Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Hunter Biden and Joe Biden in 2016. Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for World Food Program USA
If Joe Biden wins the Democratic presidential nomination, it's clear that the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, will get a lot more scrutiny — especially his former position with Ukraine's biggest private gas company. The Washington Post had a good look this week at why.
Why it matters, per the Post: "Just as [President] Trump has faced repeated questions about whether his family has sought to benefit financially from his presidency, a similar focus is being given to Hunter Biden’s dealings."
The backstory: Hunter Biden's role has become a hot topic on the right, with Trump and others calling for investigations into his position on the board of Burisma Holdings. (He left that position when Joe Biden entered the presidential race.)
The details, per the Post:
- Joe Biden led Ukraine policy during Barack Obama's presidency, and offered a package of U.S. aid to help Ukraine increase its gas production.
- Weeks later, Hunter Biden joined the Burisma board. His lawyer wouldn't say how much he was paid.
- “At no time have I discussed with my father the company’s business or my board service,” Hunter Biden said in a statement to the Post. He also insisted that “the narrative that has been suggested and developed by the right-wing political apparatus [is] demonstrably false."
- Antony Blinken, a former national security adviser to Joe Biden, said there was no connection because the vice president was simply "stating long-standing U.S. policy, supporting Ukraine energy independence.”
But Yoshiko M. Herrera, an expert on Russia and Eurasian policy at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told the Post that Hunter Biden's position in itself was "a conflict of interest even if it doesn’t break any laws."
- There's also a subplot with a Ukranian prosecutor, ousted under pressure from Joe Biden, who says he would have questioned Hunter Biden if he had stayed in the job. But the Post notes that "is unclear how seriously Shokin — who was under fire by U.S. and European officials for not taking a more aggressive posture toward corruption overall — was scrutinizing Burisma when he was forced out."
- The Post also notes that "for more than two decades, [Hunter Biden's] professional work often tracked with his father’s life in politics, from Washington to Ukraine to China."
What to watch: Whether more specific details emerge about Hunter Biden's time with the Ukraine company — like how much he was paid — or about any other potential conflicts of interest in his other jobs during Joe Biden's career.