Editorial: GOP should continue to pursue Hunter Biden probe

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Aug 4

For the second time in a week, Donald Trump has been indicted. Perhaps he's Hunter Biden's lucky charm.

The latest Trump charges — filed Tuesday by special counsel Jack Smith — stem from the former president's failure to go quietly after he lost the 2020 election. The charges allege that Trump enlisted six co-conspirators in "his criminal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and retain power."

Trump lashed out in typical fashion, calling it a "fake indictment." It's an approach that his ardent supporters relish. As of yet, there's no evidence that Trump's legal troubles will cripple his efforts to compete for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

What his legal troubles are doing, however, is obscuring the burgeoning Hunter Biden scandal.

On Monday, Hunter Biden's former business partner told a congressional hearing that Joe Biden would "would occasionally put his father on speakerphone at business dinners and in other situations," The Wall Street Journal reported. The White House has long insisted that the president has no knowledge of his son's business activity.

Devon Archer also testified, according to news accounts, that Hunter Biden was eager to use his famous father to sell "the brand."

Democrats responded with a "nothing to see here, move along" posture, insisting that Hunter Biden was selling only the "illusion" of access and that no business was discussed while "the Big Guy" was on the line.

But how dim-witted would Joe Biden have to be to make damaging statements while on a speakerphone with those at a dinner party? Archer's testimony makes clear that Hunter Biden was intent on using his father to cash in.

Or was it a coincidence that Hunter Biden landed a cushy gig with a Ukrainian energy firm in 2013 when his father was vice president? Over the next five years, NBC News reported last year, "Hunter Biden and his company brought in about $11 million via his roles as an attorney and a board member with a Ukrainian firm accused of bribery and his work with a Chinese businessman now accused of fraud."

All this, the network concluded, raises "questions about national security, business ethics and potential legal exposure."

Archer's testimony yielded no definitive proof that Joe Biden was directly involved in his son's shady dealings. But it's difficult to believe that the president didn't have any idea what his son was doing or that outside forces were placing "constant pressure on Hunter Biden" to "get help from D.C.," as one GOP member present at the hearing told the Journal.

After his failed plea bargain, Hunter Biden may still face charges related to his foreign endeavors. That shouldn't stop House Republicans from aggressively seeking more answers.

Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service