Long-Buried C.I.A. File Suggests Biden Team Blocked Release of Report on Ukraine Trip and Perceived Corruption ‘Double Standard’
WASHINGTON — The Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday declassified a long-suppressed 2015 intelligence report that captured Ukrainian officials’ frustration over a visit by then-Vice President Joseph Biden, including their private skepticism about perceived conflicts involving his family’s business dealings in the country.
The document, authorized for release by C.I.A. Director John Ratcliffe, details reactions from aides to President Petro O. Poroshenko of Ukraine to Mr. Biden’s trip to Kyiv on Dec. 7 and 8, 2015. It quotes officials as expressing “bewilderment and disappointment” that the high-profile journey — a key moment in American support for Ukraine amid its war with Russian-backed separatists — centered mainly on a public address rather than in-depth talks.
Originally classified as Top Secret and restricted to named recipients only, the report was never shared through standard agency channels, according to its markings and an accompanying internal email. In unedited excerpts, it describes how Mr. Biden’s team appeared to prioritize “public messaging” over “substantive bilateral negotiations.”
The report also records aides “musing” about American media coverage of Mr. Biden’s family ties. They described the arrangement as evidence of a “double standard” in United States anti-corruption policy — a pointed contrast to Washington’s public pressure on Kyiv to root out graft.
While the document accurately reflects a 2015 field report and contemporaneous diplomatic context, its contents have not been independently verified and should be regarded as raw intelligence capturing foreign perceptions rather than confirmed findings.
A handling notice in the file illuminates its sensitivity:
“Due to its extreme sensitivity, this report should be distributed only to the named recipients. No further distribution is authorized without prior approval of the originating agency. Violations of established handling procedures are subject to penalty, including termination of access to this reporting channel.”
The release package includes a February 2016 email from a briefer for the President’s Daily Brief, the top-secret morning summary for the White House. It relays that Mr. Biden’s national-security team “would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated,” effectively halting its circulation.
The redacted record reads:
“Good morning,
I just spoke with VP/NSA and he would strongly prefer the report not/not be disseminated.
Thanks for understanding.
[REDACTED]
PDB Briefer.”
The file surfaced during a 2024 C.I.A. archival review.
A redacted section on that review says: “With respect to the FI-focused portion of the content, all agreed that while the information would have met the dissemination threshold contemporaneously when collected, it did not add to the intelligence picture in 2024. The sparse details provided; the fact that the information focused on the perspectives of a previous Ukrainian Government.”