An initial statement from Donald Trump’s campaign reportedly offered well wishes to Hunter Biden “in his recovery and legal affairs” after the president’s oldest son was convicted on three felony gun charges.
In a widely issued campaign statement on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the trial “nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family” and baselessly alleged that the Bidens “raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine.”
“Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit,” the statement added.
That statement, issued shortly after noon on Tuesday, did not mention the president’s son by name.
But according to CNN, which reported it obtained an initial statement before other press outlets, the campaign then added the following sentence: “As for Hunter, we wish him well in his recovery and legal affairs.”
The campaign then issued a statement without that line, according to CNN.
The Independent has requested comment from Trump’s campaign.
Trump and his Republican allies have repeatedly accused the president of profiting from his son’s business while failing to collect evidence or substantiate the allegations against them. An impeachment inquiry spearheaded by House Republicans, who have sought to implicate Hunter Biden, has flailed and stalled in Congress.
The president and his oldest son have routinely publicly addressed his drug abuse and addiction and path to sobriety, one that President Biden has characterized as a struggle that many families have similarly grappled with.
Hunter’s trial in a federal courthouse in Delaware detailed a highly personal and frank depiction of his past drug use and mistakes.
“I am more grateful today for the love and support I experienced this last week from Melissa, my family, my friends, and my community than I am disappointed by the outcome,” Hunter Biden said in a post-verdict statement, referencing his wife Melissa Cohen Biden.
“Recovery is possible by the grace of God, and I am blessed to experience that gift one day at a time,” he said.
President Biden and first lady Jill Biden “love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” the president said in a statement on Tuesday. “So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.”
