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Former President Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release dirt on President Joe Biden amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with Just the News founder John Solomon published on Tuesday, Trump reiterated his unproven claim that Yelena Baturina, a Russian oligarch and the wife of former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, gave $3.5 million to a business that Hunter Biden, a son of Joe Biden, helped found.
“She gave him $3.5 million so now I would think Putin would know the answer to that,” said Trump. “I think he should release it. I think we should know that answer.”
“How is it that the mayor of Moscow, his wife gave the Biden family three and a half million dollars?” he added. “I think Putin now would be willing to probably give that answer. I’m sure he knows.”
This is not the first time Trump has called on Russia to release damaging information on a political rival. While running for president in 2016, Trump called on Moscow to release the hacked emails of then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Additionally in the interview, Trump remarked, “I’m the best thing that ever happened to NATO, because I made them pay. So NATO has plenty of money now.
“And by the way, that’s another, I’m the one who brought up Nord Stream 2 … . I’m the one that blocked it. I terminated it. They weren’t gonna have it. [Biden] then opened it.”
While Biden did waive sanctions against Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, in 2021, he implemented them last month following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Trump claimed Yury Luzhkov gave $3.5 billion to a business Hunter Biden helped found. The claim holds Luzhkov gave $3.5 million.
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