TRUMP `NOT PUSHING' FOR PROBE OF BIDEN'S SON
WASHINGTON • U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had nothing to do with any potential prosecution of president- elect Joe Biden's son, Hunter, who has disclosed that his taxes are being investigated by a federal prosecutor in Delaware.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump was acquitted by the Republican- led Senate in February.
“I have NOTHING to do with the potential prosecution of Hunter Biden, or the Biden family. It is just more Fake News. Actually, I find it very sad to watch!” Trump wrote on Twitter.
His Twitter post came a day after Jeffrey Rosen, the incoming acting attorney general, declined to say in an interview with Reuters whether or not he would appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and his foreign business dealings.
Trump, due to leave office on Jan. 20, has privately been mulling whether to pressure the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to look into Hunter Biden, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Installing a special counsel would make it more politically difficult for the new attorney general in the incoming Biden administration to simply dismiss the matter.
Hunter Biden on Dec. 9 disclosed that his tax affairs were under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware, part of the Justice Department.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the investigation has been ongoing for at least two years, but Attorney General William Barr managed to keep it under wraps ahead of the 2020 election. Trump announced Barr's resignation on Monday.
An attorney for Hunter Biden could not immediately be reached for comment.
Trump and his allies have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest from Hunter Biden's position on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma at the time his father was vice president under Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump and his allies also have called for investigations into Hunter Biden's efforts to raise capital for a Chinese fund.