Joe Biden again mentioned his deceased son, Beau, while attempting to explain to the American people that he understands the cost of the Afghan War better than they do, all the while omitting any mention of his son Hunter, who was kicked out of the United States Navy for smoking crack before going on to enter into a relationship with his brother’s widow.
The rambling remarks came as Biden addressed the nation following his administration’s deadly and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, where officials confirm that Americans were left stranded behind enemy lines despite the U.S.-led transport of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees out of the country.
“I don’t think enough people understand how much we’ve asked of the 1% of this country who put that uniform on, willing to put their lives on the line in defense of our nation,” said Biden, before invoking his son Beau’s military service as a JAG Officer and appearing to lose his train of thought.
“Maybe it’s because my deceased son, Beau, served in Iraq for a full year,” Biden said. “Before that…well,” he continued, briefly pausing and staring into the cameras before resuming his speech.
In recent weeks, Joe Biden has faced serious criticism from the American public over his frequent invocation of his son Beau’s memory and military career, with some accusing him of using his own loss and grief in an attempt to skirt criticism over the results of his Afghan withdrawal and deadly Kabul Airport bombing.
When he met with the families of servicemembers slain in the Kabul, Biden reportedly attempted to draw comparisons between their combat deaths and that of Beau, who died of brain cancer at the age of 46, drawing the ire of Gold Star Father Mark Schmitz. Schmitz told The Washington Post that he and his wife took out a picture of their fallen son, Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, to show Biden.
“I said ‘don’t you ever forget that name,’” Schmitz recounted. “Don’t you ever forget that face. Don’t you ever forget the names of the other 12. And take some time to learn their stories.” (READ MORE: ‘You Can’t F**k Up As Bad As He Did And Say You’re Sorry’: Gold Star Family Walks Out On Meeting With Biden)
Though Biden frequently mentions the military service of Beau, he rarely dredges up the naval career of his son Hunter who, after receiving a commission as a Naval Officer when his father served as Vice President, was booted from the service for failing a drug test as a frequent user of crack cocaine. At the time of his commission, Hunter Biden was 43 years old, already three years over the commission age limit, but received a waiver to serve as an officer in public affairs.
Following his discharge from the Navy, Hunter Biden entered into a relationship with his brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden. As previously reported by National File, a video leaked from Hunter Biden’s laptop shows him engaged in an argument with Hallie, at one point telling her that he is seeking treatment for his drug addiction while, in reality, appearing to be smoking crack while recording himself on video in a hotel.