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Biden didn’t want intel disseminated showing Ukrainian concerns over family’s ‘corrupt’ business ties: records
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Then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 told the CIA he would «strongly prefer» an intelligence report documenting Ukrainian officials’ concerns with his family’s ties to «corrupt» business deals in the country «not be disseminated» — and so it wasn’t, according to a newly-declassified email and records made public by the agency.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe declassified the heavily redacted records, which he said he believes is an example of «politicization of intelligence.»
Fox News Digital obtained the declassified documents, which were discovered during a CIA review of historical agency records.
President Joe Biden waves while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Des Moines International Airport, in Des Moines Iowa, April 12, 2022, en route to Washington. (AP)
A senior CIA official briefed Fox News Digital on the declassified documents and intelligence report, stating that the intelligence was discovered along with an email showing that Biden «expressed a preference to not share the report.»
Representatives for Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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CIA officials discovered and declassified an email dated February 10, 2016, with the subject line stating: «RE: OVP query regarding draft [REDACTED].» The email was sent to the CIA.
The classification of the email was listed, and crossed out, as «SECRET.»
«Good morning, I just spoke with VP/ NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated. Thanks for understanding,» the email states, signed by a redacted name, but with the title of «PDB Briefer.» The «PDB» is the presidential daily brief.
Vice President J.D. Vance swears in newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe while his wife, Michele Ratcliffe, looks on during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House Jan. 23, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The report in question included intelligence revealing that Ukrainian officials viewed the Biden family’s alleged ties to corrupt business practices in Ukraine «as evidence of a double-standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power.»
«Intelligence officials agreed that, at the time of collection, it would have met the threshold [for dissemination], but based on the Office of the Vice President’s preference, the information was never shared outside of the CIA,» the official said.
The CIA, during its review, confirmed that Biden’s request was granted and that the intelligence report «had not been disseminated.»
The senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that it was «extremely rare and unusual» and «inappropriate to go outside of the intelligence community and inquire with the White House on the dissemination of a particular report for what appears to be political reasons.»
The newly declassified intelligence report, which Biden sought to keep private, had a subject line of: «NON-DISSEMINATED INTEL INFORMATION: Reactions of [REDACTED] Ukrainian Government Officials to the Early December Visit of Senior United States Government Official.»
The document states the date of the information came in December 2015. The document was created in 2016.
At the time, Biden was vice president and was running U.S.-Ukraine relations and policy for the Obama administration.
The intelligence document stated that «officials within the administration of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressed bewilderment and disappointment at the 7-8 December 2015 visit of the Vice President of the United States to Kiev, Ukraine.»
«These officials highlighted that, prior to the visit, the Poroshenko administration and other [REDACTED] Ukrainian officials expected the U.S. Vice President to discuss personnel matters with Poroshenko during the visit, and had assumed that the U.S. Vice President would advocate in support of or against specific officials within the Ukrainian Government,» the intelligence states.
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«After the visit, these officials assessed that the U.S. Vice President had come to Kiev almost exclusively to give a generic public speech, and had not had any intention of discussing substantive matters with Poroshenko or other officials within the Ukrainian government,» the intelligence states.
President Joe Biden sits in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Washington. (Andrew Harnik/The Associated Press )
«Following the visit of the U.S. Vice President, [REDACTED] officials within the Poroshenko administration privately mused at the U.S. media scrutiny of the alleged ties of the U.S. Vice President’s family to corrupt business practices in Ukraine,» the intelligence states. «These officials viewed the alleged ties of the U.S. Vice President’s family to corruption in Ukraine as evidence of a double-standard within the United States Government towards matters of corruption and political power.»
Biden, on Dec. 9, 2015, gave a speech in Ukraine, in which he discussed corruption in the country.
«And it’s not enough to set up a new anti-corruption bureau and establish a special prosecutor fighting corruption,» Biden said in the speech. «The Office of the General Prosecutor desperately needs reform.»
In that speech, Biden also said Ukraine’s «energy sector needs to be competitive, ruled by market principles — not sweetheart deals.»
«It’s not enough to push through laws to increase transparency with regard to official sources of income,» he said. «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.»
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At the time, Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin was investigating Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings. Several months later, in March 2016, Biden successfully pressured Ukraine to remove Shokin. At the time Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, Hunter Biden had a highly lucrative role on the board, receiving tens of thousands of dollars per month.
Biden, at the time, threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.
«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,’» Biden recalled telling then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Biden recollected the conversation during an event for the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.
But during his first term, President Donald Trump was impeached after a July 2019 phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family’s actions and business dealings in Ukraine, specifically Hunter Biden’s ventures with Burisma and Joe Biden’s successful effort to have former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin ousted.
At the same time as that call, Hunter Biden was under federal investigation, prompted by his suspicious foreign transactions.
Former President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump was acquitted in Feb. 2020 on both articles of impeachment against him — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — after being impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2019.
Meanwhile, the declassified intelligence report had a «warning,» noting that «due to the extreme sensitivity, this report should be distributed only to the renamed recipients. No further distribution is authorized without prior approval of the originating agency. Violation of established handling procedures are subject to penalty, including termination of access to this reporting channel.»
It added that «any discussion of or reference to information in this report [REDACTED] is strictly prohibited. Any references to this report in derived or finished intelligence should include this warning.»
A senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that Ratcliffe believes the suppression of this intelligence is an example of «politicization of intelligence.»
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, flanked by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, left, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Jeffrey Kruse, testifies as the House Intelligence Committee holds a hearing on worldwide threats, at the Capitol, in Washington, on Wednesday, March 26. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
«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,» a senior CIA official told Fox News Digital. «We believe transparency is important. We will release information and avoid any future weaponization of the intelligence community.»
As for the heavily redacted nature of the intelligence report, the senior CIA official told Fox News Digital that the agency was «careful about protecting CIA sources and methods with redactions.»
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The official stressed that Ratcliffe believes in «maximum transparency» and said he will continue to declassify CIA information and intelligence «when it serves the public’s interest.»
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry against Biden during his presidency, and found, after years of investigating, that he engaged in «impeachable conduct,» «abused his office,» and «defrauded the United States to enrich his family.»
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Greenland’s rejection of President Donald Trump sending a U.S. military hospital ship has touched off a private-public healthcare debate amid ongoing diplomatic talks about Arctic security.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Sunday turned down Trump’s offer, and now Trump special envoy to Greenland, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, has weighed in.
«Shame on Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen!» Landry wrote in response to a Fox News report on Nielsen’s objection. «President Donald J. Trump and America care. After speaking to many Greenlanders about the day to day problems they face, one issue stood out — healthcare.»
Greenland has sought more self-governance from Denmark under the Self Government Act in 2009 to take more local authority under home rule, but Danish officials’ instant rejection of Trump’s offer is aligned with Greenland’s own rejection that came later Sunday.
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Greenland has rejected the Trump administration’s push to take over the Danish territory. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix / AFP via Getty Images; Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted,» Nielsen wrote in a translated Facebook post. «But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens.
«It is a deliberate choice.»
Greenland remains open to dialogue and cooperation with the U.S., with a caveat, according to Nielsen.
«But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,» Nielsen said in his own public Facebook protestation.
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Louisiana GOP Gov. Jeff Landry speaks during a meeting with President Donald Trump last year. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Greenland’s «free for citizens» care is not sufficient, Landry argued in his Facebook response posted to his campaign’s page.
«Many villages and small towns lack basic services that Americans often take for granted,» Landry’s post continued. «Small settlements are without permanent doctors, diagnostic tools, or specialist care – forcing residents to travel great distances for vital treatments that should be available at home.»
The healthcare issue underlies the overreaching Trump hopes to annex Greenland to secure the strategic Arctic region from Russian and Chinese designs, calling it a vital issue for «national security» for both the U.S. and the NATO alliance.
«A healthy Greenland is vital for America’s national security,» Landry’s post concluded. «America is committed to defending Greenland, and that begins by ensuring its people are defended against basic illnesses and ailments.
«These missions matter because health is inseparable from security. America’s commitment to defending Greenland must begin with ensuring its people are healthy.»
The recent dust-up came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven nautical miles outside of Greenland’s capital of Nuuk.
«Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there,» Trump wrote Saturday night on Truth Social. «It’s on the way!!!»
That post sparked objection from both Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday.
«The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs,» Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR, according to Reuters. «They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark.
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«So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.»
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is rejecting President Donald Trump’s offer to send a U.S. military hospital ship to Greenland, suggesting Denmark’s public healthcare system is sufficient. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Frederiksen spun the Trump offer into a political debate on public healthcare.
«Am happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all,» Frederiksen wrote in a translated post, sharing a Democrat attack point on Trump’s Republican Party’s struggles to reform what Trump has rebuked as a «failure» of Obamacare. «Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment. You have the same approach in Greenland.»
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The U.S. Navy has two hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort. Both were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was re-elected as general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, according to a press release from the country’s state-run media.
The decision was announced on Monday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which said the party formally adopted the measure on Feb. 22 during its Ninth Congress.
KCNA described the move as reflecting the «unanimous desire» of party members, the military and the public, praising Kim as the «centre of unity and leadership» and crediting him with strengthening the country’s nuclear deterrence and advancing economic and military development.
The lengthy statement highlighted the country’s achievements over the past five years, including improvements to national defense capabilities and economic planning.
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In this photo provided by the North Korean government, leader Kim Jong Un claps after being re-elected to the top post of the ruling Workers’ Party during its congress in Pyongyang on Feb. 22, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
It also reaffirmed Kim’s role as the guiding figure in the country’s «socialist construction.»
Kim, who has been in power since 2011, has served as general secretary of the Workers’ Party since 2021, when he formally assumed the title previously held by his late father, Kim Jong Il.
An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) suggests North Korea could use the conclusion of the Ninth Party Congress to unveil new strategic weapons and highlight progress under its 2021–2025 military modernization plan.
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In this photo provided by the North Korean government, leader Kim Jong Un attends the ruling Workers’ Party Congress in Pyongyang on Feb. 22, 2026. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
The report notes Pyongyang may showcase advances in intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and hypersonic glide vehicles as it seeks to improve the survivability and accuracy of its nuclear capabilities.
AEI assessed that Kim is also likely to outline modernization goals for the 2026–2030 period, potentially emphasizing second-strike capabilities, faster launch readiness and more diverse delivery systems.
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Beyond military issues, the analysis says Kim may frame the current five-year economic plan as a success, pointing to increased trade with Russia and China and efforts under his «20×10 Regional Development Policy» to reduce rural-urban disparities.
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Panamá avanza en su objetivo de ampliar el Humedal Ramsar Punta Patiño mediante recorridos técnicos, monitoreo ambiental y trabajo comunitario desarrollados en la provincia de Darién, en un proceso que busca fortalecer la protección de uno de los ecosistemas más relevantes del país.
Guardaparques del Ministerio de Ambiente (MiAmbiente) y de la Asociación Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (ANCÓN) realizaron patrullajes terrestres y marítimos enfocados en verificar límites actuales, evaluar zonas propuestas para anexión y recopilar información científica que sustente la ampliación.
Las acciones incluyeron 32 kilómetros por vía acuática y 8 kilómetros por vía terrestre, abarcando límites perimetrales actuales y territorios considerados estratégicos para la conectividad ecológica.
En paralelo, se desarrollaron espacios de diálogo comunitario con representantes de Punta Alegre, Taimatí, Sambú y Garachine, donde se abordaron beneficios ambientales, alcances del proyecto y zonas de interés prioritario que podrían incorporarse al sitio Ramsar.
El proceso contempló también trabajos científicos en campo, incluyendo monitoreo de aves, evaluaciones forestales y establecimiento de parcelas de investigación, elementos que forman parte del sustento técnico requerido para la ampliación.
Equipos especializados realizaron muestreos de agua con instrumentos multiparámetro, mediciones de salinidad y temperatura, colecta de zooplancton y registros de profundidad, con el objetivo de evaluar la salud del ecosistema y su dinámica hidrológica.
Dentro de la ruta de evaluación se incluyeron Guagaral, Playa Cueca, lagunas cercanas a Sambú y sectores próximos a Garachine, áreas consideradas clave para justificar la expansión del humedal y fortalecer la conservación del Corredor Biológico Serranía de Bagre.
En la comunidad de Punta Alegre, autoridades presentaron mapas topográficos y trabajaron con residentes en la delimitación participativa de zonas potenciales para anexión, registrando el proceso mediante fotografías georreferenciadas.
La Reserva Natural Privada Punta Patiño, administrada por ANCÓN, constituye la primera reserva natural privada del país y protege una de las muestras más representativas del bosque tropical panameño, con ecosistemas que incluyen manglares, humedales costeros y bosques inundables.
Su integración al sistema Ramsar responde a la importancia ecológica del área, particularmente como hábitat de especies, regulador hídrico y barrera natural frente a eventos climáticos extremos.
Un sitio Ramsar es un humedal reconocido internacionalmente bajo la Convención Ramsar, tratado ambiental que promueve la conservación y uso sostenible de estos ecosistemas debido a su valor para la biodiversidad, el almacenamiento de carbono, la mitigación de inundaciones y el sustento de comunidades locales.
En materia normativa, Panamá incorporó la Convención Ramsar mediante la Ley 6 de 1989 y cuenta con disposiciones como la Ley General de Ambiente (Ley 41 de 1998), normas de ordenamiento territorial, regulaciones sobre manglares y la Política Nacional de Humedales aprobada en 2018.
La ampliación de Punta Patiño se inserta en esa estrategia global de protección de humedales de importancia internacional.
Panamá cuenta con otros sitios Ramsar como Bahía de Panamá, San San Pond Sak y el Golfo de Montijo, reconocidos por su relevancia para aves migratorias, manglares y ecosistemas costeros, lo que refleja la diversidad de humedales presentes en el país.
En ese contexto, la ampliación de Punta Patiño busca incrementar la cobertura protegida, mejorar la gestión ambiental y reforzar la conectividad entre ecosistemas terrestres y marinos.
Desde el punto de vista ecológico, la expansión propuesta apunta a proteger zonas de transición entre bosques, manglares y áreas marinas, ecosistemas que funcionan como corredores biológicos y refugios para especies amenazadas.
Autoridades ambientales señalan que la incorporación de nuevas áreas permitiría fortalecer procesos de restauración, mejorar la vigilancia ambiental y ampliar el monitoreo científico dentro del sitio Ramsar.
El componente comunitario constituye un eje central del proceso, ya que la ampliación requiere participación local y reconocimiento de usos tradicionales del territorio.
Las reuniones desarrolladas durante los patrullajes permitieron identificar preocupaciones, oportunidades de conservación y posibles beneficios socioeconómicos, incluyendo ecoturismo, investigación científica y programas de educación ambiental vinculados al humedal.
El proceso de ampliación continuará con evaluaciones técnicas, consultas comunitarias y revisión cartográfica, etapas necesarias para sustentar la modificación de límites y su eventual reconocimiento internacional.
Las autoridades destacan que la iniciativa busca consolidar la protección de Punta Patiño dentro del sistema Ramsar y reforzar el papel de los humedales como infraestructura natural clave para la resiliencia ambiental del país.
Igualmente, señalan que la gestión futura de los humedales debe priorizar el ordenamiento territorial, el control del turismo, la protección de cuencas hidrográficas y la integración de estos ecosistemas en las políticas de adaptación al cambio climático.
La presión sobre los humedales panameños se ha incrementado en los últimos años como resultado de la expansión urbana, los rellenos, los cambios en el uso del suelo, el turismo no regulado, la contaminación y los efectos del cambio climático.
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