Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been the subject of headlines over his work in Ukraine, substance abuse and questions about his finances. Now, in separate interviews with CBS SUNDAY MORNING and CBS THIS MORNING he answers questions about a Department of Justice investigation, whether a computer reportedly containing emails and possibly confidential information was his, his father, his battle with substance abuse, his new memoir and more.

Correspondent Tracy Smith’s interview with Biden will be broadcast on CBS SUNDAY MORNING, Sunday, April 4 (9:00 AM, ET) and CBS THIS MORNING co-host Anthony Mason’s sit down with Biden will be broadcast Monday, April 5 (7:00-9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.

In his wide-ranging and at times emotional interviews, Biden talks about his childhood, the death of his brother Beau and his romantic relationship with Beau’s widow. He also details his struggle with addiction and expands on other stories from his new memoir, Beautiful Things, published by Simon & Schuster, a division of ViacomCBS.

From CBS SUNDAY MORNING:

Hunter Biden on a report that emerged in the New York Post before the 2020 election said that emails purportedly showing shady dealings in Ukraine found on a laptop computer that he supposedly left in a Delaware repair shop in 2019.

TRACY SMITH: Was that your laptop?

HUNTER BIDEN: I don’t-- I-- for-- for real, I don’t know.

TRACY SMITH: I know. But you know that’s--

HUNTER BIDEN: But my point is--

TRACY SMITH: This isn’t--

HUNTER BIDEN: I really don’t know.

TRACY SMITH: Okay--

HUNTER BIDEN: The answer is. That’s--

TRACY SMITH: You don’t know--

HUNTER BIDEN: The truthful answer--

TRACY SMITH: Yes or no if the laptop--

HUNTER BIDEN: I don’t have any--

TRACY SMITH: Was yours--

HUNTER BIDEN: --idea. I-- no idea whether or not--

TRACY SMITH: So could have been yours?

HUNTER BIDEN: Of course certainly. It, it, there could be a laptop out there that was stolen from me. It could be that I was hacked. It could be that it was the-- that it was Russian intelligence. It could be that it was stolen from me. Or that there was a laptop stolen from me.

Biden on his battle with substance abuse and spiraling out of control after his brother’s death in 2015.

TRACY SMITH: You would wake up some mornings. I shouldn’t even say some mornings. Because you slept for, like, 15 minutes at a time.

HUNTER BIDEN: Yeah.

TRACY SMITH: And be looking for crack, and just smoke whatever was there?

HUNTER BIDEN: Yeah. I spent more time on my hands and knees picking through rugs – smoking anything that re-- even closely-- even remotely resembled crack cocaine. I-- I-- I probably smoked more Parmesan cheese than … anyone that you know, I’ m sure, Tracy.

From CBS THIS MORNING:

Faced with an ongoing investigation into potential tax law violations, Biden tells CBS THIS MORNING co-host Anthony Mason his team is not seeking a plea deal.

ANTHONY MASON: There’s a federal tax investigation into you. Where does that stand now?

HUNTER BIDEN: They’re investigating. I can’t really talk about it other than to say, is that I’m fully cooperative and I’m fully confident that at the end of the day it’s all going to be fine.

ANTHONY MASON: Is your legal team working on any kind of a plea deal?

HUNTER BIDEN: Oh no. I-- it-- I am-- I am absolutely certain that what we’re doing is, is being completely cooperative with whoever is asking.

ANTHONY MASON: And there are no complications in there that could put you in legal jeopardy?

HUNTER BIDEN: Not that I know of.

Biden describes an emotional intervention his family staged at his father’s home in Wilmington in the runup to the 2020 presidential campaign. After a tense confrontation, Biden stormed out of the house, only to be chased down the driveway by the future president. 

ANTHONY MASON: And your father chased you?

HUNTER BIDEN: Yeah, because I tried to get into ­– I tried to go to my car. And my girls literally blocked the door to my car. Said, ‘Dad, Dad, please. You can’t. No, no.’ This was the hardest part of the book to write. And he grabbed me in a hug. He grabbed me, gave a bear hug, and he said – and just cried and said, ‘I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do. Please–

ANTHONY MASON: What did you think when you heard that?

HUNTER BIDEN: I thought, ‘I need to figure out a way to tell him that I’m going to do something so that I can go take another hit.’ It’s the only thing I could think. Literally. That’s how powerful. I don’t know of a force more powerful than my family’s love. Except addiction.

CBS SUNDAY MORNING is broadcast Sundays (9:00-10:30 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network. Rand Morrison is the executive producer.

CBS THIS MORNING is broadcast weekdays (7:00-9:00 AM) on the CBS Television Network. Shawna Thomas is the executive producer.

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