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Story · March 29, 2022

Trump Repeats an Unproven Claim About a Hunter Biden Payment Tied to Russia

By The Daily Fuckup Newsroom · From The Daily Fuckup: March 29, 2022

Conspiracy recycling Confidence 5/5
Climate Ethics Foreign Policy Media
★★☆☆☆Fuckup rating 2/5
Noticeable stumble Ranked from 1 to 5 stars based on the scale of the screwup and fallout.
Correction: Correction: A 2020 Senate Republican report did not prove that Hunter Biden received the $3.5 million or that any crime occurred; it said a Baturina-related wire went to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a firm associated with him.

Donald Trump used a March 29, 2022 interview to revive a disputed claim about Hunter Biden and a $3.5 million payment tied to a Russian figure. In the exchange, Trump urged Vladimir Putin to release information about the matter and described the transfer as proof of wrongdoing. He did not provide new documents, witnesses, or other evidence to support the allegation.

The claim traces to a 2020 Senate Republican report that said a wire transfer linked to Elena Baturina, the widow of Moscow’s former mayor, went to Rosemont Seneca Thornton, a firm associated with Hunter Biden. The report raised questions, but it did not establish that Hunter Biden or Joe Biden engaged in criminal conduct. Later reporting and fact checks said the allegation remained disputed and had not been newly proven.

Trump’s remarks did something simpler than uncover a new fact: they put an old accusation back on the record and asked Russia to fill in the gaps. The interview gave the claim another round of attention, but it did not change the evidence behind it. As of March 29, 2022, the underlying allegation was still an allegation, not a substantiated finding.

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