バイデン氏、７人目の孫の存在認める 次男ハンター氏の娘

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米国のジョー・バイデン大統領は２８日、７人目の孫の存在を初めて公に認めた。（写真はハンター氏〈右〉とともにハンコックフィールド空軍州兵基地に到着したバイデン米大統領）
　次男のハンター氏とアーカンソー州在住の女性の間に生まれたネイビー・ジョーン・ロバーツちゃんという女児で、現在４歳。
　バイデン氏は米誌ピープルへのコメントで、「これは政治問題ではなく、家族の問題だ」「息子ハンターとネイビーの母親のルンデンは、今後も彼らの娘のプライバシーを可能な限り守りながら、彼女にとって最善となる関係を育むために協力している」と述べた。
　また、自らは妻のジル夫人と共に「ネイビーを含むすべての孫にとって最善となることをただ望んでいる」と述べた。
　野党・共和党はバイデン氏がネイビーちゃんの存在を認めなかったことについて、普段の家族思いというアピールの仕方と相容れないとして激しく批判していた。
　同党のエリス・ステファニック下院議員は今月、英大衆紙デーリー・メールに対し、バイデン氏がこれまでネイビーちゃんに言及しなかったことは「冷淡かつ非情、利己的で卑怯」で「許しがたい恥辱だ」と酷評した。
　ネイビーちゃんはＤＮＡ鑑定でハンター氏との親子関係が確認されているが、父親のハンター氏にも、祖父母であるバイデン大統領夫妻にも会ったことがないとされる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/07/31-18:03）

US President Joe Biden on Friday publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild for the first time -- a four-year-old girl his son Hunter fathered with an Arkansas woman -- after Republican criticism of his failure to recognize her.
This is not a political issue, it's a family matter, the president said in a statement to People magazine about the girl, Navy Joan Roberts.
Our son Hunter and Navy's mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward.
Biden said he and his wife Jill only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.
People cited an unnamed source familiar with the situation as saying that a child support dispute between Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, settled last month, had affected how the First Couple interacted with their grandchild.
You have to remember there were some fairly contentious legal proceedings between Navy's parents happening until just a few weeks ago. As grandparents, the Bidens are following Hunter's lead, the source said.
The Democratic US president had come under tough criticism from Republicans who said his failure to mention Navy was at odds with his public image as a family man.
Earlier this month, top Republican lawmaker Elise Stefanik called Biden cold, heartless, selfish, and cowardly for not acknowledging Navy, and labeled the situation an inexcusable disgrace in comments to the Daily Mail.
Hunter Biden's paternity of the child was confirmed through DNA testing. She has reportedly not met her father or her grandparents.
Hunter Biden, who has battled drug addiction and is currently mired in legal trouble over tax charges and illegal possession of a firearm, has four other children.