The White House on Wednesday blasted former President Trump for calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release damaging information he has about Hunter Biden.
“What kind of American, let alone an ex-president, thinks this is the right time to enter into a scheme with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin?” White House communications director Kate Bedingfield said at a press briefing. “There’s only one, and it’s Donald Trump.”
In an interview with JustTheNews, Mr. Trump repeated an unsubstantiated claim that Hunter Biden obtained a large payment from Elena Baturina, the ex-mayor of Moscow’s former wife.
“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 the answer.”
Hunter Biden’s legal team has long denied the claim he was paid $3.5 million by Ms. Baturina, which first surfaced in 2020.
Mr. Putin in October 2020 said he was unaware of any business ties between Hunter Biden and Ms. Baturina.
Mr. Trump has been widely criticized for his appeal to Mr. Putin, as the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of civilians and sparked a humanitarian crisis in Europe.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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