"Joe Biden was speaking with reporters in Iowa when Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked the relevant question about the controversy over his son’s windfall business dealings while he was Vice President. Doocy asked “How many times have you spoken to your son about his overseas business dealings?” Biden’s response was the second greatest surprise from the press scrum. Biden declared “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings.” The greatest surprise was what followed. Nothing. The rest of the press corps let Biden walk away without a single follow up answer of how it is possible for Biden could fly to China on Air Force II with Hunter Biden and never hear that his son was about to close an over billion dollar deal with the government’s Bank of China. Nothing. I just wrote a column noting the conspicuous lack of interest in the Biden deals by the media. Biden simply attacked Trump and barked at Doocy to “Ask the right questions!” He then continued on with his campaign.
Hunter Biden accompanied his father on an official trip aboard Air Force Two to China. Shortly thereafter, Hunter signed a $1 billion private equity deal with a subsidiary of the Bank of China, a deal that was later expanded to $1.5? billion. So Biden flew for almost a full day to and back from China but his son never mentioned that he was working on an over one billion dollar deal with China? One could ask what his son was even doing on an official trip to China and why he did not feel compelled (for ethical, if not familial, reasons) to mention this potential conflict of interest for his father.
Hunter also was asked to be a director of a Ukrainian natural gas company, Burisma Holdings, owned by a government minister and close associate of bloodsoaked former president and Russian stooge Viktor Yanukovych. Biden later forced the government to fire the Ukrainian chief prosecutor fired after he threatened to investigate Burisma Holdings. Biden bragged that he held up more than $1 billion in loan guarantees and gave the Ukrainians just hours to fire the prosecutor.
In fairness to Biden, the United States and many countries were clamoring for Ukraine to act on its rampant corruption, including the need for a more aggressive prosecutor. However, the obvious conflicts posed by Hunter’s dealings has been largely ignored.
There are two concerns with Hunter Biden. One is the concern of whether Joe Biden knew that his actions may benefit his son. I am willing to believe that Biden was not aware of the potential investigation of his son’s company in the Ukraine. Yet, there is the other question of whether the Biden family cashed in on Biden’s positions in these convenient and ample contracts. Children and spouses of politicians are often given positions and contracts to influence them. These payments are more difficult to track and to address under anti-corruption laws. Now, there is the incredible suggestion that Hunter Biden has never (even to this day) discussed his business dealings with his father. Never.
What has long been difficult for many of us to square is how China and the Ukraine searched the world over for the best possible person to handle almost $2 billion and they just happened to come up with the son of the Vice President of the United States, a world leader who happened to be coming to their countries with massive trade and aid plans. Hunter Biden was that much of an intellectual and finance genius from Asia to Europe and beyond?
Biden’s response in Iowa perfectly reflected the past handling of this story. Reporters have raised the story and then simply observe that Joe Biden denies any knowledge of the dealings. Thus, absent a confession, there is no evidence of wrongdoing or corruption. That’s it. It is hardly the approach taken to stories involving Trump family dealings. Yet, here was a politician faced with a serious question involving his son’s alleged profiteering during his term as Vice President and Biden lectured the reporter on “asking the right questions.” He just then walked away . . . or, perhaps more accurately, the media walked away." - J Turley |
