Democrat Joe Biden claimed without evidence during an interview on Thursday that accusations being made against his son, who is under federal criminal investigation, were “foul play” being used to damage him politically.
Biden made the remarks during an interview with comedian Stephen Colbert, who teed up softball questions for the 78-year-old Biden.
“Case in point, I know you want to be as bipartisan and reach across the aisle, but as much as you don’t want it to happen, you know that the people who want to make hay in Washington are going to try to use your adult son as a cudgel against you,” Colbert said to Biden. “How do you feel about that, and what do you have to say to those people?”
“Well, look, we have great confidence in our son,” Biden responded. “I am not concerned about any accusations made against him. It’s used to get to me. I think it’s kind of foul play, but look, it is what it is, and he’s a grown man. He is the smartest man I know, I mean, from a pure intellectual capacity.”
Joe Biden on ongoing Federal Investigations into Hunter:
“It’s used to get to me. I think it's kind of foul play, but, look it is what it is. And he's a grown man. He is the smartest man I know. I mean, from a pure intellectual capacity and as long as he’s good , we’re good.” pic.twitter.com/DCEdztIOaG
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) December 18, 2020
Biden implying that the matter was somehow politically motivated does not stand up well to scrutiny.
The federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden’s financial dealings began in 2018. Joe Biden didn’t even announce that he was running for president until April 2019. So, at a minimum, the investigation into Hunter Biden was at least four and a half months old before Joe Biden announced his presidential run.
Biden’s claim that this ordeal is “foul play” designed to “get to” him also fails to take into account news reports from last week that revealed that Attorney General William Barr knew about at least two federal criminal investigations into Hunter Biden for many months and refused to disclose the investigations to the American public because he refused to interfere in the 2020 elections, which is standard Department of Justice protocol.
“If media reports are correct, you’ve got more than one investigation into Biden family members. So, I don’t think the grand jury is foul play; the United States Attorney’s office is not foul play,” former federal prosecutor Trey Gowdy told Fox News. “Now, you’re welcome to pick on Republican politicians, but you’ve got two criminal investigations. That ain’t foul play, that’s called probable cause, Joe, not foul play.”
Fox News reports that the “Biden transition team” claimed “that Biden was not referring to the investigation as ‘foul play,’ but rather was referencing Republicans who have used Hunter Biden’s business dealings to go after the president-elect for months.”
Joe Biden’s brother, James Biden, is also reportedly caught up in a separate federal criminal investigation.
Related:
- Hunter Biden Was Due ‘Significant’ Pay From China Firm Starting In 2019; Requested $10 Million In 2017: Reports
- Business Partner Warned Hunter Biden That He Did Not Report $400,000 In Income From Burisma: Report
- Federal Criminal Investigation Into Hunter Biden Focuses On His China Business Dealings, Report Says
- Congressman Calls For Special Counsel To Be Appointed To Investigate Hunter Biden: ‘Critical To Defending The Integrity Of Our Republic’