MSNBC analyst defends Hunter Biden in gun case by citing own alcoholism: 'Addiction is a disease'

MSNBC political analyst Molly Jong-Fast ran defense for Hunter Biden in a new column and TV appearance by calling addiction a "disease" and not a "moral failing" as his federal gun trial concludes this week.

"Addiction is a disease," she wrote on MSNBC. "People who struggle with addiction are sick, not bad. Huge swaths of the country are affected by alcohol and drug addiction that affects not just them, but their family members and people who are even tangentially connected to them — the parents, grandparents and kids and brothers and sisters and acquaintances of the addict."

Hunter Biden, an admitted addict to drugs and alcohol, is accused of lying about abusing substances on a federal firearm form when he purchased a gun. Jong-Fast, who claimed she took her first drink when she was only 3 years old but has been sober for 26 years, also appeared on air and sent social media posts to scold Republicans for their treatment of the first son throughout coverage of the trial. However, Hunter Biden faces consequences for allegedly lying on the gun form, not for simply being an addict. 

"The reason why I wanted to come forward and write about this is because, even though I’ve been sober since I was a teenager, I felt that the disease that Hunter Biden has is the same disease that I have," Jong-Fast said Monday on "Morning Joe."

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MSNBC political analyst Molly Jong-Fast has penned a column, appeared on air and sent various social media posts to scold Republican for their treatment of Hunter Biden. (Screenshot/MSNBC)

Jong-Fast, who appeared to promote her opinion piece assailing GOP criticism of Hunter Biden, said the party "loves" to talk about fentanyl coming over the U.S.-Mexico border but doesn’t spend enough time focusing on the addiction aspect. 

"There is a reason why these, you know, drugs are a problem in this country and it's largely because of addiction," Jong-Fast said. 

Jong-Fast, who has written extensively about her upbringing and addictions, insisted that Republicans have been largely unsuccessful in trying to use Hunter Biden’s addiction issues to tarnish his father. 

"I came forward partially because I wanted to destigmatize this, and I feel like for a long time, alcoholism and addiction was this terrible secret we didn’t talk about. I feel like for me, because I’ve been sober since I was a teenager, I have this ability to talk about it in a way that’s a little bit removed from the disease," she said. 

"I always try to say that I have suffered from this disease and I continue to suffer from it. And when I saw that text that Hunter sent to his then girlfriend and he said, 'You know, I'm an addict, and I'll always be an addict,'" Jong-fast continued. "That is the way we're sort of taught to think about addiction, is that we'll always have this disease whether or not we're given the reprieve of being sober."

Jong-fast shared footage of the segment on X with the caption, "Addiction is a disease and not a moral failing." 

Jong-Fast comes from a well-known family herself, as the daughter of famed author Erica Jong. Not a political expert by nature, she became a liberal media darling as a perpetually online anti-GOP commentator. The New York Times called her "the MSNBC Mom who starts actually appearing on MSNBC."

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Hunter Biden arrives at federal court with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.  (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Jong-Fast’s opinion piece detailed her own issues with addiction.

"We are taught the fundamental belief that despite our sobriety we will always be, at our core, addicts. We will never be cured of our addiction. I am granted a daily reprieve from the disease of alcoholism, one day at a time. I took my first drink at 3 and my last (I hope) at 19," Jong-Fast wrote before pivoting to the first son. 

"This is not an attempt to prove innocence or guilt stemming from Biden’s actions; but the basis and nature of the prosecution’s argument is problematic, because Biden talking about his ‘bloodhound’ instinct when it came to seeking out crack, his drug of choice, shows that he’s sick with the disease of addiction — not that he is guilty or his actions nefarious," she continued. "I hope the jury will be able to keep this in mind while it deliberates over Biden’s fate in the coming days or weeks."

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Jong-Fast turned her attention to the GOP.

"More people than you think are affected by alcoholism and addiction, and shaming the family of the addict is neither productive nor grounded in any basis of efficacy," she wrote. 

Prosecutors hope to prove Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018 when he ticked a box labeled "No" when asked if he is an unlawful user of a firearm or addicted to controlled substances. Hunter Biden purchased a Cobra Colt .38 from a store called StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply in Wilmington.

Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in the case. It is the first time in U.S. history that a sitting president's son is on trial.

The total maximum prison time for the three charges could be up to 25 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

Fox News Digital's Emma Colton, Anders Hagstrom and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Brian Flood is a media editor/reporter for FOX News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @briansflood.