Biden weighs in on son’s plea deal with feds

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – President Biden on Tuesday said that he’s proud of his son in his first time publicly weighing in on the news that Hunter Biden has reached a plea deal with the Justice Department on federal tax and gun charges.

“I’m very proud of my son,” Biden said when asked if he has spoken to Hunter since the news broke.

Though he was asked that multiple times by reporters during a stop in California hours after the charges were announced, Biden opted not to respond further aside from smiling. He did not respond to a shouted question about whether he encouraged his son to take a plea deal.

The president’s comments were his first publicly since authorities announced early Tuesday that Hunter Biden was being charged with two counts of willful failure to pay income tax, which concluded a five-year investigation. Hunter Biden separately agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program on a gun charge, a charge that is likely to be removed from his record if he complies with the terms of the program. 

The plea deal, which must be accepted by a judge, would likely keep him out of jail.

The president is in California this week to deliver remarks touting his administration’s agenda as well as attending big money fundraisers as part of his 2024 reelection bid. Tuesday’s remarks came in San Francisco ahead of a meeting on artificial intelligence that included Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).

Just after the charges were made public early Tuesday, the White House issued a brief statement, saying that the president and first lady Jill Biden “love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”

The president has defended his son from allegations against him, and the first couple has emphasized in previous comments that they support him.

The tax charges involve income Hunter Biden made overseas. The third charge stems from possession of a firearm in 2018, a weapon prosecutors say Hunter Biden was in possession of while using crack cocaine. The president’s son is accused of denying drug use when applying in order to secure the gun.