Hunter Biden lashes out at Democrats over father's downfall

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
Today 08:07

In a pair of explosive interviews, Hunter Biden blames top Democrats and media personalities for his father's political decline, alleging betrayal, profiteering, and mismanagement.

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Hunter Biden leaves federal court, Sept. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles (AP)

In a series of scathing interviews, Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joseph R. Biden Jr., accused prominent Democrats and media figures of betraying his father and contributing to what he described as the collapse of his political standing.

During the premiere episode of a new podcast hosted by former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, Hunter Biden criticized the Democratic Party at large, blaming internal disloyalty for his father’s failure in the 2024 election. “This party didn’t stand behind the person who gave everything to it,” he said.

Hunter expanded on his grievances in a separate, wide-ranging, three-hour interview released Monday with YouTuber Andrew Callaghan. In it, he launched profanity-laced attacks on several high-profile Democratic operatives and allies, including senior White House adviser Anita Dunn, political strategists David Axelrod and James Carville, the founders of Crooked Media, CNN’s Jake Tapper, and even Hollywood star George Clooney.

In a particularly intense moment, Hunter used variations of the same profanity 13 times in just one minute.

He ridiculed Clooney as “a brand” and dismissed Carville, saying, “He hasn’t run a race in 40 years.” On Axelrod, he claimed, “He had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama — and that was because of Barack Obama.”

Allegations against top advisors, media allies

Hunter also targeted Crooked Media’s founders and their popular podcast Pod Save America, calling them “four white millionaires dining out on their association with Barack Obama from 16 years ago.” He accused Anita Dunn of profiting immensely from her political connections, alleging she made “$40 to $50 million” from Democratic campaign work.

Hunter went further, claiming that his father had been administered Ambien, a prescription sleep aid, before a key 2024 debate while being run ragged by fundraising and travel obligations. “He’s 81 years old, he’s tired,” Hunter said. “They give him Ambien to be able to sleep, and he gets up on the stage and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights.”

CNN’s Tapper also in the crosshairs

Hunter Biden reserved some of his fiercest criticism for CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who co-authored a best-selling book suggesting there had been a coordinated effort within the Democratic Party to obscure President Biden’s signs of cognitive decline. “What influence does Jake Tapper have over anything?” Hunter said. “He has the smallest audience on cable news,” before delivering a vulgar tirade aimed at Tapper’s ratings.

Most of those criticized did not respond publicly. Axelrod simply told reporters, “Never have the words ‘no comment’ been more appropriate.” Carville, for his part, said the Bidens “got into this frenzy that they were these people who were disrespected, and that’s their whole culture,” adding, “The party needs to move on.”

An aide to George Clooney reportedly declined to comment. Dunn did not respond to press inquiries.

Tommy Vietor, a co-founder of Pod Save America, took to social media to mock Hunter’s remarks, posting: “It’s good to see that Hunter has taken some time to process the election, look inward, and hold himself accountable for how his family’s insular, dare I say arrogant at times, approach to politics led to this catastrophic outcome we’re all now living with.”

CNN spokesperson Dylan Rose Geerlings defended Tapper, describing him as “one of the most influential political journalists of his time.”

Monday marked exactly one year since President Biden ended his re-election campaign, a decision that reverberated throughout the Democratic Party and continues to stir debate over leadership, legacy, and responsibility.