During a recent Congressional deposition amid a House GOP-led impeachment inquiry targeting his father President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden repeatedly referenced Jared Kushner — son-in-law to former President Donald Trump and someone evidently entangled financially with foreign powers including leadership in Saudi Arabia.
Republicans have moved forward with their inquiry roping in the Bidens despite the lack of conclusive evidence tying the current president to confirmed financial corruption and in what seems like willful ignorance of the details on Trump and his family’s actual business activities reaching overseas. That includes the highly publicized $2 billion given by a Saudi investment fund controlled by the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in support of an investment operation led by Kushner following a stint on Trump’s presidential team.
One of the younger Biden’s arguments amid his questioning in Congress was that he has never received money from a foreign government. “The question being asked, that you’re stating, is that my father said that I never received any money from China, the Government of China. Unlike Jared Kushner, I’ve never received money from a foreign government,” Biden told participating committees.
The comparison came up again amid questioning by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), who took over the Congressional seat formerly held by anti-Trump Republican Liz Cheney. “I never worked for a country. I am not Jared Kushner. I never got money from a country. Not one foreign government ever gave me money, guys — none, zero, not one,” Hunter told his questioners. Hageman had suggested that Hunter previously was paid by the government of Romania, something he said was simply untrue.
And in later exchanges with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Hunter semi-suggested the pursuit of Kushner’s financial records — something for which Democrats in power have also argued. Gaetz was asking about Hunter’s previous income.
“I find it to be highly disingenuous because you have my bank account; you have my tax returns,” the younger Biden told that Republican. “Unlike every other American, somehow you guys were able to get my tax returns. I’m a private citizen. I don’t think you have Jared Kushner’s tax returns, do you? But you have mine, and it has nothing to do with anything that the IRS or anybody else is doing.”
