“When the only American citizen President Trump singles out for China’s investigation is his political opponent in the midst of the Democratic nomination process, it strains credulity to suggest that it is anything other than politically motivated,” Romney further noted.

Romney’s remarks come after Trump told reporters Thursday that Ukraine and China should investigate the Biden family for possible corruption. The president has lambasted the Biden family for Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine in recent weeks.

Trump’s request for foreign assistance to investigate a political rival is at the heart of the House’s impeachment inquiry, following a whistleblower complaint that detailed concerns over Trump pressing the Ukrainian president to investigate the Biden family during a phone call in July.

Although most Republicans have remained silent about Trump’s public statements Thursday, retiring Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) told CNN that Trump’s China comments were “terrible” and was “something a president of the United States shouldn’t be doing.”

“China is an adversary,” Hurd said. “We’re in a tight and complex trade negotiation with China now, and so you’re potentially giving them something to hold over your head.”

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) also criticized Trump in a statement Thursday to the Omaha World-Herald.

“Hold up: Americans don’t look to Chinese commies for the truth,” Sasse said. “If the Biden kid broke laws by selling his name to Beijing, that’s a matter for American courts, not communist tyrants running torture camps.”