'Why Would I Bring Cocaine Into the White House?’: Hunter Biden Denies Link as FBI Reopens Probe

Washington: Hunter Biden has lashed out at actor and prominent Democrat donor George Clooney for urging the Democratic Party to replace Joe Biden as its 2024 presidential nominee, following the former president’s decision to exit the re-election race. 

In an interview with US outlet Channel 5, Hunter Biden reflected on the factors behind his father’s poor debate performance against Donald Trump, which preceded Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race. The younger Biden, who has previously faced public scrutiny over substance abuse issues, also rejected allegations that cocaine discovered in the White House belonged to him. 

“F**k Him and Everybody Around Him”

Hunter Biden delivered an expletive-laden rebuke when asked about Clooney’s stance. “F**k him and everybody around him. I don't have to be F***ing nice,” he said.

He further echoed director Quentin Tarantino’s past comments about Clooney, adding, “I agree with Quentin Tarantino. F***ing George Clooney is not a F***ing actor. He is F***ing like ... I don't know what he is. He's a brand.”

Questions Clooney’s Political Credibility

During a podcast with former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison, Hunter Biden questioned Clooney’s credibility as a political voice despite his close ties with former President Barack Obama.   

“Really, do you think in middle America, that voter in Green Bay, Wisconsin, gives a shit what George Clooney thinks about who he should vote for?... He's a great friend with Barack Obama. F**k you. What do you have to do with F***ing anything? Why do I have to F***ing listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his F***ing life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full page ad in the F***ing New York Times?”

Clooney’s Op-Ed and Biden’s Exit

On July 10, 2024, Clooney, in a New York Times op-ed titled “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” expressed admiration for the then 81-year-old president but noted his declining health, stating Biden was no longer the politician he was in 2010 or 2020.

Less than two weeks after Clooney’s call for a new nominee, Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race.

Allegation of Anger Over ICC Criticism

Hunter Biden claimed Clooney was upset with Joe Biden for criticising the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a move supported by Clooney’s wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney.

“He was bitching to the White House staff, the senior staff, that he was so angry that the president would criticise the arrest warrant. He was very, very angry that my dad did not pay homage to her or something,” Hunter Biden said.

On Biden’s Debate Performance

Acknowledging the poor debate performance against Trump, Hunter Biden said his father’s exhaustion contributed to the showing.

“They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage and looks like he's a deer in the headlights, and it feeds into every F**king story that anybody wants to tell,” he said, describing the debate as “absolutely horrible” for his father, who he claimed was “tired as shit” at the time.

Denies Cocaine Allegations

Addressing claims that cocaine found in a White House locker in 2023 was his, Hunter Biden denied the allegations, stating he has remained sober since June 2019.

“Why would I bring cocaine into the White House and stick it into a cubby outside ... the situation room in the West Wing?” he said.

The FBI has since reopened the investigation into the cocaine discovery following Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025.

ALSO READ: ‘Crime of the Century’: Trump Accuses Political Enemies Orchestrated Russia Hoax, Claims ‘Irrefutable Evidence’