Bite Harder

It seems that yesterday’s post on China and the 2020 election, The Biter Bit, understated the nature of both Vice President Biden’s ‘Hunter problem’ when it comes to China and Trump’s own financial entanglements with a Chinese Government agent.

It isn’t just that Hunter had dodgy deals in Ukraine. It seems Hunter also had proximity to a deal with the Bank of China. Politico describes it as a “$1.5 billion deal announced in 2013 by partners of Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.” In fact, it’s not at all clear it was for that anywhere near that much, and Hunter Biden didn’t get personally involved in the deal until much later — after his father left office.

But why let facts get in the way of a good story? As Politico goes on to note that, “Critics of the Bidens have seized on the fact that the agreement materialized just days after Hunter Biden traveled to China with the then-vice president, who was there on official business.” So that’s just close enough to a scandal to let the Trump campaign argue that there’s smoke, must be a fire.

But even the enhanced version of the Hunter Biden story may not matter, because it turns out there’s also a vastly enhanced version of the Trump Family story. Turning to Politico again:

Trump himself is tens of millions of dollars in debt to China: In 2012, his real estate partner refinanced one of Trump’s most prized New York buildings for almost $1 billion. The debt includes $211 million from the state-owned Bank of China — its first loan of this kind in the U.S. — which matures in the middle of what could be Trump’s second term, financial records show.

Steps away from Trump Tower in Manhattan, the 43-story 1290 Avenue of the Americas skyscraper spans an entire city block. Trump owns a 30 percent stake in the property valued at more than $1 billion, making it one of the priciest addresses in his portfolio, according to his financial disclosures.

Not a good look.