Murphy: GOP conducting ‘witch hunt’ against Hunter Biden

Sen. Chris Murphy borrowed a phrase from former President Donald Trump”™s playbook to denounce the House GOP investigation into the business dealings of President Biden”™s son Hunter Biden.

Speaking on CNN”™s “State of the Union” yesterday, the Connecticut Democrat ”“ who was recently appointed to be a campaign surrogate for Biden”™s re-election bid ”“ was asked about Hunter Biden”™s 2017 text messaging to a Chinese businessman where demanded confirmation of an upcoming payment and claimed his father was sitting next to him and following the contents of their digital conversation.

“I don”™t have any concerns ”“ I think this is a witch hunt,” Murphy said. “If Hunter Biden has broken the law, he should be held accountable for it. I don”™t think he”™s being treated any differently than anyone else who”™s been accused of the crimes that he”™s been accused of.”

Actually, the question of whether Hunter Biden is being treated differently fueled the collapse of the plea deal over tax and gun charges that his attorneys negotiated with the U.S. Department of Justice. The July 21 hearing to receive court approval on the plea deal took an unexpected turn when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika refused to sign off on the agreement and questioned several of its aspects, including giving Hunter Biden immunity from future investigations.

The White House has shifted its explanation of the president”™s association with his son”™s business dealings, initially stating Biden “never spoke about it” but now insisting Biden “was not in business with his son.” Murphy was asked directly about the White House”™s changing explanation but ignored the question and praised the president as a father and a statesman.

“He”™s had a lot of trouble in his life,” he said. “And Joe Biden has been open about it and I think has shown, as any caring father would, a lot of concern to try to help Hunter Biden recover. But there has never been any evidence that Joe Biden has compromised his office. In fact, the very opposite. The evidence around the allegations Republicans have made about Hunter Biden”™s involvement in Ukraine suggests that Joe Biden was working to root out corruption in Ukraine as he consistently did as vice president, and I think those facts will continue to come out.”

Photo courtesy of Sen. Murphy”™s Facebook page