Romney, Murphy agree Hunter Biden's alleged crimes don't reflect on President Biden
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Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) both agreed during their appearances on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that Hunter Biden's alleged crimes should not be held against President Biden.
The big picture: House Republicans are eyeing a formal vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry into the president, which has not yet produced any direct evidence of wrongdoing by Biden.
- The impeachment inquiry is focused on the president's purported involvement in Hunter Biden's business dealings.
- Hunter Biden was hit with a second set of charges from the Justice Department earlier this week. He is now facing nine tax-related charges in addition to three previous counts related to alleged illegal possession of a firearm.
State of play: Romney said that he has seen no evidence "at all" so far indicating that President Biden committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
- Hunter Biden has "obviously been a very unsavory person," Romney said.
- "That's not President Biden. And we're not going to impeach someone because of the sins of their kids," he added.
Murphy also drew a distinction between the president and the actions of his son.
- "Ultimately, the American people understand that Hunter Biden is not going to be on the ballot next fall — that Joe Biden is going to be on the ballot," Murphy said.
Worth noting: Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell previously slammed the gun charges against his client as being "the result of political pressure from President Trump and his MAGA allies."
- Last week, Lowell accused special counsel David Weiss of "bow[ing] to Republican pressure."
- Murphy disputed that the prosecution of Hunter Biden is political in nature, calling it "legally justified."
- Romney noted that if prosecutors successfully prove their case against Hunter Biden, the president's son should be "severely punished" for violating U.S. law.
