Was Jake Sullivan Part of a Biden Influence-Peddling Operation? His Answer: 'No' (April 24, 2023)

A reporter put a former White House stenographer’s accusation directly to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. “On Ukraine, I wanted to give you the opportunity to respond to a former White House stenographer who this month outed you as a anonymous senior administration official who briefed reporters on Air Force Two en route to Ukraine in 2014,” the reporter said at the White House on April 24, 2023 [1].

“He says that you spoke about giving aid to the Ukrainian national gas industry just days after the first — or the second son had secretly joined the board of a Ukrainian gas company. He says he considers you part of a corrupt influence-peddl- — -peddling conspiracy,” the reporter said [1].

“And were you part of a corrupt influence-peddling operation involving Biden family in Ukraine or any other country?” Sullivan’s full answer, according to the official White House transcript: “No.” [1]

The video above shows the exchange at the April 24, 2023, briefing. Quotes are from the official White House transcript, Fox News, the American Presidency Project and GovInfo and the Clerk of the House [1][2][3][4][5].

”I’m Telling the Truth”

The stenographer was Mike McCormick. “Mike McCormick, a stenographer for the White House for 15 years, told ‘Fox & Friends First’ the FBI has been ignoring his alarms on the matter despite his willingness to testify under oath before the federal grand jury investigating Hunter,” Fox News reported on April 13, 2023 [2].

“In February, I went to the FBI and filed one of their tips on their website. If you do that, and you’re lying to them, you go to jail. I’m not lying. I’m telling the truth, and I’m not going to jail,” McCormick said [2].

“I’m sitting back there with a tape recorder. Jake Sullivan comes back and somebody asks about fracking,” he told Fox News. “In the transcript, you don’t know who Jake Sullivan is. It’s a senior administration official.” [2]

“Unconventional Gas Reserves”

The 2014 transcript is public. “We’re about an hour and a half out of Kyiv,” the senior administration official told reporters aboard Air Force Two on April 21, 2014 [3].

The official said Vice President Joe Biden would discuss strategies “to boost conventional gas production, and also to begin to take advantage of the unconventional gas reserves that are in Ukraine.” [3]

The help on offer included “technical assistance relating to a regulatory framework, and also the technology that would be required to extract unconventional gas resources; and Ukraine has meaningful reserves of unconventional gas according to the latest estimates.” [3]

Fox News reported the timing. “Hunter joined the board of the Ukrainian natural gas firm on April 18, just three days before Biden and his team traveled to Kyiv. But that critical piece of the puzzle was not made public until May 12.” [2]

“This Is Go Time”

Sullivan also took questions on Sudan. A reporter asked about Biden’s order to evacuate the U.S. Embassy there. “What — you know, what was it that tipped the scale for him to realize, you know, ‘This is go time’?” [1]

“I think it was a combination of three things,” Sullivan said. “The President felt this was the right moment, it was the right opportunity. He directed his military to seize that opportunity, and they successfully carried out the mission.” [1]

“We’re Not Going to Negotiate”

After Sullivan left, a reporter Jean-Pierre called Zeke asked about the debt limit. “The President has been under some calls to now sit down with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy now that he has released his — the outlines of his plan on the debt limit. Why is — is now the time for the President to actually speak to the Speaker and begin substantive negotiations?” [1]

“Look, we’ve been very clear. We’re not going to negotiate over — over avoiding default,” Jean-Pierre said. “They’re holding the economy hostage.” [1]

Asked whether Biden might still sit down with McCarthy, she said: “So, look, again, House Republicans must avo- — avoid default. Been very clear.” [1]

On May 31, 2023, the House passed H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 314 to 117 [5]. For how the White House defended the deal, see HYGO News’ page on May 30, 2023.

”Americans Are Free People”

A reporter asked Sullivan about Americans stuck in Sudan. “You said from podium that the U.S. government has been telling Americans not to go to Sudan for more than a decade, it’s not sa- — and if they’re there, to leave. Obviously, that message has had limited impact, because there are thousands of Americans who were living in Sudan when this fighting broke out.” [1]

“Look, Americans are free people. We cannot dictate where they travel, tell them they must go or not go to a particular place. We can only give them the best, clearest, most sustained, most consistent advice,” Sullivan said [1].

“It is not standard practice for the United States to send in the U.S. military into warzones to extract all American citizens. We didn’t do it in Libya. We didn’t do it in Syria. We didn’t do it in Yemen. And, no, we didn’t do it in Ukraine. Afghanistan was a unique case involving the end of a 20-year war that the United States was centrally involved in,” he said [1].

By the Numbers

1: word in Sullivan’s answer [1].
3 days: between Hunter Biden joining the Burisma board and the Kyiv trip, per Fox News [2].
15 years: McCormick’s time as a White House stenographer, per Fox News [2].
Jan. 1, 2014: the start of the period covered by Hunter Biden’s pardon [4].

What Happened Next

Hunter got a pardon. On Dec. 1, 2024, Biden pardoned his son. The grant was “A Full and Unconditional Pardon For those offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.” [4] That window opens months before the April 2014 trip to Kyiv [2][4].

“Today I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision.” [4]

For Biden’s “lots of luck” to Republicans who planned to investigate Hunter, see HYGO News’ page on Nov. 9, 2022. For the White House on Hunter at the state dinner, see the page on June 26, 2023.