News/Commentary

Psaki begs Hunter to shut up: ‘Please stop talking in public’

December 18, 2023 | | Print Article

President Joe Biden’s first press secretary thinks his son Hunter is not helping things for his father by speaking in public.

Jen Psaki, now an MSNBC host, lamented that Hunter Biden’s surprise press conference last week may have done more to hurt the Biden reelection effort. The stunt came after the younger Biden defied a House Oversight Committee subpoena and refused to give closed-door testimony, opting to stage an outdoor platform to whine about his being attacked.

Psaki mused that the White House is probably wishing the president’s son would “stop talking in public.”

In an appearance on “Meet The Press” Sunday morning, host Kristen Welker asked the former press secretary about the “surprise press conference” last week.

“If you’re sitting in the White House right now, you’re like ‘Please, Hunter Biden, we know your dad loves you. Please stop talking in public,'” Psaki responded.

“This is not helpful to any of them for him to be out there,” she added. “But at the same time, the president loves his son. That takes precedent over anything else.”

ADVERTISEMENT

During his comments, Hunter Biden contended that his father “was not financially involved” in his business, and he asserted that there is “no evidence because it did not happen.”

“Let me state as clearly as I can: My father was not financially involved in my business — Not as a practicing lawyer. Not as a board member of Burisma, not in my partnership with a Chinese private businessman, not my investment at all nor abroad, and certainly not as an artist,” he said in his rant from outside of the U.S. Capitol.

“They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me all to embarrass my father who has devoted his entire life to public service,” the president’s son added. “For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.”

Biden immediately came under fire for his rant and former President Donald Trump joined the pile-on during a speech in Iowa.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Did you see Hunter today, right?” Trump said to gathered supporters in Coralville that day.

“He went to the wrong place. He went to the Senate instead of the House,” the former president joked.

“Everyone’s saying, ‘Where’s Hunter?’ See, it always gets, ‘Where’s Hunter?’” Trump continued, adding, “What a two-tier system of justice we have.”

On Sunday, Psaki continued her assessment of the situation by pointing to comments made during a focus group on NBC News earlier, emphasizing that “the president loves his son.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“That takes precedent over anything else. That is appealing. I’m thinking of the woman in your focus group who talked about family. He loves his son. He loves his family. He’s worried about his mental health,” Psaki said.

Nevertheless, she came back to her initial reaction, telling Welker, “But, yes, the White House would like him to probably go away right now.”

Frieda Powers
Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles