Trump asks Putin to release dirt about Biden’s family
Donald Trump famously called on Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s emails ahead of the 2016 election. He’s now calling on Vladimir Putin to dig up dirt on President Biden’s family.
The ask came during an interview with Just the News on Real America’s Voice, with the former president citing a Senate report that found a Russian oligarch once gave $3.5 million to a company he claims was founded by Biden’s son, Hunter. “Why did the mayor of Moscow’s wife give the Bidens, both of them, $3.5 million? That’s a lot of money,” Trump said. “She gave him $3.5 million so I would think Putin would know the answer to that,” Trump said. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.”
The Senate report to which Trump is referring is a partisan report Republicans released in 2020. The report found that Yelena Baturina gave $3.5 million to a firm called Rosemont Seneca Thornton in 2014. Hunter Biden was the co-founder of a firm called Rosemont Seneca Advisors. Biden’s lawyer told CNN that this is not the same firm that received the “consultancy agreement” payment from Baturina. There is no evidence the payment was corrupt or that Hunter Biden had anything to do with it.
It’s also not the first time Trump has called on a foreign power to dig up dirt on the Bidens. Trump in 2018 attempted to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into releasing damaging information on the family. Trump delayed congressionally approved military aid to the nation in an effort to force Zelensky to cooperate. The quid-pro-quo led to Trump’s first impeachment that December.
This isn’t the first time Trump has sought to collude with Russia to help his electoral chances. The soon-to-be president in a July 2016 news conference called on Russia, “if you’re listening,” to “find the 30,000 emails that are missing” from Clinton’s email server. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s subsequent investigation found that the nation began targeting Clinton’s accounts “on or around” the day of Trump’s request.
Trump’s latest call for Putin’s help comes as the Russia authoritarian is bombarding Ukraine in an unprovoked war that has resulted in thousands of deaths. Trump has repeatedly refused to condemn Putin throughout the invasion. Maybe it’s because he still wants his help.
