Obama Admin Ethics Chief Shreds Biden for What He Said About Hunter's Book
Comments from President Joe Biden praising the forthcoming book from his son, Hunter, were ruled out of line by a former White House ethics czar.
Walter Shaub, who was director of the Office of Government Ethics under former President Barack Obama, tweeted and then deleted his criticism of Biden, according to the Washington Examiner.
“It is not acceptable for the President of the United States to be part of the book promotion tour. No,” he wrote.
Shaub said it was “wonderful” that Hunter Biden was sharing his story but added that his father’s comments were inappropriate.
The Examiner said Shaub issued other tweets about the book that have since been deleted.
.@waltshaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics who gave up his career in government to speak out against Trump’s corruption, agrees with me. https://t.co/tDLeJlpaSV
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) February 7, 2021
What most burns me is Shaub misrepped Biden’s answering a question about the book by saying he was proud of his son’s being so open as Biden being ok with his son “exploiting” his name. What a twisted take. Also, Shaub called people who disagreed w/him “worse than maga”!!! Ffs.
— (((antiantisemite))) (@Tristanshouts) February 8, 2021
Shaub worked under Obama in the Office of Government Ethics from 2013 to 2017.
He didn’t directly explain why his tweets were deleted but said in a since-deleted post Monday, “This is not a serious forum for debating serious ideas. It’s writing on a bathroom stall, and getting into arguments here is like writing responses to that graffiti.”
During an interview with CBS prior to Sunday’s Super Bowl, Biden commented on his son’s book.
“The honesty with which he stepped forward and talked about the problem, and the hope that — it gave me hope reading it. I mean, it was like, ‘My boy’s back.’ You know what I mean? Anyway, I’m sorry to get so personal,” the president said.
“The honesty with which he stepped forward and talked about the problem,” Pres. Biden says of his son Hunter’s memoir on his struggles with addiction, “it gave me hope.”
“It was like my boy’s back,” Pres. Biden tells us.
More ahead of the Super Bowl, only on @CBS pic.twitter.com/N6F7xQlMfF
— Norah O’Donnell ?? (@NorahODonnell) February 7, 2021
Hunter Biden’s book, “Beautiful Things,” will be published in April.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement from the president and first lady Jill Biden concerning the book.
“We admire our son Hunter’s strength and courage to talk openly about his addiction so that others may see themselves in his journey and find hope,” Psaki said, according to Fox News. “This is a personal book about his own personal journey.”
Hunter Biden is under federal investigation for what has been called a tax issue.
Prior to his father’s election, Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Ukraine and China were the focus of congressional investigations.
The Biden administration recently appointed Nicholas McQuaid — whom Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa characterized as the law partner of Hunter Biden’s defense attorney — as acting chief of the Justice Department’s criminal division.
That led Grassley and Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin to express concerns.
“[T]he arrangement has created, at a minimum, an appearance of a conflict of interest potentially in violation of DOJ ethics guidance,” Grassley said.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
