Hunter Biden makes appearance at state dinner as he faces tax charges
Written by ABC AUDIO on June 23, 2023
(WASHINGTON) — Just days after agreeing to plead guilty to tax-related misdemeanors, Hunter Biden on Thursday night attended a White House state dinner with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The president’s son was among hundreds of high-profile guests who gathered to toast the foreign dignitary, marking his first official event since news broke Tuesday of his agreement with prosecutors.
Hunter Biden was seen shaking hands and smiling as he made his way around the room.
As he arrived at the White House event in a trolley accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen, he declined to answer a question from ABC News about how he felt after taking the plea deal.
Also in attendance for Thursday’s festivities were Attorney General Merrick Garland, as well as Hunter’s daughter Naomi Biden Neal and her husband Peter Neal, Ashley Biden, the president’s brother James and his wife Sara.
There were also several prominent Republicans leaders who’ve vowed to continue their efforts to investigate Hunter Biden and the Biden family.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who slammed the plea agreement as a “sweetheart deal,” ignored a question about how he felt about dining with Hunter Biden and the attorney general. The speaker only said he looked forward to bringing his daughter-in-law to the White House for the first time.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, when asked the same question, paused and smiled before telling reporters: “It should be an interesting dinner.”
After being the target of a yearslong probe by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, Hunter Biden acknowledged his failure to pay taxes on income he received in 2017 and 2018. He will also enter into a pretrial diversion program that will enable him to avoid prosecution on one felony gun charge.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” his lawyer Chris Clark said in a statement on Tuesday. “He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
The White House, after the plea deal was announced, released a brief statement that President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden “love and support” their son and wouldn’t be commenting further.
President Joe Biden, when asked about the charges, told reporters, “I’m very proud of my son.”
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson and Justin Gomez contributed to this report.
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