Joe Biden has reacted in support of his son Hunter Biden on Friday in his first open statement on the matter since the presidential transition team revealed that the 50-year-old businessman’s “tax affairs” were under federal investigation.
Newsmen threw questions at Biden as he left the stage at an event to introduce Cabinet appointees in Wilmington, Del. but Biden ignored the question including the one from Fox News’ Peter Doocy on whether Hunter Biden had committed a crime, but he responded when asked if he had spoken to his son since the investigation was revealed.
“I’m proud of my son,” Biden said as he exited the stage.
Earlier Friday, the Biden transition team’s virtual weekly press briefing wrapped up without a single question regarding the investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes. The Biden-Harris team has also not made any other comment on the situation aside from the initial statement.
Hunter Biden revealed earlier this week that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware had an active investigation into his tax affairs. The investigation actually started in 2018, a source with knowledge of the situation revealed.
“I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,” Hunter Biden said in a statement.
“I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” he added.
The investigation was based in part on the existence of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) related to Hunter Biden’s business dealings in “China and other foreign nations,” sources added.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, President Trump accused Hunter Biden of leveraging his father’s political influence to personally enrich himself through overseas business dealings.
The Biden-Harris transition team addressed the investigation in a separate statement, which reads, “President-elect Biden is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger.”
