Hunter Biden Denies ‘Ethical Lapse,’ Apologizes for Imperiling Father’s Career
Hunter Biden denied in a recent interview that his business dealings in Ukraine and China constituted an unethical conflict of interest due to his father’s former position as vice president.
“In retrospect, look, I think that it was poor judgment on my part. Is that I think that it was poor judgment because I don’t believe now, when I look back on it — I know that there was — did nothing wrong at all,” said Biden. However, was it poor judgment to be in the middle of something that is…a swamp in—in—in many ways? Yeah,” Hunter Biden told ABC News’ Amy Robach in an exclusive interview that was recorded over the weekend and aired Tuesday morning.
While he maintained that none of his business dealings crossed an ethical boundary, he admitted that his actions played into the hands of his father’s political enemies.
“I gave a hook to some very unethical people to act in illegal ways to try to do some harm to my father. That’s where I made the mistake,” he said. “So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever.”
Hunter Biden was a paid board member of a Ukrainian natural gas company and an unpaid board member of a Chinese investment firm during the time Joe Biden was Vice President.
President Trump and his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have accused the Bidens of improper conduct.
In Ukraine, Hunter Biden’s company Burisma Holdings was under investigation by former prosecutor general Victor Shokin, who was himself accused of corruption. In 2016 Joe Biden pressured Ukraine to fire Shokin at the behest of U.S. and European Union officials.
Hunter Biden announced on Sunday that he would step down from the board of the Chinese firm BHR (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Co. In 2013 the Chinese government invested $1.5 billion in the company after Hunter flew to China on Air Force Two with his father. Hunter owns a ten percent stake in the company and his announcement included no mention of how he would use the investment.
Meanwhile, Trump is the subject of an impeachment inquiry by House Democrats, who allege the President may have pressured Ukraine to investigate the Bidens by withholding military aid from the country.
