In an interview with Axios earlier this week, Hunter Biden suggested that the scrutiny congressional Republicans had him under was “maybe the ultimate test for a recovering addict;” the outlet also shared President Biden’s private fear that they could cause his son to relapse. And during CNN’s Inside Politics on Wednesday, host Dana Bash and Justice correspondent Evan Perez took the concern as legitimate and wagged their proverbial finger at Republicans on Capitol Hill.
According to Hunter, the future of America hinged on his ability to maintain sobriety. “I have always been in awe of people who have stayed clean and sober through tragedies and obstacles few people ever face. They are my heroes, my inspiration (…) I have something much bigger than even myself at stake. We are in the middle of a fight for the future of democracy," he told Axios.
After reading those lines, Bash and Perez marveled at his pose and openness:
BASH: This is kind of more of the human element of what we're talking about here.
PEREZ: It’s personal.
BASH: It's very personal. He is very open about the fact that he is an addict. He was very much off the wagon when a lot of this happened. And part of what he is trying to do – he's saying here – is stay clean – [inaudible] for himself, for his family, for his father, and he believes for politics, which is democracy.
The pair also had The Washington Post’s Leigh Ann Caldwell as company. “And he's also insinuating there that he knows that this is also inherently political as well,” she touted Hunter’s deduction of Republican motives.
Without giving any, and with backup from Bash, Perez suggested there was evidence that Republicans were intentionally trying to goad Hunter into falling off the wagon again:
PEREZ: And you can see what he's saying in return, which is, ‘they're going after me because they're trying to make me use so that they could hurt my father’ and that is a crazy thing to have to hear in 2024 politics.
BASH: Yeah. And in 2024 society when we are much more aware of addiction.
Perez lauded First Lady Jill Biden’s efforts to keep Hunter sober. “I think with Hunter Biden and one of the key parts of this has been, you know, Jill Biden and her role in trying to keep Hunter close,” he said. “I think part of the thing has been about this very personal familial, you know, tragedy that they've been living, which is to try to keep him sober and to keep him safe. And that's one reason why you see him there. They keep them close for that reason.”
Of course, all of this was said in the shadow of Hunter finally giving closed-door testimony to Congress about his shady business dealings.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Inside Politics
February 28, 2024
12:10:44 p.m. Eastern(…)
DANA BASH: But he actually, in a rare interview with Axios on Monday, said the following, which really struck us. He said, “I've always been in awe of people who have stayed clean and sober through tragedies and obstacles few people ever face. I have something much bigger than even myself at stake. We are in the middle of a fight for the future of democracy.”
This is kind of more of the human element of what we're talking about here.
EVAN PEREZ: It’s personal.
BASH: It's very personal. He is very open about the fact that he is an addict. He was very much off the wagon when a lot of this happened. And part of what he is trying to do – he's saying here – is stay clean – [inaudible] for himself, for his family, for his father, and he believes for politics, which is democracy.
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL (The Washington Post): Yeah. And he's also insinuating there that he knows that this is also inherently political as well. Donald Trump, every single campaign stump speech, he gives, the words come out of his mouth, “Joe Biden, the most corrupt president in history.” And so, this is part of the strategy of trying to convince voters that that is true.
PEREZ: You know, look, I think with Hunter Biden and one of the key parts of this has been, you know, Jill Biden and her role in trying to keep Hunter close. And you see all these stories about ‘why is Hunter showing up at these events at the White House? Why isn't the president pushing him away?’
I think part of the thing has been about this very personal familial, you know, tragedy that they've been living, which is to try to keep him sober and to keep him safe. And that's one reason why you see him there. They keep them close for that reason. And you can see what he's saying in return, which is, ‘they're going after me because they're trying to make me use so that they could hurt my father’ and that is a crazy thing to have to hear in 2024 politics.
BASH: Yeah. And in 2024 society when we are much more aware of addiction.
