WASHINGTON — A White House spokesperson defended President Joe Biden on Friday in the wake of new accusations made public this week that his son Hunter Biden received preferential treatment in a high-profile federal tax investigation.
One of the whistleblowers shared with the committee WhatsApp messages that appeared to show Hunter Biden telling a business associate that he was with his father, and threatening that the contact would “regret” his failure to respond to a demand for payment. “Nothing has changed,” Jean-Pierre said when asked on Friday if the testimony undermines a claim by Biden that he has never discussed his son’s overseas business dealings, a claim reiterated by the president's two press secretaries in the White House.
White House spokesperson John Kirby declined questions on the subject as well, telling reporters, “If you’re going to ask about this, I am not addressing it.”the probe as free from any political interference and referred questions to the Justice Department. The Justice Department has also denied the claims.
“I cannot say whether the president had a conversation with the attorney general last night,” Jean-Pierre said. “Any verifiable words or actions of my client, in the midst of a horrible addiction, are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family,” said Chris Clark, adding that the period covered a time of “turmoil and addiction” for the president’s son.