October 8th 2019

By Dan Desai Martin

American Independent

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy defended Donald Trump during a Fox News appearance on Monday, claiming Trump had not said “China should investigate” former Vice President Joe Biden.

“You watched what the president said,” McCarthy said, responding to “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade’s question about whether Trump was “just having fun” in asking a foreign country to look into his political rival.

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“He’s not saying China should investigate,” McCarthy continued. “Let’s get to the clear point: If I’m member of Congress and  I break the law and there should be an investigation, and I run for another office, you still investigate me.”

McCarthy remarks run counter to Trump’s own comments from the White House lawn last Thursday.

During that appearance, Trump said that “China should start an investigation into the Bidens.” Trump has insisted the former vice president and his son, Hunter, have been involved in illicit business dealings and that the elder Biden used his former office to benefit his son.

There is no evidence that this is true.

McCarthy on Monday was responding to recent statements from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who both claimed previously that Trump was merely joking when he asked an authoritarian regime to investigate his 2020 election rival.

“I don’t know if that’s a real request or him just needling the press knowing you guys were going to get outraged by it,” Rubio said on Friday.

Rubio did not address recent reports that Trump made the request of China months ago on a private phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Soliciting election assistance from a foreign national or government is illegal, according to the Federal Election Commission and Department of Justice.

The House of Representatives is currently conducting an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s attempts to persuade Ukraine to investigate Biden.

Trump has claimed repeatedly his requests to foreign nations to investigate political rivals are simply part of a broader attempt to root out corruption.

Despite those claims, Trump has nevertheless surrounded himself with a cadre of corrupt officials since launching his presidential bid in 2015.

His former campaign manager, Paul Manafort; his former deputy campaign manager, Rick Gates; former campaign foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos; longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen; and first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, have all either pleaded guilty or been found guilty of federal crimes. In addition, the first member of Congress to endorse Trump, former Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY), recently resigned from Congress before pleading guilty to insider trading.

At various times, Trump has defended each of these men, only attacking those, like his former attorney Michael Cohen, who provided damaging information about Trump to federal investigators.

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