Biden says he has “great confidence” in Hunter amid reports of possible charges

(The Hill) – President Biden said Tuesday he has faith in his son Hunter Biden amid reports federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter with tax crimes and false testimony about a gun purchase.

“Well, first of all, I’m proud of my son. This is a child who got, not a child – he is a grown man. He became addicted – as has happened to many families, addicted to drugs. He overcame that. He’s built a new life,” Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Biden noted that in his book, Hunter acknowledged that he wrote in a gun application that he was not using drugs at a time when he was battling addiction. But the president said he didn’t know about it at the time.

“That’s why I have a lot of faith in my son,” Biden said. “I love him and he’s on the right track and has been for a couple of years. And I’m just so proud of him.”

The Washington Post first reported that federal agents believe there is enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden with falsely responding to his gun application in 2018 and whether he failed to properly report all of his income.

The decision on whether to indict Hunter Biden ultimately rests with US Attorney David Weiss, who is a holdover from the Trump administration.

The President has repeatedly said he is proud of his son for overcoming his addiction problems and has insisted he would not interfere in any Justice Department investigation.

This investigation into Hunter Biden has been going on for years, and Republicans have tried to use questions about Biden’s son against him. Former President Trump has repeatedly highlighted Hunter Biden’s foreign business interests during the 2020 campaign to portray the Biden family as corrupt.