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Biden Says He's 'Proud' of Son's Ukraine Judgment Hours After Hunter Admits 'Poor Judgment'

October 15, 2019

Former vice president Joe Biden defended his son Hunter Biden's decision to take a lucrative post on a the board of a Ukrainian gas company just hours after the younger Biden characterized the decision as "poor judgment."

During Tuesday's Democratic primary debate, Biden said that his son "did nothing wrong" and that he is "proud of the judgment" he made.

In an interview with ABC News that aired Tuesday morning, however, Hunter Biden appeared to admit that his decision to join the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was serving as vice president was "poor judgment."

"In retrospect, look, I think that it was poor judgment on my part..." he said. "Was it poor judgment to be in the middle of something that is... a swamp in many ways? Yeah."

The contradiction prompted a follow-up from moderator Anderson Cooper, who noted that Hunter Biden had "admitted that he made a mistake and showed poor judgement by serving on that board in Ukraine. Did you make a mistake by letting him? You were the point person on Ukraine at the time."

"Look, my son's statement speaks for itself," Biden repeated. "I did my job. I never discussed a single thing with my son about anything having do with Ukraine. No one has indicated I have.

Biden's contention that he and Hunter had "never" discussed his Ukraine dealings again appeared to contradict his son's statements earlier in the day.

Asked by ABC News whether he and his father discussed his dealings in Ukraine, the younger Biden said, "The only time was after a news account, and it wasn't a discussion in any way ... [he said] 'I hope you know what you're doing,' and I said, 'I do.'"