Sen. Chris Coons, Joe Biden’s campaign co-chair, said Sunday that it “may be worth looking at” a congressional code of ethics for presidential family members in an interview on “Meet the Press.”
Coons was asked by NBC News’ Chuck Todd whether the sons and daughters of sitting presidents should have their own code of conduct, noting that Hunter Biden and Jared Kushner — former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law who worked as a top White House adviser — have benefited from the public profiles of their fathers.
Todd mentioned calls for the Supreme Court to set up a code of conduct after reports about potential ethics lapses by Justices Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor.
“Should presidential family members be a separate, you know, perhaps come under a little additional scrutiny?” Todd asked.
“That may be worth looking at because frankly, as you referenced, Jared Kushner wasn’t just a private citizen,” Coons said. “He worked in the White House and engaged in economic—“
Todd added: “To me if you’re outraged about Hunter Biden, you should be outraged about Jared Kushner. It’s not like you could, you know–”
Coons replied: “You can’t pick and choose.”
The White House and Biden campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hunter Biden last week pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges after a plea deal he struck with the government unraveled when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, raised questions about the terms of the agreement. The parties are expected to reconvene in the coming weeks to hammer out the terms and provide Noreika more information.
Coons’ comment also come as Republican presidential candidates have ramped up personal attacks against Biden and his family over his lack of a relationship with one of Hunter Biden’s daughters.
Hunter Biden and the mother of the child, Lunden Roberts, recently settled a paternity case in an Arkansas court. Hunter previously described his relationship with Roberts as a short-lived fling while he battled addiction.
Conservative news outlets targeted the president for not having acknowledged the child as one of his grandchildren in recent comments. But the president on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time, saying that his granddaughter Navy is “not a political issue.”
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