Veteran political reporter Paul Steinhauser said Monday that 2020 Democratic presidential candidates are treading carefully when it comes to the unsubstantiated allegations involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
“All of these candidates — let’s be honest, they’re kind of walking a tight rope here,” Steinhauser, New Hampshire-based political reporter, told Hill.TV during an appearance on “Rising.”
“They want to stand in simpatico with him against the president,” Steinhauser added, referring to Biden. “But at the same time they want to make clear that if they’re president, their vice president’s children will not be on the boards of any foreign companies.”
The House last week announced a formal impeachment inquiry into Trump after a whistleblower’s complaint alleged that the president called on Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens.
White House hopefuls like South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro and entrepreneur Andrew Yang were among the presidential candidates who have come out in support of the impeachment inquiry.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted Sunday that he looks forward “seeing Donald Trump impeached as soon as possible.”
Presidential contenders like Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), as well as some of the aforementioned candidates, had previously come out in support of impeachment.
“Donald Trump has abused his power, obstructed justice, and violated his oath of office. He puts his political interests over our national interest,” Harris said just hours before Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced the impeachment inquiry. “He must be impeached.”
Republicans, meanwhile, have largely defended the president, pointing to accusations that Biden unduly influenced Ukraine while his son sat on a Ukrainian company’s board. The allegations have been unsubstantiated.
“He’s getting paid $50,000. And then when the company that’s paying him that money is under investigation, guess what? Daddy comes running to the rescue, the vice president of United States come running,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Sunday during an interview on CNN with Jake Tapper, who said Jordan was wrong in his account.
“That’s not what happened,” Tapper said.
—Tess Bonn
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