It is the latest example of Trump’s willingness to solicit and accept domestic aid from foreign powers – even from Putin, who is currently waging a bloody war against Ukraine.In an interview with JustTheNews, Trump made an unproven claim about Hunter Biden’s dealings in Russia and urged Putin to release any information he may have about the situation. It is not clear if any material exists or if the Kremlin has access to it.
“I would think Putin would know the answer to that,” Trump said, referring to Hunter Biden’s possible dealings in Russia. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.”
It is true that Hunter Biden was well paid for his consulting work abroad, including in Ukraine and China, while his father – President Joe Biden – was a vice president. The Department of Justice conducts ongoing criminal investigations into these deals and possible financial crimes.
However, no evidence has surfaced to support Trump’s claims that the Bidens engaged in corruption or influenced US policy for personal gain, and the president was not involved in the investigation. Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing and says he will be acquitted once the criminal investigation is complete.
Trump’s public appeal to Putin dates back to his infamous July 2016 comment in which he said, “Russia, if you’re listening,” and then urged Putin to hack Hillary Clinton’s personal emails. It was the beginning of a year-long attempt by Trump to use foreign aid to improve his political prospects. The Trump campaign in 2016 also welcomed and capitalized on Russia’s interference in the anti-Clinton election. For example, the campaign regularly played up Democratic emails hacked and leaked by the Russian military, and members of Trump’s inner circle also met with a Russian agent during the campaign who promised dirt on Clinton. In 2019, Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch baseless corruption investigations into then-candidate Joe Biden and withheld nearly $400 million in US military aid under the program. This incident led to Trump’s first impeachment. And during the 2020 campaign, some of Trump’s best allies worked with a known Russian spy to spread disinformation about Biden and his family, including some of the same corruption allegations Trump mentioned in the new interview. The clip of Trump asking Putin for help was published by a news website founded by John Solomon, a pro-Trump journalist whose previous coverage of the Bidens’ ties to Ukraine has been discredited. He told CNN that Monday’s interview was taped in Mar-a-Lago.