Former Vice President Joe Biden had some words of praise for fellow Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg at an Iowa labor forum on Sunday.

"I'm a friend of Pete Buttigieg," Biden told the United Food and Commercial Workers 2020 presidential forum in Altoona. "By the way, he’s a really decent guy. I turned on the television this morning and he was defending me and my family against these outrageous, lying ads of the president of the United States of America. That’s a good man."

Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday morning and was asked if the decision by Biden's son, Hunter Biden, to step down from the board of a Chinese private equity firm appeared to acknowledge that there was the appearance of a conflict of interest.

"I think it demonstrates the difference in standards relative to the White House," Buttigieg said on the show. "I mean, here you have Hunter Biden stepping down from a position in order to make sure, even though there’s been no accusation of wrongdoing, doing something just to make sure there’s not even the appearance of a conflict of interest. While, in the White House, the president of the United States is a walking conflict of interest."

President Donald Trump has criticized Hunter Biden for his work on the boards of companies in Ukraine and China, although there is no evidence that he engaged in unlawful behavior.

Trump’s request of the Ukrainian president to investigate Hunter Biden’s business dealings in that country has become the basis for an impeachment inquiry in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats allege the request amounted to using the power of the presidency to improperly ask a foreign power to investigate the family of one of his domestic political rivals. Trump has said he did not do anything wrong.

► Read the transcript: The summary of President Trump's call with Ukraine president

► Watch:Trump: Ukraine and China should investigate Bidens

The former vice president told reporters in Iowa on Sunday that no one in his family will work in his White House or hold a job or have a business relationship with a foreign corporation or foreign government.

That's a contrast with Trump, whose daughter, Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, both work as White House advisers. Two of Trump's other children, Eric Trump and Donald Trump, Jr., run the business operations of the Trump Organization, which has real estate projects around the world. The two have promised not to pursue new foreign deals while their father is president.

Speaking to reporters following the labor forum, Buttigieg said the Democratic field is "united in saying that the abuse of power going on under this White House is absolutely unacceptable."

"We may be competing for the presidency. But what is going on in this White House and the way that they have put America’s interest second in order to involve a foreign power and trying to tar the family of an American public servant like the former vice president, I think, is a reminder of what’s really at stake in this election," Buttigieg said.

Register reporter Tyler Jett contributed to this story.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

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