Donald Trump now wants China to probe the Bidens, even as impeachment looms over the President
President Donald Trump seems to be unaffected by the impeachment inquiry under way against him for allegedly seeking foreign help to undermine a domestic political opponent. While leaving the White House on a visit to Florida, Trump told the media that China should also investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Joe, a former vice-president, is currently among the Democratic Party frontrunners for the president’s office in 2020.
Trump has been accused of asking the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to probe the Bidens’ business connections in his country and the Democrats launched the impeachment drive against him alleging that he misused the office in doing so.
Trump’s telephone call with Zelensky on July 25 came under the scanner for the alleged pressure he put on the latter to investigate the Bidens. With a transcript of the call and a whistleblower’s complaint revealed the Democrats feel confident they have cornered the president. But Trujmp is not backing away, in fact he seem to be doubling down. Now there are allegations the president asked China to start an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden.
Biden moved out money from Ukraine and China, Trump claims
"And by the way, likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens. Because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine," Trump said.
He posted a tweet last month accusing Biden of moving huge amounts of money out of both Ukraine and China. The president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani also accused Biden of helping his son’s businesses in those two countries, though there was no evidence to support this claim.
President Trump said he had not directly asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to probe the Biden family, but added that it is “certainly something we could start thinking about". Though it was not immediately clear how the Bidens were linked with China, a detailed article in the New Yorker in July gave glimpses of Hunter’s connections in China.
Allegations against Trump have been snowballing. While it is said that he used foreign aid as leverage against Ukraine, he is also accused of making his diplomats push Ukraine to commit itself to the probe.
Vice-President Mike Pence backed Trump’s demand that foreign governments should investigate Biden. At an event in Arizona, he said the people of America have a right to know if the country’s vice-president or his family profited from his position in the last (Barack Obama) administration, Associated Press reported.
Biden campaign and Adam Schiff lash out at Trump
Trump’s opponents were in no mood to spare the president. While Biden’s campaign chairman said the president showed he is afraid of facing Biden in the 2020 elections, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said the president felt he could do anything with impunity. Schiff is playing a major role in the impeachment procedure, which was launched on September 24 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and has been attacked by Trump. He also said that Trump's seeking of foreign involvement fundamentally breaches his oath of office.
Reacting to Trump’s China remark, he said in a tweet: “The President cannot use the power of his office to pressure foreign leaders to investigate his political opponents."Biden’s campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement that Trump’s administration is in free-fall at the moment and the president himself is flailing and melting down on national television.