Fox News anchor Dana Perino reportedly raised concerns Wednesday about business ventures involving President Donald Trump’s family, arguing the White House faces questions over financial disclosures and comparing the situation to the scrutiny once directed at Hunter Biden.
The discussion unfolded on Fox & Friends after reports highlighted the president’s latest financial disclosures, which showed Trump brought in more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency ventures.
Perino’s remarks also came shortly after the president faced questions from reporters on the tarmac about allegations that he was “profiting off the presidency.”
Responding to the issue, Perino said she believes the White House has a difficult case to make if it assumes Americans are not paying attention to the financial disclosures and the role of the president’s family in business ventures.
“I don’t know enough about details,” Perino said. “He put out a disclosure yesterday. It was eye opening for a lot of people that you can make that kind of money. Maybe it’s in crypto, maybe not.”
She acknowledged the White House’s argument that people across the country are making money, but suggested that explanation may not fully address the concerns being raised.
“The White House has a good point. Everybody’s making money. Everybody’s better,” Perino said. “But if they think this issue is not permeating across the country with people going, ‘Huh wait, what?’ They’re not exactly on the most solid ground here.”
Perino also referenced the president’s response to questions from reporters, saying he had attempted to redirect the conversation but that additional issues remain.
“He did a decent job trying to get the ball down the field a little bit, and deflect, but there’s no doubt about that,” she said.
The former White House press secretary then turned to the president’s sons and drew a comparison to Hunter Biden, whose overseas business dealings became the subject of years of political controversy.
“It’s also the other questions. Then your children are involved in this,” Perino said. “And if you remember, we spent a lot of time talking about Hunter Biden.”
She added, “Maybe his mistake was only asking for $10 million from Ukraine. Because maybe he wasn’t smart enough to figure everything out.”
Perino went on to contrast Hunter Biden with the president’s sons, describing them as experienced businessmen.
“These people are business men and they know what they’re doing,” she said. “They have big plans and they’re not afraid to take a risk. If you take a risk you make a little bit of money. You need someone else to help you open the door.”
The comments followed a recent report by The New York Times detailing a $1.6 billion U.S.-backed mining venture in Kazakhstan that, according to the newspaper, could financially benefit Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.
The report stated that the project moved forward after the Trump administration helped broker an agreement granting an American company access to the mining venture.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have denied any involvement in the negotiations surrounding the agreement.
Perino’s remarks added another voice to the discussion surrounding the president’s financial disclosures and the business activities of members of the Trump family, an issue that drew attention following the release of the latest disclosure documents and subsequent questions directed at the president.
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