New York Representative Dan Goldman, a Democrat, defended Hunter Biden’s international business engagements on Wednesday, asserting that they are founded on legitimate business rationales rather than leveraging Joe Biden’s political influence.
During a pause in Hunter Biden’s interrogation by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and House Judiciary Committee, Goldman refuted Republican claims linking Hunter’s business ventures to the elder Biden’s political career.
Goldman criticized the investigation into Joe Biden as baseless, highlighting Hunter Biden’s transparent account of his foreign business interactions, which he described as standard dealings with international investors and businessmen. He emphasized Hunter Biden’s extensive professional background post-Yale Law School and denounced the unfounded accusations aimed at him during the session.
Hunter Biden’s involvement with Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, during Joe Biden’s vice presidency has been a point of contention, especially given Hunter’s lack of experience in Ukraine and the energy sector. Furthermore, connections between Hunter Biden, his family, and CEFC China Energy Limited have raised eyebrows, given CEFC’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party and the Belt and Road Initiative. Allegations of indirect payments from Russian, Kazakhstani, and Romanian oligarchs to Hunter Biden through a network of shell companies have also been scrutinized.
Hunter’s initial role at MBNA, a credit card company with close ties to Joe Biden during his Senate tenure, has been highlighted as a potential conflict of interest, particularly in light of legislation beneficial to MBNA that Biden supported. Despite these controversies, Joe Crouse, a former MBNA lobbyist, has stated that Hunter Biden was not involved in the company’s lobbying efforts.
Goldman has also suggested that continued inquiries into Joe Biden by key Republican figures might inadvertently align them with Russian interests, recalling his own involvement in promoting the investigation into Trump-Russia collusion.
