(The Hill) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he has confidence in his son, Hunter Biden, amid reports that federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter with tax crimes and a false statement on a gun purchase.
“Well, first of all, I’m proud of my son. This is a kid who got, not a kid — he’s a grown man. He got hooked on — like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life,” Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview.
Biden noted Hunter acknowledged in his book that he wrote on a gun application that he was not using drugs at a time when he was battling addiction. But the president said he didn’t know anything about it at the time.
“So I have great confidence in my son,” Biden said. “I love him and he’s on the straight and narrow, and he has been for a couple years now. And I’m just so proud of him.”
The Washington Post first reported that federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden over the false answer on his application for a gun in 2018, as well as whether he failed to properly report all of his income.
The decision of whether to charge Hunter Biden ultimately lies with U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who is a holdover from the Trump administration.
The president has repeatedly said he is proud of his son for overcoming his addiction issues, and he has been adamant that he would not interfere in any Justice Department investigation.
That investigation into Hunter Biden has been ongoing for years, and Republicans have tried to use questions about Biden’s son against him. Former President Donald Trump, during the 2020 campaign, repeatedly highlighted Hunter Biden’s foreign business interests to paint the Biden family as corrupt.