Not since John F. Kennedy, a president, is surrounded by such a large and close-knit tribe, which has been a source of emotional support and political problems for the commander-in-chief.
NEWARK, Del. – With Biden, everything is in the family. For better or for worse. This is the “safe haven” provided by President Joe Biden’s sister, Valerie, in her regular telephone conversations late at night, chatting about anything after a day that could be dominated by Russian aggression and record inflation. . But there is also escalating anger around Hunter’s son, the subject of a federal inquiry and a possible Capitol hearing if Republicans win control of Congress in November. Not since John F. Kennedy, a president, is surrounded by such a large and close-knit tribe, which has been a source of emotional support and political problems for the leader. “We’ve been best friends all our lives,” Valerie Biden Owens told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview for her memoir, “Growing Up Biden,” released Tuesday by Celadon Books. “I can not read his mind, but in 99.9% of cases, we will come up with the same answer, his own Jesuit logic and mine with a sense.” She was her brother’s first campaign manager and decades later she remains a trusted voice. Called “Biden’s whisperer,” she shares her brother’s instincts and articulates his perspective, sometimes with fewer political restrictions than he does. He vigorously defended Hunter’s son, who has struggled with addiction, as the innocent victim of a partisan attack for alleged financial misconduct. Is he partly responsible for the controversies that revolve around him? “No,” she replied emphatically. “Hunter walked through hell. He did not wake up and said: “Aunt Val, I think I will become addicted. And so whatever happens, it’s my responsibility. ‘ More: Hunter Biden says he “smoked crack every 15 minutes”, more impressive moments from the “Beautiful Things” memoirs Valerie Biden Owens for “Growing up Biden” Valerie Biden Owens, sister of President Joe Biden and campaign director, shares details from her new memoir, Growing Up Biden. Jasper Colt and Michelle Hanks, USA TODAY Federal prosecutors who convened a large jury in Delaware may have less understanding in their investigation into whether Hunter Biden violated money laundering, tax evasion and non-compliance with foreign lobbying regulations. For years, Donald Trump has been hiding Joe Biden allegations of corruption involving the multimillion-dollar contracts his son Hunter and brother James won in China and Ukraine when Biden was vice president. At the Senate podium last week, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, both Republicans, made their third major presentation on what they called the “Biden Family Survey,” this time describing detail James Biden’s business ties to the Chinese government. Johnson described the Biden family as “militants” and “influencing retailers.” If the GOP wins control of the House or Senate in the November midterm elections – and with that power to convene hearings and issue calls – the Biden speeches are likely to be the subject of a full-scale congressional inquiry.
A fast speaker with a big laugh
Valerie Biden Owens, 76, is cheerful and wired, a quick talk with a big laugh. Perched in a chair in front of a creaking fireplace in Joe Biden’s office at the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, she says she does not remember a moment when she and her big brother, who she calls Joey, were not best friends. “Really and truly, from the moment I opened my eyes,” he said. White House Wedding: Joe and Jill Biden will host their granddaughter’s White House wedding reception, the first since 2008 He said he saw Hunter more as a son than as a nephew, the little boy who helped raise him when his mother and sister were killed in a car accident that injured him and his brother, Bo. Addiction is a thread that runs through her memoirs and her family generations. Her “Uncle Boo-Boo” was alcoholic, she wrote. Frankie’s brother abused drugs and alcohol. “What is it? The Irish and the drink,” he said, referring to the family’s genetic susceptibility to addiction. That’s why he did not drink in high school and college. Joe Biden has never used alcohol. The most difficult part of the book to write, he said, was “exposing a family’s vulnerabilities and addiction.” She unequivocally rejected the idea that the worst had not yet come for the family in the search for her nephew and brother. “I do not know what could be worse than Bo dying of glioblastoma when he was 46,” he said curtly. “I do not know what could be worse than watching Hunter walk through hell. You never say the worst is over, but whatever happens, we can handle it as a family.” Their unity gives them resilience, she said, a lesson from her parents. “Mom said there is a family, there is a family and then there is a family.” Even some allies worry that Joe Biden’s devotion to the family has made it more difficult for him to fully recognize and deal effectively with the political dangers posed by his son and brother. Meet Biden: A who’s who of the new first family Knowing she was nervous about the USA TODAY interview, brother Jimmy and his wife, Sarah, arrived at the Biden Institute unexpectedly before the discussion began to offer moral support. They sat on a wall for an hour, two friendly faces who were out of the camera corner but inside the viewpoint.
“The price would be too high”
Valerie was the one who initially urged her brother not to run for a third term in the 2020 race. “I just thought the price would be too high,” she wrote, worrying that a campaign against Trump would be brutal. “I did not want the family to go through it. I was worried that the family could not go through it.” Although she came to support Biden’s candidacy, she said her predictions for the campaign came true. “He faced and exceeded my expectations for ugly and humiliating, disrespectful, dishonorable in the country,” he said. “Trump and his right-wing supporters continued to do everything they could to discredit the family and therefore oust Joe.” President Biden is facing criticism from his harshest critics that at the age of 79 he does not have the physical strength and mental acuity a president needs. “Just watch him,” he replied. “It’s not worth a single move.” Do these comments bother him? “No,” she said. Later in the interview, he began to defend his sometimes deceptive way of speaking, which he described as a result of his childish stuttering. “My brother is stuttering and he is still stuttering and trying to get things out,” he said. “And what really drove me crazy and mad was when he went to talk, and there would be hesitation, and the criticism from the bad guys, the right wing, was that he was not smart, he did not know what he was saying.” She criticizes her brother and worries that White House staff are not doing a good enough job of highlighting his government’s achievements. “This is the terminology of Washington,” he said in frustration. “Talk about infrastructure? What the hell? I do not care about infrastructure. I care about the water coming out of my tap and it is toxic to my children.” Several nights a week, at 10 p.m. about, he will call the president or call her to touch the base. “When he calls, I’m not talking about what happened to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin today,” he said. “We are talking about family. It is a break … We are talking about nothing, and talking about nothing, we are talking about everything.” I do not need to say much, because we understand each other. “ Data Control: No, Joe Biden’s brother-in-law does not own Dominion Voting Systems
