Karine Jean-Pierre mum on whether White House told family members not to conduct business at state dinner
The White House press secretary said the administration has been ‘incredibly transparent’ and implemented ‘strict rules’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday was asked to explain the administration’s policy on family members attending state dinners.
The question seemed to allude to the president’s son, Hunter Biden, who was listed among the guests invited to a White House state dinner last week just two days after the 53-year-old’s agreement to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax became public. He has also reportedly been allowed to avoid prosecution on a felony gun charge that could have landed him in prison if convicted.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks at the daily press briefing at the White House on June 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The reporter acknowledged that it was not unusual for presidents to invite family members to White House functions but questioned whether any additional guardrails were put in place, given the circumstances.
"I’m curious though, in light of some of the recent legal controversy, if the president communicated to members of his family not to conduct business on White House grounds? Can you tell us about any kinds of guardrails that are up?" the reporter asked.
BIDEN DENIES LYING ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS DEAL CONVERSATIONS
Jean-Pierre refused to engage the question on account of it being tied to a Department of Justice investigation.
"We have laid out very early on in this administration when it comes to ethics, when it comes to how we move about and how … we respect clearly the government ethics here, this administration had been incredibly transparent on that and has put [in place] some very strict rules," she said.
"I can speak to how the president has moved forward in making sure that the people who work for him and himself are held to a strict course of action, but I’m not going to speak to anything that’s related to the case."
FILE: Hunter Biden disembarks from Air Force One at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, U.S., February 4, 2023. (REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)
The reporter pressed for answers on whether the White House had guardrails in place for the president’s family.
"I’m not going to speak to anything that is related to this case," Jean-Pierre said. "As you stated … when it comes to ethics, we take that very, very seriously here in this administration."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for additional comment.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware David C. Weiss’ office said Tuesday that despite "owing in excess of $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, [Hunter Biden] did not pay the income tax due for either year."
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The younger Biden will also enter into a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate felony charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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