California Gov. Gavin Newsom brushed off allegations of Hunter Biden's corrupt business dealings on Monday, saying it is "hardly unique" for people to use their family members to get ahead.
Newsom made the comment in an interview with CNN that aired Monday. The California governor defended the Biden family on issues ranging from Hunter's businesses to President Biden's age.
"One of the things that Republicans are relentless on, of course, is Hunter Biden," CNN host Dana Bash began. "There is no evidence that Joe Biden benefited from anything that Hunter was doing, but Republicans have shown that Hunter Biden – he tried to leverage his father's name, and that the president allegedly before he was president joined phone calls that Hunter Biden's business associates were on. Do you see anything inappropriate there?"
"I don't know enough about the details of that. I mean I've seen a little of that," Newsom responded. "If that's the new criteria, there are a lot of folks in a lot of industries – not just in politics – where people have family members and relationships and they're trying to parlay and get a little influence and benefit in that respect. That's hardly unique."
"I don't love that any more than you love it or other people I imagine love that. We want to see a lot less of that, but an impeachment inquiry? Give me a break," he continued.
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"Threatening a government shutdown again after we went through that process with the debt ceiling. This is student government," he added. "This is a joke. Ready, fire, aim. I mean, this is a perversity that the founding fathers never conceived of and imagined. So, if that’s the best they can do, give me a break. That’s about public opinion."
Meanwhile, Hunter's legal team has filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming the agency "targeted and sought to embarrass" him by exposing his tax returns to the public.
Hunter's legal opponents claim the tactic is merely an attempt to shift attention away from his own legal troubles, which involve a felony gun charge.
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has also launched an impeachment inquiry into the president relating to his alleged involvement in his son's business deals. Republicans point to statements Hunter has made, phone calls, and dinners Biden attended as evidence that he was aware of what his son was doing.
Biden has brushed off the impeachment inquiry, however, suggesting it was a tactic by Republicans aimed at making a government shutdown more likely.