Trump says it’s ‘appropriate’ to launch investigation into potential 2020 presidential rival Joe Biden

On Friday, President Donald Trump told Politico that it would be "appropriate" to launch an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Trump said that it was okay to speak with "Attorney General Bill Barr about launching an investigation into his potential 2020 rival, Joe Biden, or his son, Hunter," the report said.

“Certainly it would be an appropriate thing to speak to him about, but I have not done that as of yet. … It could be a very big situation,” Trump said.

Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani was scrutinized for traveling to Ukraine to get information about Hunter Biden’s involvement in an energy company.

"The efforts appear to be part of a broader campaign by Trump’s allies to damage the former Democratic vice president’s White House campaign and have raised questions about whether Trump’s team is trying to enlist a foreign government to aid the president’s re-election bid," the report said.

Giuliani plans to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president-elect to encourage him to pursue an investigation into Hunter Biden.

"Don’t let these crooks talk you out of the investigation. There are real facts there they’ve got to investigate," Giuliani told Politico. “A lot of this stuff is a lot easier for them to get. They do get nervous if they think the government is going to scuttle this investigation.”

Trump said that he has not spoken with Giuliani about his trip.

“I have not spoken to him at any great length, but I will,” Trump said. “I will speak to him about it before he leaves.”

Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to Politico's request for comment.