Donald Trump has called for China to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, escalating his defiance of impeachment proceedings in Congress. The president made the demand on the White House lawn on Thursday, openly urging Beijing to probe the former vice-president and his son Hunter over business dealings in China and Ukraine.
Trump linked the request to ongoing trade talks with China, stating, “If they don’t do what we want, we have tremendous, tremendous power.” Asked if he had already asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to start an investigation, Trump said, “I haven’t, but it’s certainly something we can start thinking about.” CNN later reported that Trump had brought up Biden in a June phone call with Xi, mentioning his political prospects and those of Senator Elizabeth Warren, while also indicating he would stay quiet on Hong Kong protests as long as trade talks progressed.
The president’s remarks came as his former special envoy on Ukraine, Kurt Volker, testified before House committees about parallel contacts with Kyiv aimed at obtaining compromising material on the Bidens. According to ABC News, Volker provided Congress with a text message from acting ambassador Bill Taylor stating, “I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.” Another ambassador, Gordon Sondland, disagreed, saying the president had made it “crystal clear no quid pro quo of any kind.”
Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong in his dealings with Ukraine, accusing the whistleblower of treason. However, his public call for foreign investigations into a political rival mirrors the conduct at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanding she suspend the inquiry until more transparent rules are established, but Pelosi has given no indication of doing so.
