Trump Trade talks with the Senate Banking Committee could cause chaos and possibly spark an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s role in the deal, sources said Thursday.
Democrats want to know if Biden lobbied on the trade deal to keep a Senate seat vacant, and Republicans are looking to determine if the Senate Finance Committee helped broker the deal.
Biden could be questioned on Capitol Hill about his involvement in the trade deals and any role he played in securing an extension of the 10-year bailout.
If Biden’s involvement was disclosed, Democrats would be likely to press him on why he and other lawmakers supported the trade pact, and whether he could be held responsible for its collapse.
It would also be a reminder of how quickly the House voted for the agreement, and how the Senate voted for it in the first place, but the president is not expected to face any charges, said one Senate Democratic aide familiar with the discussions.
Biden has been a key player in the negotiations, as his son Beau Biden, who is serving as vice president, negotiated the deal for the U.S. and Canada.
The Biden administration was forced to pull out of the deal after the Senate passed the Senate-passed bill to keep the country afloat, and it was the last time the Senate would vote on a trade agreement.
Biden, a former governor of Delaware, had long said he did not want to be involved in the final agreement and he opposed it from the start.
But the negotiations got bogged down over how to deal with China.
The White House and the Democratic-controlled Senate have been pushing Biden to keep an eye on the China trade agreement, even though it was finalized with the help of the White House.
As for Biden, he said Thursday he was not interested in playing a role in a trade deal, but his son was willing to play a role.
“My son was in the process of helping broker this deal, and that’s the only reason I didn’t want to participate,” Biden told reporters.
“He wanted to be able to help broker a deal for our country.
He was in contact with me about that.
I was in close contact with him.
So, my son would have a role.”
Democrats are also seeking information about Biden’s relationship with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who was considered a potential vice president candidate.