First lady Jill Biden defended Hunter Biden from GOP attacks, calling the treatment of her son by Republican lawmakers "cruel" in a candid interview that aired Thursday.
"I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel," Jill Biden told MSNBC. "And I'm really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction. You know, I love my son and ... it's hurt my grandchildren. And that's what I'm so concerned about, that it's affecting their lives as well."
When asked about the barrage of attacks from Republicans against the Biden family, the first lady decried the nation's current political divisiveness.
"I mean, to look at it, what we used to have, and what the other side, the extremists have turned this country into. I mean, we would never see things like that, say 10 years ago," Jill Biden said.
The interview followed a contentious Wednesday on Capitol Hill, after House Republicans voted to move forward with a contempt of Congress resolution for Hunter Biden, who caused a stir when he made a surprise appearance at the House Oversight Committee hearing in which lawmakers debated the charge.
The action tees up a House vote on recommending criminal charges against a member of President Joe Biden's family as the GOP enters the final stages of the president's impeachment inquiry.
Last month, Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena to appear for a private deposition with House committees as part of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry of his father. The White House has consistently maintained that the president was not involved in his son's foreign business dealings.
Republican lawmakers have heavily targeted Hunter Biden's business deals, alleging that his father used his official position to enrich his family via an elaborate influence-peddling scheme.
The president's son is also facing federal tax charges and charges for lying on a federal gun form when he said he was not using or addicted to illicit drugs in October, 2018.
In the interview, Jill Biden also slammed Republicans as "horrible" for showing a nude photo of Hunter Biden in the House hearing.
The Daily Mail reported that conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., showed the photo of the first son shortly after he left the gallery.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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