Both Democrats and Republicans have criticized Trump for calling Putin a “genius” for his bloody military campaign in Ukraine.
Amid widespread criticism of his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, former President Donald Trump publicly called on Putin on Tuesday to release any dirt he might have on Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
Trump, in an interview with Just the News, seized on an unsubstantiated claim about Biden’s obtaining a hefty payment from Elena Baturina, the former wife of the late former mayor of Moscow, and asked Putin to provide details.
“She gave him $3.5 million, so now I would think Putin would know the answer to that. I think he should release it,” Trump said. “I think we should know that answer.”
Trump was referring to information from a partisan Senate report published just weeks before the 2020 election, which also focused on Biden’s role on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Hunter Biden’s legal team told NBC News in 2020 that Biden had “no interest” in that firm that received the money, so “the claim he was paid $3.5 million was false.”
In October 2020, Putin said he was unaware of any business ties between Biden and Baturina.
Trump reiterated his push for info on Biden in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “In time, Russia may be willing to give that information,” he said.
The request of Putin, who has been widely condemned for launching an unprovoked and deadly invasion in Ukraine, was reminiscent of Trump’s asking the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign to find and release any emails belonging to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival.
