“I will not subject my family to more pain, more invasions of privacy, and needless embarrassment. For all I have put them through over the years, I can spare them this, and so I have decided to plead guilty,” he added.
“Like millions of Americans, I failed to file and pay my taxes on time. For that, I am responsible. As I have stated, addiction is not an excuse, but it is an explanation for some of my failures at issue in this case. When I was addicted, I wasn’t thinking about my taxes; I was thinking about surviving,” Biden continued.
HUNTER BIDEN’S ‘HIGH DRAMA’ DAY IN COURT ENDS IN SHOCKING GUILTY PLEA
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (Getty Images)
“But the jury would never have heard that or known that I had paid every penny of my back taxes, including penalties. I have been clean and sober for more than five years now because I have had the love and support of my family. I can never repay them for showing up for me and helping me through my worst moments. But I can protect them from being publicly humiliated for my failures,” he said.
Biden, who chronicled his battle with addiction in his memoir, Beautiful Things, concluded his statement, saying: “For anyone now going through the scourge of addiction, please know there is a light at the end of that seemingly endless tunnel. I was where you are now. Don’t quit right before the miracle.”
