Trump urges China to investigate the Bidens
WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump called for China to investigate Joe Biden, redoubling his efforts to push foreign countries to undertake probes of the Democratic presidential hopeful.
The president’s comments come as his efforts to persuade Ukraine in a July call to investigate Biden have set off an impeachment inquiry by House Democrats, who are looking at whether the president abused the power of his office for political gain.
The U.S. special representative for Ukraine, who resigned last week, testified Thursday before Democratic-led House committees that he tried to counter what he saw as disinformation being provided to Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, about Ukraine, according to a person familiar with his testimony.
Speaking on the South Lawn of the White House, the president for the first time publicly called on China to start an investigation of the Bidens, alleging that “what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.”
Asked if he had sought Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help, Trump said: “I haven’t, but it’s certainly something we can start thinking about.” Trump was referring to Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s decision in 2013 to join an investment advisory firm that joined with Chinese entities, shortly after traveling with his father to China while he was vice president. No evidence of any impropriety has emerged.
China’s criminal-justice system long has been a matter of concern to U.S. officials. A 2019 State Department report on human rights warned of arbitrary arrests, detentions and killings, and intimidation of witnesses. The State Department has advised caution for U.S. travelers to China, citing risks of arbitrary law enforcement and saying the Chinese government could deny access to U.S. consular services if arrested or detained.
Trump again called on President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to lead the charge for a probe. “I would say, President Zelensky, if it was me, I would start an investigation into the Bidens,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks came as Kurt Volker, who was appointed by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as Ukraine envoy, testified behind closed doors.
In the first deposition from a State Department official in the probe, Volker provided a firsthand account of the confusion surrounding Trump’s stance toward Ukraine this year.
Among other things, Volker said that no reason was given this summer for the Republican president’s decision in July to put a hold on nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to Ukraine, describing it as an unusual situation that made it hard for him to explain the matter to the Ukrainians, this person familiar with the testimony said.
Democrats suspect the aid was held up as part of efforts to press Kiev to undertake the investigations sought by Trump. The hold on the aid came about a week before Trump’s July phone call with Zelensky. The administration has given varying reasons for the hold on aid, describing it as motivated by frustration that Europe wasn’t spending enough on Ukraine as well as by corruption concerns.
Volker also raised another possible point of leverage the president had over Zelensky: an in-person meeting between the leaders. Volker testified that there had been an early agreement between Trump and Zelensky to hold a meeting in Washington as a show of U.S. support for Ukraine and to welcome the new president, the person familiar with his testimony said.
The meeting was subsequently suspended. Volker left it unclear who had agreed to a meeting but suggested Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former national security adviser John Bolton were involved, the person said.
Trump and his allies have called for investigations over Biden’s anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine as vice president, while Hunter Biden sat on the board of a private Ukrainian gas company. The former prosecutor general of Ukraine said earlier this year that he had no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son.
In remarks in Arizona, Vice President Mike Pence backed Trump, saying “I think the American people have a right to know” if a vice president’s family benefited from the position.
Trump has faced criticism for potentially benefiting financially from his presidency. Breaking with precedent, Trump decided to retain ownership of his company when he became president and has declined to release tax returns. His adult children run his business but often are spotted at government events.
Over the summer, Pence faced criticism over a stay at Trump’s resort in Ireland, as some questioned whether he was using public dollars to benefit Trump.
Biden, in his most forceful comments to date on the subject, said in a speech in Reno, Nev., on Wednesday that as vice president, he carried out the official policy of the U.S. government to root out corruption in Ukraine in tandem with European allies, the International Monetary Fund and “courageous reformers” in Ukraine. The prosecutor was the target of widespread criticism from the U.S. and other countries.
“We weren’t pressing Ukraine to get rid of a tough prosecutor, we were pursuing Ukraine to replace a weak prosecutor who wouldn’t do his job,” Biden said.
Volker in his deposition defended Biden’s work in Ukraine and pointed out that the prosecutor was corrupt and worked to shield favored people from prosecution, rather than go after wrongdoers, according to the person familiar with his testimony.
Volker also testified that he felt it was his role and duty to make Giuliani understand that people used as sources of information in Ukraine may be unreliable or corrupt, in particular Yuri Lutsenko, a former Ukraine prosecutor general whom Giuliani has counted as a source, this person said. Volker also shared texts and emails with the committee.
Giuliani has publicized texts from Volker to support his contention that the State Department invited and welcomed his involvement in matters relating to Ukraine.
By involving China in the matter, Trump is likely to escalate concerns of Democratic lawmakers. His comment comes as Washington and Beijing are engaged in a trade war that is weighing on the global economy.
The two countries, which have imposed tariffs on each others’ exports, have made little progress on a trade deal since hitting an impasse in early May. High-level negotiations are expected to resume in Washington late next week. Trump has portrayed China as eager to reach a trade pact to revive the country’s growth.
“I have a lot of options on China,” Trump said Thursday regarding trade. “If they do not do what we want, we have tremendous power.”
On Thursday, Kate Bedingfield, the Biden campaign’s deputy campaign manager and communications director, called Trump’s morning comments about China and Ukraine the “equivalent of his infamous ‘Russia, if you’re listening’ moment from 2016.”
Trump made those remarks during his first presidential race, calling on Moscow to find Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s missing emails.
President Trump speaks to the press as he departs the White House for Florida on Thursday.
Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, arrives Thursday for an interview with House investigators
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A U.S. Capitol Police officer stands at the entrance to a secure area during closed-door interviews with Kurt Volker, a former special envoy to Ukraine, as House Democrats proceed with the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington on Thursday
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