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Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) is primarily known for being a vocal election denier and one of Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters. That is why she is considered to be on the short list of the former president’s potential running mates in the 2024 election. This week, she showed why she is so popular in the MAGAverse by taking to Twitter to make a statement that, even in today’s toxic political environment, is so reprehensible and mean-spirited that it needs to be highlighted and filed away.
One of @JoeBiden's biggest crimes is that he was an awful dad.
Hunter Biden never stood a chance. He grew up with a terrible role model that brought him into his life of crime.
That life of crime put Joe Biden into the White House.
When does HE get indicted? pic.twitter.com/7R2WeVVo1z
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) September 7, 2023
Let’s break it down.
The problem isn’t the baseless accusation that President Joe Biden has committed any crimes or that either he or his son Hunter Biden has lived a “life of crime.”
With regard to the latter, an argument can certainly be made (and we do) that he is an opportunistic grifter who is using his father’s name to make money.
There is also no doubt that Hunter Biden has screwed up plenty in his life. He was discharged from the Navy Reserves after one day for testing positive for using cocaine and has struggled with substance abuse for years.
Then there is the fact that he fathered a child out of wedlock.
In addition, he is going to be charged with illegally possessing a firearm later this month.
But that hardly constitutes “a life of crime.”
The same for the elder Biden, who has been a public servant for most of his life and has not been credibly accused of anything.
However, that part of the tweet is not out of the ordinary for Republicans, who toss around meritless charges like monkeys throw poop.
It’s not ideal, of course. Usually, if you want to accuse somebody of something, you should back that up with evidence. For example, when we call Lake an election denier, that is rooted in the fact that she came up short in her gubernatorial race, failed to concede, and then lost a bunch of lawsuits.
No, what makes her statement so gross is the insinuation that the president is an awful dad and Hunter “never stood a chance.”
If you don’t know why, here is a little recap of the Biden family history:
In 1972, when Hunter was two years old and his dad had just been elected to the Senate, he was in a car accident with his mom, his baby sister Naomi, and his older brother Beau.
A truck hit the family car, killing his mother and Naomi while leaving him and Beau injured.
As though this wasn’t enough tragedy, Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
Here is what Hunter Biden’s daughter Naomi, named after his dead sister, had to say about that.
“He and Beau were one. One heart, one soul, one mind. They grew up with the weight of knowing that each day they lived was a day that their sister, my namesake, and their mother lost. But they had each other and that would be enough. They would make sure it was enough,” she tweeted in 2020.
“When my uncle got sick, my dad never missed a single doctors appointment or chemo treatment,” she added. “When he got sicker, my dad lived out of a suitcase and slept in the chair next to his hospital bed for two months. He held his hand as he lost his brother and a big piece of himself too.”
Beau’s death sent Hunter Biden into a very bad place. That doesn’t excuse some of the things he has done. Other people experience similar tragedies every day without becoming alcoholics or engaging in questionable behavior.
However, it does put into perspective how completely despicable Lake’s statement is.
And, if she ends up on the Republican ticket or runs for Senate in Arizona, it will be worth remembering.
