Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said on Wednesday that Hunter Biden would be a "relevant witness" in President Trump's impeachment trial over withholding aid to Ukraine while pushing for an investigation into allegations of Biden corruption.
"I think so I really do," Manchin told MSNBC's "Morning Joe," adding "I dont have a problem there because this is why we are where we are."
"Now, I think that he [can] clear himself what I know and what Ive heard ... But being afraid to put anybody that might have pertinent is wrong, no matter if youre a Democrat or Republican."
Other top Democrats have categorically ruled out testimony from the Bidens, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer claiming that Hunter wouldn't be able to offer relevant testimony about Trump's interactions with Ukraine, and that his appearance would be a distraction.
Republicans have threatened to subpoena Hunter, 49, if Democrats succeed in securing testimony from former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, who claims in a leaked manuscript of his book that President Trump explicitly tied Ukraine aid to investigations into the Bidens.
Democratic strategists haunted by damaging right-wing attacks on past nominees Hillary Clinton and John Kerry say the specter of Hunter Biden getting publicly grilled by Senate Republicans would inject uncertainty into a still-fluid primary race.
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Trumps allies vow that if Bolton is called, theyll subpoena Hunter Biden, and perhaps the former vice president.
If you call John Bolton, were going to call everybody, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Trumps most vocal defenders, said Tuesday. He made clear that means the Bidens. -Bloomberg
"Biden can expect Trump and outside groups to deliver the same experience that wrecked Clintons and Kerrys campaigns," said Trump's former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, adding "Isolate and amplify the most damaging charge against the strongest Democratic candidate and hammer into voters minds until Election Day."
Meanwhile, in 'please clap' news, Joe Biden's 2020 campaign is now begging his supporters to defend him against online attacks from Bernie Sanders supporters, according to Bloomberg.
With less than a week before the Iowa caucuses, the Biden campaign expressed concern on a call to its supporters that Sanders people were getting ugly and it had to step up its game defending the vice president. The message was confirmed by campaign national press secretary TJ Ducklo. -Bloomberg
And last but not least, Joe Biden put his hands on an Iowa voter Tuesday, telling him to "go vote for someone else" after he was asked not to support the construction of new pipelines. The man replied that he would support Biden in the general election against Trump, but that he supports billionaire Tom Steyer for the primaries.