Durbin: Hunter’s Dealings ‘Raise Some Questions’ — But McCarthy Is Just Wasting Time and Money

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Senate Majority Whip and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) stated, “I don’t feel good about” Hunter Biden’s dealings, and “If it looks like a son or daughter is capitalizing on the public achievement of their parents, yes, that does raise some questions in my mind.” But the impeachment inquiry announced by House Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is “a waste of time and money” and a distraction.

Durbin began by saying, “The majority in the Republicans in the House of Representatives are out of control. … Incidentally, the Senate Republicans have said publicly, many of them already, that there is no evidence to back an impeachment, and I believe they’re right.”

Host Jake Tapper then asked, “Are you comfortable with what Hunter Biden was doing, obviously making money because his dad was, at the time, vice president? I mean, he didn’t have any experience with Ukrainian gas companies, and he was put on the board of Burisma. I know that he’s not the first person to cash in on a connection to a powerful father, but doesn’t that make you uncomfortable?”

Durbin responded, “Yes, it does. And it does for Jared Kushner to have done the same thing under President Trump. We’ve got to establish some standards for members of family. I’m not saying that Hunter Biden broke the law or that there should be any punishment involved in it, but I don’t feel good about the situation. If it looks like a son or daughter is capitalizing on the public achievement of their parents, yes, that does raise some questions in my mind.”

Durbin further stated, “This is just a diversion on the part of McCarthy. He cannot govern. He cannot get his majority in the House of Representatives to do the basics to keep the government’s lights on, and so he’s decided for a diversion, let’s talk about something else that they might agree on, an impeachment. What a waste of time and money and really a reckless strategy that endangers our economy and hurts innocent people.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett