The White House is defending its apparent decision to omit first son Hunter Biden from the Marine One and Air Force One flight manifests it made available to reporters, the Washington Examiner reported.
"That's something that we've never done," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. "This is the family. The family gets to travel with the president, and that's been the case with every other president. And so it's not something that we've done or we would be doing moving forward."
According to the Examiner, Jean-Pierre rejected claims that President Joe Biden and the White House were hiding Hunter Biden by not revealing his presence on the helicopter as the first family returned from Delaware last weekend.
The Bidens reportedly traveled to the First State to mark the anniversary of the 1972 car accident that killed Biden's first wife, Neilia, and their 1-year-old daughter Naomi. Neilia is Hunter Biden's mother.
"As it relates to the past couple of days, as I just stated to your colleague, is that the president and family were obviously, it was a somber anniversary that they were recognizing," Jean-Pierre said. "So you can imagine what that is like for them."
Newsweek reported that Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy spotted Hunter disembarking from Marine One on Tuesday, despite not being included on the passenger list of guests returning from Delaware with the president.
The White House said that Biden was being accompanied to the South Lawn of the White House by three staffers when the wheels of Marine One went up at 9:50 a.m. ET, identifying them as Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon, Oval Office Operations Director Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal, senior adviser to first lady Jill Biden. Hunter Biden was not listed.
The helicopter's wheels came down at 10:41 a.m. ET at the White House, as Biden stopped there briefly en route to the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Newsweek reported.
Jean-Pierre also reiterated that Joe Biden loves his son and suggested that reporters contact Hunter Biden's attorneys for questions related to his legal woes stemming from federal tax and gun charges.
The president's son defied a congressional subpoena last week to provide closed-door testimony to the House Oversight Committee, as that panel and the Judiciary Committee seek to impeach his father over allegations of an influence-peddling scheme that hinged on Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.
Instead of testifying, the younger Biden spoke with reporters outside the Capitol Building and said he would only testify at a public hearing.
"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," Hunter Biden said. "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."
Republican lawmakers are now weighing whether to charge him with contempt of Congress.
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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