President Biden's son hits back at critics
Long a target of the political right, Hunter Biden, the US president's legally embattled son, held a rare press conference on Wednesday to push back against allegations his father was involved in his often-scrutinized international business dealings. "My father was not financially involved in my business," the younger Biden said outside the US Capitol. "Not as a practicing lawyer, not as a board member of (Ukrainian gas giant) Burisma, not in my partnership to Chinese private businessmen, not in my investments at home nor abroad." Republicans have alleged that Joe Biden, a Democrat, benefited unduly from his son's business dealings, and vice versa, while serving as vice president to Barack Obama, in what they claim is a family influence peddling scheme. Republicans have yet to provide any solid evidence of corruption by the president. Nevertheless, those charges were the subject of a congressional hearing on Wednesday, which Hunter Biden was subpoenaed to testify in. But the 53-year-old refused to testify behind closed doors, saying instead he would testify at "a public hearing." "There is no fairness or decency in what these Republicans are doing. They have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life," he said. The House Oversight Committee said in response that it would initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against him. A vote on a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden was expected later the same day in the Republican-controlled House, even as experts interviewed during preliminary proceedings agreed there was no evidence to justify an impeachment. The 81-year-old president has avoided going into details of his son's legal woes, but has long expressed his support for him as a father. The younger Biden faces federal charges for lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun, as well as avoiding paying taxes while spending millions on drugs and escorts. His personal life, in which he long struggled with addiction, has also become fodder for Republican attacks over the years. "I've made mistakes in my life," he said. "For that I'm making amends. But I'm also here today to correct how the MAGA right has portrayed me for their political purposes." "They've ridiculed my struggle with addiction, they've belittled my recovery and they have tried to dehumanize me -- all to embarrass and damage my father." In his memoir "Beautiful Things," published in 2021, Hunter Biden wrote about his struggle with alcohol and illegal drugs -- his version of many seedy stories that had already been widely reported in the media and spread by the political opposition. "During my battle with addiction, my parents were there for me," he said Wednesday. "They literally saved my life." (AFP)