Joe Biden told Donald Trump to “release your tax returns or shut up,” and also accused him of “running the most corrupt government in the history of the United States of America,” HuffPost reports.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio Wednesday night, the 2020 Democratic Party front-runner lashed out at Trump, who asked Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden, purportedly in exchange for releasing hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid that had been withheld.
“Mr. President, even Richard Nixon released his tax returns. Mr. President, release your tax returns or shut up,” Biden said.
He also accused Trump of “running the most corrupt government in the history of the United States.” For example, he pointed to Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Four of Giuliani’s associates have recently been locked up on various campaign finance-related charges.
“Rudy Giuliani and the henchmen, and Trump’s lawyers, how many of these folks are in jail? These are the president’s people, for God’s sake! This is a corrupt, thoroughly corrupt outfit,” Biden said.
Biden also noted that he entered Congress as one of the poorest politicians in the country, and has left as one of the poorest politicians in the country, having made no money other than his Congressional salary. He also noted that he has released his tax returns for each of the 21 years he’s been in office.
And as for why Trump is so eager to discredit and investigate Biden?
“The reason why he is running after me is he knows I will beat him like a drum. He understands that,” Biden said.
Also on Wednesday night, Biden addressed the issue of his son, Hunter, and Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine. It was those dealings that Trump wanted Zelensky to investigate, and Biden was asked whether or not he regrets not telling Hunter to “maybe not do this,” just in case the matter could be used against the former vice president later in his political career.
Biden was clear that he “never discussed anything” with his son regarding Ukraine. He also noted that Hunter never expected that “thugs like Guiuliani” would attempt to use his business dealings to “embarrass his father.”
Whether or not Hunter’s Ukrainian dealings will haunt Biden’s campaign remains to be seen. Writing in The Wall Street Journal , writer Daniel Henninger opines that Hunter likely won’t be an albatross around his father’s neck, but rather that Biden will be undone by his own failings.
