President Biden’s son Hunter mainly deals with decisions that are at the forefront of his 2020 presidential campaign in his new memoirs, “Beautiful things.”
The book is a revealing look at his long battle with addiction, and how he dealt with it personal tragedies.
He spoke to Anthony Mason, co-host of CBS This Morning, about whether his business has ever crossed a line – including work for a Ukrainian company that became a major problem in President Trump’s first indictment. , and whether he regrets risking his father’s political future.
“The question of whether I would do it again is no,” he said.
In the memoirs, Biden defends his decision to join the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father oversaw US policy in the region as vice president.
“You grew up in politics. Didn’t you think you could face a big bully? ‘ Ask Mason.
Biden said he did not “understand the level to which the former government and the people around it would go.”
“The difference between the politics you’ve been talking about for the last four years, you know, is a whole different game,” he said. “And I do not want – ever again to hand over a weapon to people who will use it in a legal way – that they use my weapon against my father.”
By the end of the 2020 campaign, another problem had arisen. Allies of President Trump and supporters in the media may have promoted incriminating documents found on a laptop which may have belonged to Hunter Biden.
The laptop was delivered to the FBI by the owner of a computer store in Delaware.
Only Biden references to the laptop in his book once.
Mason asked if the laptop was really his.
“You do not need a laptop. You have a book. The book – it’s all in the book. And I do not know,” he replied laughing.
Biden continues, “the serious answer is that I really do not know the answer to it.”
He said he does not remember leaving a laptop at a repair shop in Delaware.
“But whether someone has my laptop, whether it’s a ‘or not – I was hacked, whether there is a laptop or not, I really do not know,” he said.
While saying he did not know if he was missing a laptop, he remarked that “read the book and you will realize that I have not kept a close eye on it for a period of four years.”
At the end of 2020, Biden acknowledged that an ongoing investigation by federal authorities had taken place due to possible violations of tax laws. Asked if his legal team is working on any kind of plea agreement, Biden said no.
He told Anthony Mason that he was committed to “working completely” with the right authorities if they needed anything from him.
Asked if President Biden had ever benefited financially from his son’s business transactions or received money from him, Hunter Biden confidently said ‘no’.
“Nothing, ever,” he said. “Not a nickel … directly or indirectly, never a nickel.”
In 2018, near the height of his fight against addiction, Biden misplaced a gun and sparked an investigation into law enforcement.
New details emerged in March that the secret service may have become improperly involved.
“It’s worrying that I would hurt myself or do something,” Biden said.
Mason asks, ‘Hallie, your brother’s widow throws away the gun. Is she trying to protect you? ‘
Biden thought she was.
“I think she was just worried about me,” he said, adding that he was going through a difficult period in his life at the time.
He said Hallie’s intention was to “make sure I did nothing to hurt myself.”
Reportedly, the secret service at one point searched for the sales record.
Biden said he had no idea about it and was not aware of it at the time.
However, he acknowledged that the authorities had been made aware of the loss of a gun.
“At that moment, you know, they knew the gun was lost. That Hallie threw it in the trash. And I said to her, ‘You can not do this’ when I realized it was gone, “he said.” And so she went back and they – the police came to help with the gun that was found. , to fetch. Someone went through the trash and picked it up and found it within hours, I believe. And that was the end of the story. “
Mason again asked if he was aware of the involvement in the secret service.
“I had no idea. I do not know if the secret service was or what – why would it be? I do not think it is true. To my knowledge,” Biden said.
The Secret Service told CBS News he did not know his agents were involved in the incident, and President Joe Biden was not under protection at the time.
‘Beautiful Things’ will be released on Tuesday 6 April by Gallery Books, a print by Simon & Schuster, a division of ViacomCBS.
Watch more of ‘CBS This Morning’s interview with Hunter Biden: