Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden lost his cool Monday in an interview with “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie after she asked a question about his son, Hunter.
Guthrie noted that in the impeachment process, everyone has found out about his son's "dealings with Ukraine" while serving on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.
“No one’s found anything wrong with his dealings in Ukraine except they say it sets a bad image," Biden replied.
"Do you think it was wrong for him to take that position knowing that it was really because that company wanted access to you?" Guthrie asked.
"Well, that's not true," Biden fired back. "You're saying things you do not know what you're talking about. No one said that. Who said that? Who said that?"
"Don't you think that it's just one of those things where people think, well, that seems kind of sleazy," Guthrie said. "Why would he have that job if not for who his father was?"
"Because he's a very bright guy," Biden responded, adding that Hunter can "speak for himself."
.@JoeBiden snaps at @SavannahGuthrie after she asks about Hunter Biden: “You’re saying things you don’t know what you’re talking about!” pic.twitter.com/4O4LmLNenb
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 3, 2020
Hunter did speak for himself, in fact, and acknowledged during an interview with "Good Morning America" last year that he "probably" would not have gotten the position if it weren't for who his father is.
“You know, I don’t think there’s a lot of things that would have happened in my life if my last name wasn’t Biden," he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden says he doesn't regret serving on board of Ukrainian gas company.
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 15, 2019
"What I regret is not taking into account that there would be a Rudy Giuliani and a president...that would be listening to this—this ridiculous conspiracy idea." https://t.co/h6P0pJJhJR pic.twitter.com/FOeiXNkUjs
In the same interview, Hunter admitted to not having the requisite knowledge or qualifications to be on the board but said no one else serving with him did either.
Biden's interview with Guthrie aired Monday morning ahead of the Iowa caucuses. The former vice president is currently trailing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the state, with the latest Emerson College survey putting him at 21 percent support compared to Sanders's 28 percent support.
