Appearing on Fox News, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled his support for a probe into Hunter Biden and Ukraine gas company Burisma Holdings. The move comes as former Vice President Joe Biden gains strength as the front-runner in the Democratic presidential primaries.
“I think [Burisma] is worth taking a look at,” McConnell told Fox News during an interview on Thursday night when asked about concerns that the investigation being run by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is political.
“If you become the frontrunner you come under a lot of scrutiny, from the press, from both sides. Joe has been around a long time, he knows that this sort of thing will be looked at when you become the likely nominee of your party,” McConnell added.
McConnell’s comments mark the strongest indication of public support he has shown for the months-long investigation being run by Johnson, as well as Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
Johnson will try to issue the first subpoena in the Biden, Burisma investigation next week. With Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, opposed, Johnson will need a simple majority to be successful.
Republicans have questioned if Hunter Biden’s work constituted a conflict of interest given his father’s work on Ukraine during the Obama administration.
The former vice president has denied wrongdoing, and there is no evidence that either of the Bidens engaged in any criminal wrongdoing. Fact checkers have also debunked claims that Biden was working with his son’s interest in mind.
Republicans hold a 8-6 majority on the committee, meaning Johnson will need every Republican on the panel to support the subpoena if every Democrat opposes it. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has not said how he will vote, but has raised concerns that the investigation looks political.
