U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (DFL) defended Hunter Biden’s attendance at a state dinner last week Thursday for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi just days after he reached a plea agreement with his father’s Justice Department, a development that conservatives have decried as a “sweetheart deal.”
Klobuchar was on “Meet the Press” Sunday discussing President Joe Biden’s re-election chances as well as the politics surrounding Hunter’s presence at the function, which also featured Attorney General Merrick Garland. Host Chuck Todd pressed Klobuchar on the questionable “perception” Hunter’s attendance at the event sends to the American public.
Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar starts laughing and scoffs when asked if it was appropriate for deadbeat Hunter Biden to attend a state dinner — where the attorney general was present — in the same week he accepted a plea deal for multiple federal crimes. pic.twitter.com/7eyq4ZuAL1
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 25, 2023
“Do you think it was appropriate for Hunter Biden to be at the same event as the attorney general, Merrick Garland, was in the same week he accepted a plea deal?” Todd asked.
After a brief chuckle and flashing a wide grin, Klobuchar said, “you know, I think, as the president explains, that’s his son. That’s a separate thing.”
She then admitted that “you always wish there were different perceptions” but pivoted to public policy issues to avoid discussing the matter any further.
“But that’s not reality. Reality is whether or not someone is going to be able to get their insulin … reality is whether someone has a job. Reality is when they can go visit their grandma again in assisted living. Those are people’s realities, not who is sitting where at a state dinner.”
Hunter’s deal with federal prosecutors set off a firestorm of criticism among conservatives when it was announced, including recently-indicted former President Donald Trump, who has called it a “traffic ticket.” Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn similarly remarked that “the DOJ is going for the low-hanging fruit … after years of slow walking their investigation.”
Biden has since said he is “proud” of his son. He also attacked a New York Post reporter who asked him about a $5 million Ukraine bribery allegation. “Why’d you ask such a dumb question?” Biden said.
Hunter, 53, has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay federal income tax in 2017 and 2018. He also agreed to a pre-trial diversion agreement for having illegally purchased a firearm in 2018.
Whistleblower testimony released two days after the deal was announced sheds more light on the elder Biden’s potential involvement in his son’s business ventures.
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” messages from Hunter Biden’s cellphone show him writing to a Chinese business associate in 2017, according to the testimony. A short time later, two bank accounts linked to Hunter Biden received $5.1 million from Chinese firm CEFC Infrastructure Investment, Fox News reported.
The testimony from the two IRS whistleblowers also alleges that Hunter Biden received special treatment from the federal government. The whistleblowers claim that U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss requested special counsel status but was denied.
According to an IRS whistleblower:
David Weiss requested special counsel status.
Joe Biden’s Justice Department said no. pic.twitter.com/10N7pK9tjM
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) June 23, 2023
Klobuchar, 63, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006. She failed to capture even 1.5% of the vote in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race. She currently serves on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, among others.
Stephen Kokx
Stephen Kokx, M.A., is a journalist for LifeSiteNews. He previously worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago under the late Francis Cardinal George. A former community college instructor, Stephen has written and spoken extensively about Catholic social teaching and politics. His essays have appeared in such outlets as Catholic Family News and CatholicVote.org.
