Story of the Week: Hunter Biden Steps Down from Chinese Company, Admits "Poor Judgement"

Tracking impeachment: Attention has shifted to President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who is accused of pushing the Ukrainian government to investigate the Bidens on Trump's behalf.

Hunter Biden, son of Joe Biden, forfeited his spot on the board of a Chinese private equity firm on Sunday, saying his overseas work allowed critics to accuse his father of conflicting interests.

The 49-year-old admitted "poor judgement," but he and his father both deny any wrongdoing; an impeachment inquiry into President Trump began after Trump asked the Ukranian government to investigate the Bidens for corruption.

Many media voices, regardless of political leaning, have been critical of the Bidens' handling of the situation. Most attention remains on Trump's alleged misconduct in pushing for an investigation.

Check out some other big stories this week: Top Democrats leave meeting with Trump on Syria prematurely; Analysis of the October Democratic Debate; and Representative Elijah Cummings dies at 68.

From The Blog: Leave Comedy Alone. An unlikely friendship between a liberal celebrity and a former president shows America how to bridge divides; plus, arecent exposéaddressing CNN's alleged anti-Trump agenda raises questions about media bias and ethics.

Snippets from the Center

Hunter Biden to step down from Chinese board

Associated Press

"Facing intense scrutiny from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, Hunter Biden said Sunday he will step down from the board of directors of a Chinese-backed private equity firm at the end of the month as part of a pledge not to work on behalf of any foreign-owned companies should his father win the presidency."

"Joe Biden, speaking to reporters after a union forum in suburban Des Moines, Iowa, said his son did not discuss that decision with him before posting the statement.“No one has asserted my son did a single thing wrong,” Biden added, pounding his finger into the podium, “except a lying president.”"

Fox News legal analyst: Hunter Biden's work overseas 'looks bad, but none of it is criminal'

The Hill

""All of it looks bad, but none of it is criminal. And you know this is the way ... the Chinese operate," Napolitano said on "Fox & Friends." "They find someone who they think will gain them a toehold in American society and they offer money to some entity that the person is involved with. They didn’t put a billion dollars in his pocket, they invested $1 billion in some entity that he was managing.""

"Trump and Republicans have accused Hunter Biden of profiting off his father's office and claim the former vice president is corrupt. The former vice president, however, has denied acting with his son's interests in mind. There is no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing by either of the Bidens."

Trump's claims about Hunter Biden in China

FactCheck.org

"President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused Hunter Biden, without evidence, of making millions of dollars in a “payoff” from China, after accompanying his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden, on a 2013 diplomatic trip to Beijing."

"Hunter Biden was involved with the cross-border equity consortium in question, but the $1.5 billion was what the fund hoped to raise in 2014 for investments. It is not the value of the management company in which Hunter Biden now holds a minority share. It’s unclear if that $1.5 billion goal was reached in its first year, as the investment fund had forecast, but the company website says it now manages assets worth the equivalent of over $2.1 billion in U.S. dollars."

Snippets from the Left

I'm here: Hunter Biden hits back at Trump taunt in exclusive ABC News interview

ABC News

"As President Donald Trump continues to fill his Twitter feed and campaign speeches with attacks on Hunter Biden over his foreign business deals, the former vice president's son defended the ethical implications of his private ventures in an interview with ABC News, but conceded taking a misstep in failing to foresee the political implications on his father's career."

""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," said Biden. "So I take full responsibility for that. Did I do anything improper? No, not in any way. Not in any way whatsoever.

Joe Biden's brother and son have a long history of profiting off his name

Ryan Grim for New York Post

"In trading on his father’s name and power to advance his career, Hunter Biden is following in the footsteps of James Biden, Joe’s younger brother."

"Hunter Biden’s transparent cashing-in on his name was becoming a political liability for his father, so Joe Biden pushed him to find non-lobbying work, Anthony Lotito, a New York financial adviser, said in a complaint he filed in a New York state court. (James and Hunter, in a separate filing, denied that Joe Biden had made the call to Lotito.)"

Sorry, but Democrats need to talk about Hunter Biden

Ezra Klein for Vox

"Democrats need to talk about Hunter Biden. Sorry, but they do. The fourth Democratic presidential primary debate opened by asking all 12 participants about impeachment. Once the round-robin was finished, CNN’s Anderson Cooper turned to Joe Biden and asked [a] carefully phrased question..."

"Many Democrats consider raising the Hunter Biden question unfair to Joe Biden. Why should he have to answer for the legal actions of his adult son? But no one said politics was fair. And if Democrats avoid the issue, they can be certain Trump will not. Biden’s vulnerability here needs to be tested in the primary, when Democrats have other choices, rather than in the general, when they won’t."

Snippets from the Right

Donald Trump Jr. responds to attacks from Hunter Biden

Fox News

"Biden benefitted from his own father's political positions as early as the 1990s when he was employed by one of Delaware's largest employers at the time, Trump claimed Wednesday on "Hannity.""

"In the ABC News interview, the younger Biden rejected concerns about President Trump's two eldest sons, saying that Trump Jr. is "not somebody that I really care about" and rejecting a remark Eric Trump made at a recent rally for his father in Minneapolis about altering the "lock her up" chant to "lock him up" -- referencing the 49-year-old."

Joe Biden says Hunter Biden's television interview wasn't coordinated with campaign

Washington Examiner

"Hunter Biden's decision to sit for an interview to address his foreign business activities was made independently of the presidential campaign of his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 Democrat presidential candidate said."

"Yet the timing of the interview — aired the morning of the fourth round of Democratic presidential debates and while the former vice president is losing his lead over the rest of the pack to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren — has some backers questioning the wisdom of Hunter Biden sitting down with ABC.”"

Hunter Biden retains stake in Chinese private equity firm despite stepping down from board

National Review

"Hunter Biden announced Sunday that he will step down from the board of a Chinese private equity firm amid allegations of a conflict of interest involving his father, but his statement, issued through an attorney, made no mention of plans to divest his personal stake in the company."

"Both Bidens have strenuously denied allegations of wrongdoing. In response to the attacks, Joe Biden has accused Trump of trying to distract from his own corrupt dealings in the Ukraine, and recently called for Trump’s impeachment for the first time."