The First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, on Thursday described as “cruel” the campaign of Republican opposition to Hunter Biden, son of the American president and a favorite target of conservatives in this election year.
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“I think what they’re doing to Hunter is cruel,” she said in an interview with MSNBC.
She was asked about Hunter Biden the day after a parliamentary hearing that turned into an open debate when the 50-year-old made a surprisingly brief appearance.
Hunter Biden, whose past is marked by addiction problems, has struggled with the law, particularly over tax fraud, and is accused by Republicans of making dubious deals in Ukraine and China by relying on his father's networks and name.
On Wednesday, two right-leaning congressional committees recommended that he be convicted of obstructing Congress' investigative powers for refusing to participate in a closed hearing on his overseas financial interests. He calls for a public hearing.
During one of the hearings, Republican elected officials violently attacked him. One called him “cowardly” and showed shabby photos of him, while the other reiterated that he was “the incarnation of the privileged white man.”
Jill Biden defended him on Thursday.
AFP
“I’m really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after his addiction. I love my son and this hurt my grandchildren. “It worries me so much that it will affect their lives too,” she said.
Jill Biden says she considers Hunter, from Joe Biden's first marriage, to be her own son.
The American president's first relationship ended tragically: his wife died in a car accident with the couple's young daughter in 1972. Hunter and his older brother Beau – who died of cancer in 2015 – were injured.