Associates of Dmitry Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch wanted by U.S. authorities on conspiracy charges, reportedly worked to find dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden last year as part of an effort to enlist Rudy Giuliani’s help with the oligarch’s legal case. According to Bloomberg, Firtash—who is based in Vienna, Austria, and fighting extradition to the U.S.—hired pro-Trump lawyers Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing earlier this year. DiGenova and Toensing both have worked with Giuliani to get opposition research on Biden and have been vocal in their support of Trump. They reportedly charged Firtash about $1 million for their work. Around the time DiGenova and Toensing were hired, Firtash’s associates began using their network in Ukraine to get dirt on Biden, and were able to get a witness statement from ex-Ukrainian prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin—the same one held up by Giuliani on Fox News as proof of Biden’s supposed corruption.
The Daily Beast: Firtash paid $1 million to Giuliani-linked lawyers
Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash is pictured prior to a public hearing at the higher regional court in Vienna on Feb. 21, 2017.
