Hunter Biden said in an interview published Friday that Republican attacks against him are “not about me” but instead part of a broader strategy to target his father’s presidency by inflicting emotional pain on the first family.
“They’re trying to destroy a presidency,” Hunter Biden said in an episode of the “Moby Pod” podcast with musician Moby released Friday. “It’s not about me, and [in] their most base way, what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle.”
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The podcast’s release comes the day after a federal grand jury in California indicted Hunter Biden on nine charges, including three felonies, for failing to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing a false return. The indictment accuses him of lavish spending on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing and other items of a personal nature.”
The son of President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden has been entangled in a web of controversy and legal challenges for more than four years, as Republicans have scrutinized his bouts with drug addiction and his business dealings in Ukraine and China. President Donald Trump’s first impeachment was tied to a phone call in which he pressured Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky to open an investigation into the Bidens.
Hunter Biden has largely maintained a low profile since the release of his memoir in 2021, with public statements typically coming from his lawyers. But during the podcast interview with Moby, he offered some of his most candid and extensive public remarks in years, delving into his legal challenges, struggles with addiction and the impact of his brother Beau’s death in 2015. The timing of the recording was not explicitly disclosed. Biden and Moby met while recovering from addiction and the musician has attended Biden’s art shows.
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, echoed similar sentiments in response to the most recent charges, stating, “[After] five years of investigating with no new evidence — and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full — the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors.”
Their comments come amidst a backdrop of heightened political tensions, with House Republicans launching an impeachment inquiry against President Biden, centered on allegations of corruption and profiting from his political position. The President has dismissed these allegations as “lies,” and no evidence has emerged connecting Joe Biden’s actions as president or vice president to corrupt enrichment of his family.
As part of the impeachment inquiry, House Republicans have called for Hunter Biden to provide a closed deposition on Capitol Hill, a request he has rejected, insisting on public testimony to prevent potential misrepresentation. Republicans have threatened contempt of Congress proceedings if he fails to comply.
During the podcast interview, Hunter Biden mentioned feeling sorry for political adversaries in Congress, including GOP Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who publicly displayed explicit photos of him during a committee hearing.
“These people are just sad, very, very sick people that have most likely just faced traumas in their lives,” he said. “They’ve decided that they are going to turn into an evil that they decide that they’re going to inflict on the rest of the world.”
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