‘Hunter Is Innocent’: Jill Biden Defends Stepson Amid Potential Criminal Charges

First Lady Jill Biden leaves the Church of the Society of Jesus in Quito, Ecuador, on May 20, 2022. (Erin Schaff/Pool via Reuters)

First lady Jill Biden publicly defended her stepson Hunter over the weekend, claiming in an interview that he is being wrongly investigated and declaring his innocence.

The first lady made the comments in an interview with NBC News published on Friday amid a federal investigation into the younger Biden’s allegedly illegal purchase of a firearm in 2018.

“Everybody and their brother has investigated Hunter,” Jill Biden said. “They keep at it, and at it, and at it. I know that Hunter is innocent. I love my son, and I will keep looking forward.”

According to a report by The Washington Post published earlier this month, federal investigators believe they have gathered enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden, 52, with “tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase” in relation to his purchase of a firearm in 2018.

The younger Biden allegedly answered “no” when asked whether he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.”

The question appears on the Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473), which is issued while buying a handgun. Lying on that form is a federal violation punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, will reportedly make the final decision on whether or not to charge Hunter Biden.

President Joe Biden himself shared his public support for his son earlier this month during an interview with CNN, while also referencing Hunter Biden’s battle with drug addiction.

President Joe Biden (L) waves alongside his son Hunter Biden after attending mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, S.C., on Aug. 13, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

‘I’m Proud Of My Son’

“I’m proud of my son,” President Biden said. “This is a kid who got, not a kid—he’s a grown man—he got hooked on, like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life.”

“This thing about a gun—I didn’t know anything about it,” Biden continued. ”But turns out that when he made an application to purchase a gun, what happened was … you get asked a question, are you on drugs, or do use drugs? He said ‘no.’ And he wrote about saying no in his book.”

Hunter Biden spoke candidly about his addiction to drugs in 2018 in his memoir, where he revealed that he was using large amounts of crack cocaine at the time of the gun purchase.

Hunter Biden’s actions, which also include his business dealings with Ukraine, Russia, and China while his father was the vice president, have raised concerns among critics and Republican lawmakers, and have remained something of a dark cloud over the Biden administration.

Despite this, the president has stood by his son while the White House has consistently declined to comment on any investigations into the younger Biden.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.