In a new interview published Tuesday, former President Donald Trump called on Russian President, Vladimir Putin to release any damaging information he has about the Biden family, in a brazen request for domestic political assistance from America’s top adversary. It’s the latest example of Trump’s willingness to solicit and embrace domestic political help from foreign powers — even from Putin, who is currently overseeing a war against Ukraine.
In an interview with JustTheNews, Trump pushed an unproven claim about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Russia, and asked Putin to release any information that he might have about the situation. It’s not clear that 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 potential dealings in Russia. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.”
It is true that Hunter Biden was paid handsomely for consulting work he did in foreign countries, including Ukraine and China, while his father — President Joe Biden — was vice president. The Justice Department has an on going criminal investigation into these dealings and potential financial crimes. But no evidence has emerged to support Trump’s claims that the Bidens engaged in corruption or influenced US policy for personal gain, and the President hasn’t been implicated in the probe.
Hunter Biden has denied wrongdoing and says he’ll be cleared when the criminal probe is over. Trump’s public appeal to Putin harkens back to his infamous July 2016 comment in which he said, “Russia, if you are listening” and then urged Putin to hack Hillary Clinton’s personal emails. It was the start of a years-long effort by Trump to raise his political prospects with foreign help.
