During the 2020 presidential debates, accusations, including some false ones, were hurled at Hunter Biden’s business dealings, particularly in China. In response to a direct inquiry from debate moderator Welker from NBC, Joe Biden contrasted himself with Trump and insisted that his son had not made any money from Chinese business ventures.
Fast forward nearly three years, and the narrative has changed. Hunter Biden himself has acknowledged in a recent court testimony that he did receive substantial payments from China. This admission marks the first official confirmation of this fact.
The inconsistent statements from father and son highlight the ongoing issues that Hunter Biden’s business activities present for the administration. Congressional Republicans are probing whether there were any personal benefits to Joe Biden from his son’s business entanglements, although there is no tangible evidence to back these allegations. Adding to the intrigue, lawmakers recently interviewed Hunter’s former business partner, Devon Archer. Both Democrats and Republicans recounted that Hunter included his father in conversations with business associates via speakerphone on multiple occasions over a ten-year period.
While Joe Biden stated in 2019 that he never discussed his son’s business affairs, lawmakers’ opinions diverge on the content of Archer’s testimony, and the full transcript of the hearing has yet to be made public. The White House maintains that the witness testimony does not conflict with the President’s longstanding assertions.
Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seemed to allude to Joe Biden’s debate comments, hinting at the possibility of an impeachment inquiry. McCarthy’s comments to Fox News were about Biden’s claims during his campaign, denying discussions about business with his family and asserting that they never received money from China. McCarthy argued that evidence proves otherwise.
It’s undisputed that Hunter Biden did receive funds from China. It is worth noting, however, that Welker’s question to Biden during the debate was about his son’s work in China and Ukraine during his tenure as vice president. Therefore, Biden might have been referring specifically to that timeframe, given that the payments to Hunter occurred after he left office.
