By Zoë Richards—
NBC News
Amid widespread criticism for his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, former President Donald Trump publicly called on the Russian leader Tuesday to reveal any compromising information he may have about Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden.
In an interview with Just the News, Trump used an unsubstantiated claim about Biden getting a hefty paycheck from Elena Baturina, the ex-wife of the late former Moscow mayor, and asked Putin for details on the matter.
“She gave him $3.5 million, so now I would think Putin might know the answer to that.
I think he should tell it,” Trump said.
"I think we should know that answer."
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Trump was referring to a partisan Senate report released just weeks before the 2020 election, which also focused on Biden's role on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in Commerce, Georgia, on March 26, 2022. Alyssa Pointer / REUTERS
Hunter Biden's legal team told NBC News in 2020 that Biden had "no interest" in that company that received the money, so
"the claim that he was paid $3.5 million was false
. "
In October 2020, Putin said that he was not aware of any business links between Biden and Baturina.
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The request from Putin, who has been widely condemned for invading Ukraine, echoed Trump's request to the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign to find and release any emails belonging to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival.
"Russia, if you're listening, I hope you'll be able to find the missing 30,000 emails," he told a news conference in July 2016, even as he faced questions about whether he endorsed foreign meddling in US elections. Joined.
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Later, Trump pressured the Ukrainian government to bring up any compromising information about Hunter Biden and his father, Joe Biden, who was then running for the Democratic presidential nomination, prompting the former president's first
impeachment
trial .
Trump's remarks in Tuesday's interview come shortly after GOP lawmakers urged President Biden to punish Putin more forcefully for waging war against Ukraine, only for Trump to praise Putin.
“I walked in yesterday and there was a TV screen, and I was like,
'This is genius
. '
Putin declares a large part of Ukraine as independent.
Oh, that's wonderful," Trump said just hours after Russian troops began their deadly assault on Ukraine.
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Trump recently changed his tune by blaming Biden and criticizing Putin for the war in Ukraine.
"Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Joe Biden totally failed to deter Russia's disgraceful invasion of Ukraine," Trump said Saturday.
“All those people are dead.
Putin's heinous attack on a proud and sovereign nation shocks the conscience of every person of good will,” he added.
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