President Biden said Hunter Biden is “on the straight and narrow” and that he is “proud of” him despite recent criminal allegations against his son, including tax fraud and lying to purchase a gun.
During an interview with CNN host Jake Tapper on Tuesday, the president defended his son as the 52-year-old potentially faces tax and false statements charges from David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware.
“I’m proud of my son,” the president told Tapper. “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.”
Tapper specifically asked Biden to respond to a recent report that claims the FBI believes there is enough evidence to charge Hunter with tax fraud as well as denying his drug use on a gun-purchase form.
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President Joe Biden gives two thumbs up from a balcony of the White House next to son Hunter Biden during 4th of July fireworks in Washington, DC, July 4, 2022. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
“Personally and politically, how do you react to that?” the host asked.
President Biden, who has repeatedly denied being knowledgeable of his son’s business dealings, answered: “He is — I’m confident that he is — what he says and does are consistent with what happens. And for example, he wrote a book about his problems and was straightforward about it. I’m proud of him.”
“He came along and said, by the way, this thing about a gun — I didn’t know anything about it,” the president continued. “But turns out that when he made [an] application to purchase a gun, what happened was he say – I guess you get asked, I don’t guess, you get asked a question, are you on drugs or do you use drugs? He said no. And he wrote about saying no in his book.”
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Biden said he has great confidence in his son, he loves him, and he has been “on the straight and narrow” for several years.
The potential false statement charge stems from a 2018 gun purchase and whether he lied during the process about his use of drugs.
A firearm transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated Hunter Biden purchased a gun in Oct. 2018. On the firearm transaction report, Biden was asked if he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” He said no.
Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.
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The Hunter Biden-owned firearm was a part of an investigation in Delaware after authorities found it in a trash can outside a market near a school.
Fox News previously reported a source with knowledge of the police report indicated Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s deceased son Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw the firearm in the trash.
HUNTER BIDEN UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR ‘TAX AFFAIRS’; LINKS TO CHINA FUNDS EMERGE, SOURCES SAY
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki downplayed the potential charges during an appearance on “Meet the Press” Sunday, where she suggested voters are not interested in whether the president’s son committed crimes.
“The truth is, as much as there was so much news happening in Washington this week, it doesn’t always translate and often doesn’t translate to what voters are talking about in states, and I think that’s what we’re seeing currently,” Psaki said.
House Republicans have promised to investigate Hunter Biden and any potential conflict of interest President Biden may have had in his son’s business dealings should they retake the House majority in the November midterm elections.
Hunter Biden has remained under federal investigation since 2018.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
