Amid ongoing controversy over Hunter Biden’s shady foreign business dealings and a federal investigation into his taxes, President-elect Joe Biden nevertheless defended his son Hunter as “the smartest man I know.”
Biden made the remark during an interview that aired Thursday on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” after the host said, "the people who want to make hay in Washington are going to try to use your son as a cudgel against you.”
Colbert wondered how he felt about that and what he had to say in response.
"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."
EXCLUSIVE: President-elect Joe Biden is defending his son amid an investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes.
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 17, 2020
The president-elect and Dr. Jill Biden spoke with @StephenAtHome for their first joint interview since the election.
More on the @colbertlateshow at 11:35 p.m. ET on @CBS pic.twitter.com/DawaLVernh
The Biden Team later clarified that when he said “foul play” he was referring to Republicans going after Hunter.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, who's been calling for a special counsel to investigate Hunter's business dealings, responded to the clip, pointing out that “there couldn’t be a bigger conflict of interest."
Speaking to Fox News’s Tucker Carlson about it, Cotton said he wants Biden to “come clean” about what happened not just with Hunter but his brother and sister as well because “his entire family has been trading on his name in his public life for 50 years.”
Joe Biden's son is being investigated for trading on his name. There couldn't be a bigger conflict of interest and this investigation calls for a special counsel. https://t.co/6YZal0CUyx
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) December 18, 2020