Biden and his defenders say the whole story is “debunked” because of the aspect that entails him boasting on camera about strong-arming Ukraine into firing chief prosecutor Viktor Shokin by threatening to withhold money. The defense is that Shokin had already set aside an investigation into Burisma and that the real reason he was pushed out is that he had fallen into disfavor with the Obama administration and the international community for failing to tackle corruption. Biden, the defense goes, was just the messenger for U.S. policy.

Even still, there are plenty of important lines of inquiry for Biden. For instance: Was he aware of Hunter’s deal? Did he think it was OK? Did he raise any concerns within the Obama administration about potential conflicts of interest, especially if he was being made the messenger on Ukraine policy? Furthermore, looking forward, how would he, as president, handle potential conflicts of interest should corporations try to influence policy through his son? After all, as president, he would no longer be the messenger but the decider.

These are all very legitimate lines of inquiry.