Biden claims GOP calls to probe Hunter’s business dealings are ‘foul play’ designed to hurt HIM – despite his son being the subject of an ongoing federal tax investigation
- Joe Biden defended Hunter on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday
- ‘We have great confidence in our son,’ the president-elect said alongside wife Jill. ‘He’s a grown man. He is the smartest man I know’
- He added: ‘I’m not concerned about any accusations made against him. It used to get to me. I think it’s kind of foul play. But, uh, look, it is what it is’
- Last week Attorney General Bill Barr confirmed Hunter was under federal investigation for his taxes and business dealings in the Ukraine
- Barr resigned from his post days later amid fury from President Donald Trump
- Trump is reportedly considering pushing incoming acting AG Jeffrey Rosen to appoint a special counsel to advance the Hunter probe
- Rosen previously served as Trump’s deputy AG and in the George W Bush administration
President-elect Joe Biden said he has ‘great confidence’ in his son Hunter and is not concerned about investigations into his tax affairs during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Last week it was revealed that Hunter was under federal investigation for his taxes and business dealings in the Ukraine in a probe kept secret before the election by Attorney General Bill Barr.
Biden defended his son to Colbert on Thursday night alongside wife Jill, saying: ‘I’m not concerned about any accusations made against him. It used to get to me.
‘I think it’s kind of foul play. But, uh, look, it is what it is.
‘He’s a grown man. He is the smartest man I know, from a pure intellectual capacity. As long as he’s good, we’re good.’
Biden added that he is willing to work with Republicans who want to probe Hunter’s activities because he believes nothing improper will be found.
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President-elect Joe Biden said he has ‘great confidence’ in his son Hunter when he and his wife Jill appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday night
‘He’s a grown man. He is the smartest man I know, from a pure intellectual capacity. As long as he’s good, we’re good,’ Biden said of Hunter (pictured together on November 7)
Hunter addressed the federal investigations himself in a statement last week, saying: ‘I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.’
President Donald Trump is said to be considering pushing for a special counsel to advance the Hunter investigation before he leaves office.
A special counsel would signal that the scope of the investigation could potentially expand, and the move would insulate the probe from the incoming Biden administration.
Trump has expressed fury that Barr didn’t publicly announce the ongoing, two-year investigation into Hunter before the election, leading Barr to resign on Monday.
Jeff Rosen, the deputy attorney general, will now step into the Justice Department’s top job in an acting role.
Rosen has worked under two Republican presidents, including as general counsel of the Transportation Department from 2017 to 2019 and in the White’s Office of Management and Budget during the George W Bush administration.
Rosen has refused to say whether he intends to push for a special counsel with the Hunter investigation.
Last week it was revealed that Hunter (pictured with his dad in 2009) was under federal investigation for his taxes and business dealings in the Ukraine
Barr (left) resigned as attorney general days after confirming the Hunter probe. He will be replaced by deputy attorney general Jeffrey Rosen (right)
Earlier this week a report claimed that Trump was consulting on pushing for a special counsel with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and outside allies.
That’s according to several Trump administration officials and Republicans close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Beyond appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Hunter, the sources said Trump is interested in having another special counsel appointed to look into his own baseless claims of election fraud.
But if he’s expecting his newly named acting attorney general to go farther than Barr on either matter, he could end up quickly disappointed.
Barr on Monday evening announced he will resign effective late next week, revealing his plans about a week after Hunter Biden publicly disclosed that he was under investigation related to his finances.
It is generally Justice Department policy not to disclose investigations that are in progress, though the subjects of those investigations can.