Joe Biden addresses allegations against son in 'Late Show' interview
The president-elect addresses the allegations against his son's business dealings for the first time since reports surfaced
President-elect Joe Biden defended his son Hunter Biden amid an ongoing investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes.
During an interview with Stephen Colbert that aired Thursday night, Biden sat alongside his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and expressed "confidence" in his son.
In raising the subject of Hunter Biden, the liberal comedian Colbert claimed to Joe Biden that "the people who want to make hay in Washington are going to try to use your son as as a cudgel against you.
"How do you feel about that?" Colbert asked. "And what do you have to say to those people?"
"I have, we have, great confidence in our son," Biden responded. "I am not concerned about any accusations being 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 – and as long as he’s good, we’re good."
The Biden transition team clarified that Biden was not referring to the investigation as "foul play," but rather to Republicans who have used Hunter Biden's business dealings to go after him personally for months.
When Colbert asked how he would handle attacks from Republicans, Biden said he would be willing to work with critics because it’s what’s best for the country.
The Delaware U.S. Attorney is investigating Hunter Biden’s taxes – a probe that has been ongoing since 2018 but was only recently publicly disclosed.
Hunter Biden has a complex network of international business dealings.
His involvement with Ukranian energy company Burisma in 2014 has come under intense scrutiny, and was a repeated target of President Trump during his campaign for the 2020 presidency.
The younger Biden was paid $50,000 per month to serve on the board of Burisma, sparking concerns about the perceptions of a conflict of interest given the fact that his father was involved in U.S. policy toward Ukraine.
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Hunter Biden also has connections to Chinese and Russian nationals that have raised eyebrows.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told Fox News on Thursday that he believed Joe Biden would not interfere in the Hunter Biden investigation when he assumes the White House in January, because he "believes in the rule of law."
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