Newsom's long-standing ties to Hunter Biden surface as he explains his business dealings

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently defended Hunter Biden amid allegations of nepotism and questionable business practices.

This comes in the wake of emails from Hunter Biden's well-known laptop that revealed he had made substantial donations to Newsom's gubernatorial campaign and participated in various fundraisers on Newsom's behalf.

Newsom, who is expected to represent the Biden campaign at Wednesday's GOP debate, downplayed concerns about Hunter Biden's potentially unethical business dealings last week.

He remarked that it's not uncommon for individuals to leverage their family connections to advance in their careers.

When questioned by CNN's Dana Bash about whether Hunter Biden engaged in any "inappropriate" activities by using his father's name in his business dealings, Newsom responded, "I don't have all the specifics on that. I've only seen some of it.

The recent comments from Newsom, who officially agreed to participate in a Fox News debate in November against Gov. Desantis with Sean Hannity moderating, led to a Fox News Digital review of dozens of emails between Hunter and Newsom and his associates discussing matters such as fundraising, promoting documentaries, and personal conversations over the course of nearly a decade.

In October 2010, Hunter Biden's business partner Eric Schwerin floated then-San Francisco Mayor Newsom and his sister, Hilary, as "usual suspects" to try to connect with when he's in California's Bay Area. About a month later, Schwerin suggested that Newsom, among others, should be invited to a China state dinner. However, it does not appear he attended the dinner.