Biden pledges 'absolute wall' to separate relatives' business dealings
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Joe Biden pledged to erect an "absolute wall" between the presidency and his family's business dealings and said he has never discussed business with relatives, following an event here on Wednesday.
"I have never discussed, with my son or my brother or with anyone else, anything having to do with their businesses. Period," he said. "And what I will do is the same thing we did in our administration. There will be an absolute wall between personal and private [business interests] and the government. There wasn’t any hint of scandal at all when we were there. And I’m going to propose the same kind of strict, strict rules. That’s why I never talked with my son or my brother or anyone else — even distant family — about their business interests. Period.”
The former vice president's comments, in response to a question from POLITICO, come amid allegations that his younger brother James and his son Hunter have sought to use his political connections to enrich themselves, and amid scrutiny of Hunter's business dealings in China and Ukraine.
Most recently, on Friday, executives for firms suing James Biden said that he offered them the former vice president's help promoting their health care ventures, including by incorporating their model in his campaign, in declarations filed in federal court in Tennessee.
Earlier this month, former White House ethics czar Richard Painter told POLITICO that Biden should ask his relatives to pledge to refrain from business activities, such as taking foreign sources of funding, that present potential conflicts of interest.
There is no evidence that Biden has taken any official actions to benefit his relatives' business ventures. Nor, however, does the candidate mention Hunter or his two younger brothers on the campaign trail.
Biden made his comments at a South Carolina stop after he discussed his new dramatic ad concerning health care that features the death of his wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash and his son, Beau Biden’s, brain cancer diagnosis that ultimately claimed his life in 2015.
Biden said there was "a more graphic ad" that the campaign didn't use and "that I'm just uncomfortable talking about." He decided to air the ad running now because he's learned on the campaign trail and during his earlier book tour that the story resonates with voters.
“I wanted people to know about him,” Biden said of Beau Biden. “It’s never comfortable talking about him.”
