Sen. Chuck Schumer won’t consider striking a deal with Republicans to allow Hunter Biden to testify in exchange for testimony from witnesses requested by Democrats.
The Senate minority leader penned a letter Sunday night announcing that he wants to hear from four witnesses to President Trump’s July 25 Ukraine call, including Robert Blair, senior adviser to the acting White House chief of staff; Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff; John Bolton, former national security adviser; and Michael Duffey, associate director for national security for the Office of Management and Budget.
During a Monday interview on CNN’s New Day, Schumer was asked if he would strike a deal with Republicans to get testimony from those four witnesses in return for testimony from Biden, a witness many Republicans have requested.
Biden held a high paying position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian natural gas firm, while his father, Joe Biden, was running diplomatic efforts in the region as then-President Barack Obama’s vice president. Several Republicans have requested testimony from the younger Biden because evidence of corruption between him and Burisma could be seen as justification for Trump’s request from Ukraine for an investigation.
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz questioned Biden’s role in the company during last week’s debate on the articles of impeachment in the House Judiciary Committee, saying, “It’s a little hard to believe that Burisma hired Hunter Biden to resolve their international disputes when he could not resolve his own dispute with Hertz rental car over leaving cocaine and a crack pipe in the car.”
Schumer, however, said there was no justification to drag Biden in to testify.
“Well, look, no one, not a single person I’ve heard, even those who want Hunter Biden, have even alleged that he has knowledge of the fact case the House is presenting,” the New York Democrat said.
He added, “This shouldn’t be for Democrats to bring in their favorite conspiracy theories and Republicans to bring in theirs. This is an august and solemn proceeding. It’s a very important proceeding. These four witnesses have all direct knowledge of the facts. If Mitch McConnell or any other Republican says witness Y or witness Z might also have specific knowledge as to what happened, of course, I would think they should be able to testify.”
Schumer called Biden a “distraction” from the facts and claimed that refusing the witnesses from the White House would mean Republicans “engaged in a cover-up.”
“They have not shown a single bit of evidence that Hunter Biden can answer any of these facts. He’s a distraction,” Schumer said. “The American people want to know of each of us as senators, do we want all the facts to come out in this proceeding, whatever we think of President Trump, or do we want to be engaged in a cover-up? No one has given a reason why these shouldn’t testify.”
He said he hopes that Republicans would not order Biden to testify, saying, “I don’t think they should. I think they know that the American people would see that as a total political distraction. So I think we should focus on having a fair trial, not dilatory, both sides treated equally, balanced but getting all the facts to come out. Hunter Biden doesn’t add to that.”
Schumer added, “I haven’t seen a single bit, a scintilla of evidence that Hunter Biden would add anything other than show, circus, distraction.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham told the Washington Examiner that he would not seek testimony from Biden because the Senate is looking to expedite the impeachment trial, saying, “I want to end this.”
