Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) boasted on Sunday of his role in the partisan-fueled impeachment effort, telling the audience at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union’s presidential forum that he is “the only reason there is an impeachment going on.”

Biden spoke at the union’s presidential forum over the weekend and boasted to the crowd, taking credit for the Democrat-led impeachment efforts in the House.

“I may be the last guy that publicly called for impeachment, but I’m the only reason there is impeachment going on,” Biden said. “Our democracy is literally at stake.”

“It’s not a joke,” he continued, calling Trump’s administration “the most corrupt administration in modern American history. Maybe ever.”

“The fact of the matter is that whether or not the Senate will impeach … there’s no option but to deal with this,” Biden said, lamenting Trump’s support from “special interest groups” such as the NRA and gun manufacturers.

“I think the boy knows that I’ll beat him like a drum if I get the nomination,” Biden said.

“If in fact, the House doesn’t move and let the facts fall where they may, what does the next unethical president [do], if we elect another one? What’s that say they can do? What’s gonna happen? They have to know there’s consequences,” he added.

The impeachment inquiry stems from the July 25 conversation Trump had with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump asked the Ukrainian leader to look into CrowdStrike and later mentioned Biden and his son, Hunter, who made $83,000 per month serving on the board of Burisma Holdings, despite a stunning lack of qualifications for such a position. The former vice president played a key role in the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating Burisma Holdings and later bragged about holding $1 billion in aid over the Ukrainian government’s head.

“I said, I’m telling you, you’re not getting the billion dollars. I said, you’re not getting the billion. I’m going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours,” Biden said during an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations in 2018.

“I looked at them and said: I’m leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you’re not getting the money. Well, son of a bitch. He got fired,” he bragged.

The Biden campaign has tried to go on offense as questions continue to mount over the Bidens’ business dealings in both Ukraine and China. Biden’s deputy campaign manager and communications director, Kate Bedingfield, wrote a blistering letter to the New York Times’ executive editor, Dean Baquet, accusing the paper of spreading what she described as “a baseless conspiracy theory advanced by Rudy Giuliani.”

Bedingfield wrote in part:

This debunked theory speculates that then Vice-President Biden somehow did anything reportedly inappropriate in successfully ridding Ukraine of a corrupt prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, who the Times itself thoroughly explained at the time was derelict and the target of an international effort for removal. What was especially troubling about the Times’s active participation in this smear campaign is that prior to its reporting on the subject by Ken Vogel, this conspiracy had been relegated to the likes of Breitbart, Russia propaganda, and another conspiracy theorist, regular Hannity guest John Solomon.

The Biden campaign also issued an informal warning to fellow 2020 candidates ahead of Tuesday’s debate, with a campaign aide warning anyone who “calls themselves a ‘Democrat’” to refrain from pushing the “discredited lies,” as reported by Bloomberg.

Trump has not shied away from taking aim at the Bidens in his recent KAG rallies across the country, slamming the presidential hopeful and his son during Thursday’s rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Joe’s son, Hunter, got thrown out of the Navy, and then he became a genius on Wall Street in about two days,” Trump said. “By the way, whatever happened to Hunter? Where the hell is he? … Where’s Hunter?”

“And then they go to China … and Hunter, who’s not too smart … he goes in, he has a meeting and walks out with $1.5 billion, billion with a B, $1.5 billion,” he continued. “Now think of it. Where’s Hunter?”

“Hunter, you know nothing about energy. You know nothing about China. You know nothing about anything, really. Hunter, you’re a loser,” he added. “Why did you get $1.5 billion, Hunter?”

Hunter, through his lawyers, announced on Sunday that he is stepping away from BHR Equity Investment Fund Management, a Chinese-backed private equity company.

As Breitbart News reported:

The 49-year-old doesn’t state whether he will be divesting from BHR (Shanghai) Equity Investment Fund Management Company. The company was set up in 2013 to invest Chinese capital outside of China. Instead the young Biden pledged he wouldn’t work for any foreign-owned companies or serve on their boards during a potential Biden administration.

“Where’s Hunter? He has totally disappeared! Now looks like he has raided and scammed even more countries!” Trump exclaimed on Sunday. “Media is AWOL”:

Where’s Hunter? He has totally disappeared! Now looks like he has raided and scammed even more countries! Media is AWOL. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2019

Hunter likely still has “millions” in the China-backed investment fund, according to reports.