Biden says family will avoid business conflicts

President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday that his family members would not be engaged in business interests that present conflicts of interest when he assumes the presidency.

“My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise, that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict, with the appropriate distance from, the presidency and government,” Biden told CNN host Jake Tapper in an interview Thursday.

Biden’s son, Hunter, came under scrutiny during the campaign as a result of his decision to take a position on the board of a Ukrainian energy company when Biden was vice president during the Obama administration.

President Trump and his allies promoted a contested theory about Joe Biden pushing for the removal of a Ukrainian prosecutor to assist his son, which ultimately led to the president’s impeachment by the House last year. Trump was accused of soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election by pressing Ukraine’s president to investigate the Bidens.

Hunter Biden has defended his work for the company and there is no evidence that he or his father engaged in any wrongdoing, despite Republican-led investigations into the matter. But Hunter Biden said last year that he regretted exposing his father to attacks from his political opponents.

Trump’s own family business interests have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest during his time in office. Trump did not divest from his business empire but instead handed control of it to his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr.

Thursday’s sitdown marked Biden’s first joint interview with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris since they won the presidential election last month. Trump has refused to concede and instead leveled unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud and the election being “stolen” from him.