Biden denies unethical behavior involving his son Hunter during questioning at debate

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday denied any unethical behavior related to his son Hunter Biden under questioning at the second presidential debate with President Trump.

Trump went on the offensive, as he had telegraphed, over allegations that Joe Biden was aware of his son’s foreign business dealings.

“I have not taken a penny from any foreign source, ever, in my life,” Biden said.

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker if it was inappropriate or unethical for Hunter Biden to pursue business interests in Ukraine and China while Joe Biden was serving as vice president, Biden refuted the notion.

“Nothing was unethical,” Biden said, citing testimony during Trump’s impeachment hearings where witnesses said his son’s work did not influence U.S. policy.

Joe Biden on Hunter Biden’s work: “Nothing was unethical.” #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/JbKTeU6f6n

— The Hill (@thehill) October 23, 2020

Biden also disputed that his son made money doing business in China, seeking to turn the question on Trump. The former vice president highlighted recent reporting from The New York Times that Trump had a bank account opened in China.

The president continued his attacks on Hunter Biden, highlighting his personal struggles in the military and questioning why he had a job at Ukrainian gas company Burisma despite limited energy experience.

“He’s the vice president of the United States and his son, his brother and his other brother are getting rich. They’re like a vacuum cleaner,” Trump said.

The president has fixated on unproven allegations of corruption against the Biden family in the final stretch of the campaign, seizing on a New York Post report that found Hunter Biden sought to connect a Ukrainian businessman with his father while he served as the vice president.

Biden’s campaign has denied the meeting was ever on an official schedule and questioned whether the narrative is part of a Russian disinformation campaign.

One of the Trump campaign’s guests at Thursday’s debate was Tony Bobulinski, who alleged to reporters that he had proof that Joe Biden had talked with Hunter Biden about his son’s business dealings and that he would be cooperating with the FBI and two Republican Senate panels on the matter.

He cited messages from 2017, after Joe Biden had left office.