GOP senator moves to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Hunter Biden

Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, petitioned the Senate Judiciary Committee to call President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and former President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, to testify about their foreign business dealings. There’s a perception that people in close proximity to political power get opportunities and treatment unavailable to the average American, according to Curtis’ Monday letter.

Curtis requested that the Senate committee investigate how Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter may have used presidential family relations for private financial gain, along with access to both domestic and foreign interests. Concerns over special treatment or unfair enrichment shouldn’t change depending on which party controlled the White House, he wrote.

Both sons should testify about their past business dealings, their relationships with foreign entities, and any other gifts or benefits they received, according to the petition letter. Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter should also note any instances in which their relationship to the U.S. president was invoked or carried understood value, he added.

What evidence did Curtis cite to justify the probe? Curtis took issue with Russian oligarch and known associate of President Vladimir Putin, Umar Kremlev, funding an extravagant after-party for Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding on a private island. Records showed that Kremlev traveled to China with Putin and a Russian delegation shortly before throwing the after-party, Curtis noted. The senator also flagged Donald Trump Jr.’s international real estate deals involving foreign heads of state, his active promotion of Trump family cryptocurrency ventures, and his reported investments in defense contracting as areas of possible concern.

Curtis also pointed out Hunter’s substantial foreign business dealings, specifically involving Chinese and Ukrainian interests, all while his father held or sought public office. Congressional testimony also furnished conflicting accounts on the extent of Hunter using the family name and political stature to support his foreign business. There’s no question that former President Biden’s decades in public office gave Hunter access and influence that materially enhanced his value, opening doors that would normally be closed, Curtis wrote.