Trump Asking Putin for Dirt on Biden 'Unacceptable,' Says GOP's Larry Hogan
Maryland's Republican Governor Larry Hogan strongly criticized former President Donald Trump on Sunday for urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to "release" any potential information he may have on President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden's business dealings in Eastern Europe.
In an interview last week with right-wing outlet Real America's Voice, Trump said that Putin should "release" any information he may have about Hunter Biden's financial and business dealings in the region. The remarks drew criticism from some prominent Republicans, as the comments came amid Russia's internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, which commenced on February 24.
Speaking to CNN in an interview, Hogan added his voice to the chorus of Republicans pushing back against Trump's controversial remarks.
"It's about the worst possible thing you can do when all these atrocities are taking place in Ukraine," the governor said, adding, that "for a former president to try to drag politics into this—is completely unacceptable." Hogan has routinely criticized Trump in the past and has said he even considered a 2020 primary challenge against the former president.
A number of other GOP lawmakers previously voiced criticism of Trump's comments.
"I don't think we should be asking Putin to do anything," Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump ally, said, NBC News reported. Graham previously publicly called for the Russian president's assassination.
"I don't think Vladimir Putin ought to be one of the people we go to for favors right now," Senator Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican and staunch Trump critic, said, according to NBC. "He's one of the worst people on the planet. America shouldn't be asking for favors."
During an interview with Fox News Sunday, Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, was asked about Trump's comments on Russia and Hunter Biden. He responded by saying he "wouldn't trust Vladimir Putin for a minute." The GOP lawmaker described the Russian president as "a killer" and "a thug."
"I just don't think it's a conversation worth having," Cornyn added when he was asked by Fox News Sunday host Martha MacCallum if Trump's remarks were "unwise."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's press office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Hunter Biden remains under investigation by the Justice Department over whether he and his associates violated money laundering, tax and foreign lobbying laws with business dealings in Eastern Europe and China. The president's son has said publicly that he is confident all his dealings were above board. There is currently no evidence to show that Biden is implicated in any of the activities his son is being investigated for.
