Donald Trump and allies have sharpened their attacks on Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, as the election draws nearer.
But there is one significant problem with the focus on the candidate’s son, according to a political analyst.
Joe Lockhart, a podcast host and CNN political analyst, pointed out on Twitter that Hunter Biden’s financial dealings with Ukraine and China were a subject of a recent Senate investigation. Though the Senate report was put out by Republicans, Lockhart pointed out that it found no wrongdoing on his part.
“One problem with Trump focusing on Hunter Biden. A partisan Senate panel found no evidence he has any influence on US policy during the Obama administration,” he wrote.
These business dealings were mentioned in the 87-page report released by Republicans, though it did not outline any explicit wrongdoing on his part. Opponents have said that the president and his allies are unfairly attacking him while ignoring the conflicts of interest of Trump’s own adult children. They have also accused Republicans of focusing on the unproven allegations against Hunter Biden as a deflection of the damaging report that found Trump had paid no federal income tax for 10 of the 15 years leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Hunter Biden has been a subject of attack for Trump and his allies for months, dating back to at least last year when he pressed Ukraine to launch an investigation of his business activities in the country. He alleged that while in office, the former vice president improperly influenced a Ukrainian investigation of an energy company where his son would later serve on the board. Many pointed out that there was no evidence to support these claims of corruption, and Trump would ultimately be impeached for his efforts to influence Ukraine into digging up dirt on his opponent.
The attacks on Hunter Biden have intensified in recent weeks, including accusations regarding a $3.5 million wire transfer from a Russian billionaire to his investment firm. As Newsweek noted, the Trump campaign has repeatedly pressed this issue and called on his opponent to explain the transfer in a list of “17 Questions Joe Biden Must Answer in the Debate” released on Monday.
“Why would people connected to the Russian and Chinese governments want to give your son millions of dollars?” the campaign asked Trump’s opponent.
Trump is expected to continue the attacks at the first presidential debate on Tuesday night.
