Hunter Biden in Op-Ed Slams Republicans for ‘Weaponizing’ His Addiction

Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, openly discussed his addiction issues after images and videos of him consuming what appears to be crack cocaine were leaked to the media.

In an op-ed published in a major US newspaper, Hunter Biden criticized Republicans for using his addiction issues in a “vile and sustained disinformation campaign” against his father, US President Joe Biden.

The president's son admitted in the opinion piece that during the throes of his addiction, he was drinking a bottle of vodka a day and taking “as many hits on a crack pipe as possible.”

“My experience is not a unique one,” Hunter Biden wrote. “At least 20 million Americans today suffer from substance abuse disorder. I don’t know a family that hasn’t been impacted in some way by addiction. What is distinct about my situation is that I’m the son of the president of the United States.”

Hunter further complained about the coverage of him in conservative outlets like Fox News and the New York Post, which first published the contents of his now-infamous laptop.

The laptop contained images and videos of the president’s son smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, including while in a drug rehab facility and while driving at high speeds.

It also contained documents and emails concerning foreign business deals, which have been the subject of an investigation by the House of Representatives and the Republican-headed impeachment inquiry of Joe Biden.

Hunter Biden went on to argue that the focus on his drug addiction could affect others who are struggling with addiction.

“What troubles me is the demonization of addiction, of human frailty, using me as its avatar and the devastating consequences it has for the millions struggling with addiction, desperate for a way out and being bombarded by the denigrating and near-constant coverage of me and my addiction,” the first son wrote.

Hunter Biden appears to be referencing what the substance abuse care community calls “trigger events," which can cause relapses. The Gateway Foundation, a rehab center, lists 10 common triggers, including stress, illness, isolation and even positive events, like new jobs and promotions. It does not list seeing prominent people’s drug use being exposed and discussed in the media as a common trigger.

Still, Hunter Biden argues the GOP's “weaponization of [his] addiction by partisan and craven factions represents a real threat to those desperate to get sober but are afraid of what may await them if they do.”

“It is already a near-impossible decision for addicts to get sober, and the avalanche of negativity and assault of my personal privacy may only make it harder for those considering it,” Hunter Biden wrote.

The younger Biden also criticized the criminal court case against him for lying on a gun application about his drug use and possessing a gun while addicted to drugs. Hunter stated in the op-ed that the charges against him “appear to be the first-ever of their kind brought in the history of Delaware.” He earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges after a plea deal with prosecutors fell apart.

But, Hunter insisted he is taking responsibility for his actions. “I am not a victim. By any standard, I grew up with privilege and opportunity, and fully accept that the choices and mistakes I made are mine, and I am accountable for them and will continue to be,” he wrote.

However, thanks in part to his father, many people struggling with addiction will not get the same chance to achieve sobriety. Joe Biden famously wrote the 1994 Crime Bill that has been blamed for supercharging the mass incarceration of US citizens, particularly for drug use. But what is less known is that he also authored the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and its 1988 amendment.

That law greatly increased the penalties for crack cocaine use, including a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for simple possession. It also disproportionately punished users of crack cocaine, the method of cocaine consumption preferred by Hunter Biden, compared to powdered cocaine.

Despite crack cocaine and cocaine containing the same psychoactive substance, the penalty for possessing crack cocaine was 100 times harsher than powdered cocaine under the law authored by Joe Biden, with 5 grams of crack cocaine resulting in the same mandatory minimum sentence as 500 grams of powdered cocaine.

Crack cocaine was more popular in the 1980s among urban neighborhoods and that sentencing disparity has been blamed for the disproportionate numbers of African Americans incarcerated for drug use. Joe Biden eventually admitted the disparity in sentencing was a mistake.

As of 2018, more than 300,000 Americans were incarcerated for drug-law violations, up from 25,000 in 1980. Studies have shown that increased imprisonment rates for drug-law violations do not result in lower drug use.

Hunter Biden concluded his op-ed by stating the effort of recovery should be celebrated and encouraged. “I hope that despite my role as the punchline and punching bag for some, others will also make the effort I have made, one day at a time, and get honest with themselves and the people who love and rely upon them,” he wrote.

The op-ed did not mention the incident that occurred in July when the Secret Service found a bag containing a small amount of cocaine inside the White House shortly after Hunter Biden and other members of the Biden family left the White House to vacation in Delaware.

The Secret Service closed its investigation into that incident without naming a suspect.