de Ucrania para investigar los negocios “corruptos” de los Biden en ese país, amenazando con detener la ayuda financiera a ese país si no lo hacían.
La reacción del país frente a este nuevo drama sugiere que si bien la actividad ilegal no debe ser permitida y claramente representa un crimen, especialmente al nivel de la presidencia de los estados unidos, poca alarma parece merecer la actitud carente de ética, si no ilegal, de funcionarios públicos y sus familiares.
Mientras que las acciones del Presidente Trump , si son confirmadas, se definirían como probable causa de destitución, lo cual sería correcto, los negocios de Biden en Ucrania no se ven como algo fuera de lo normal, aún por los adversarios políticos de Biden.  Por ejemplo, Fox News, un gran aliado del Presidente Trump, ha dicho por boca de dos de sus más prestigiosos comentaristas, Shep Smith y Joe Napolitano, que no hay pruebas de que los Biden hayan hecho algo ilegal o inelegante pero convienen en que el Presidente Trump enfrenta un inminente peligro de destitución por sus acciones, ver: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shep-smith-donald-trump-ukraine_n_5d89a441e4b0c2a85cb01f27
Sin embargo, hay poca diferencias éticas entre las actitudes de Biden y de Trump en sus relaciones con Ucrania. El hijo de Biden, quien sabe poco o nada sobre petróleo, fue nombrado Director de BURISMA, con una remuneración de $50.000 al mes sin tener que hacer nada que no fuese aparecer allí, como hijo del entonces vice-presidente de los estados Unidos, lo cual parece ser un claro caso de tráfico de influencias. Trump, mediante el uso del dinero y el poder político del país trató aparentemente de presionar al gobierno de Ucrania para que actuara en contra de lo que llamó la corrupción de Biden, aparentemente a fin de eliminar un competidor político. Ello parecería un claro caso de corrupción política al más alto nivel.
La presencia de Hunter Biden en la directiva de BURISMA ha sido considerada por la analista M. Hemingway como un intento por parte de la empresa de obtener favores del gobierno de los estados Unidos en momentos en que el padre era vice-presidente del país y manejaba la relación con Ucrania, ver:  https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27403003. En su sitio virtual la empresa escribió, con candidez, que “sus relaciones crean oportunidades para las empresas del grupo y ello redunda en beneficio de todos”. En el caso del Presidente Trump él ya admitió que llamó al presidente de Ucrania sobre Biden mientras instruía a sus subordinados a demorar la ayuda de los Estados Unidos a ese país mientras le pedía investigar a Biden.
Si las investigaciones corroboran las denuncias que han sido hechas en estos casos, tanto Trump como Biden deberían perder toda credibilidad frente al país, ya sean sus casos ilegales o “simplemente” carentes de ética. Después de todo la ética debe ser la fundación de la ley.



4 comentarios:

  1. Le están abriendo las puertas, con estos comportamientos, a la marxista Elizabeth Warren. Ay USA. Lo que faltaba...

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  2. Two issues:
    1) Joe Biden himself bragged how as VPOTUS told the Ukrainian president that he had 6 hours to fire the prosecutor investigating the company Hunter was involved with. This is a video available to the public!
    2) The transcript and later comments by the whistleblower said his information was hear-say, not directly known by him. The Transcript itself apparently has nothing to imply a "quid pro quo" proposed by Trump to the new President of Ukraine, and he has said that he was not pressured or required by Trump to do anything different than what he was already doing which was investigating corruption in his country.
    So where's the beef? There is none!

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  3. I am far from being a fan of Trump, an unprincipled individual. Yet there is a wide gap between him an people such as Biden and the Clintons. When Trump entered the White House a wealthy man, the others became wealthy upon exiting it.

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  4. Texas Deputy who wore Sikh Turban was Fatally Shot Down. It's high time we regulate Gun Violence!!
    https://bidenpresident.com/Texas-trailblazing-Sikh-deputy-killed-driver-shot

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