Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden tested positive for cocaine, and was subsequently discharged from the Navy Reserve, officials revealed Thursday.
"It was the honor of my life to serve in the US Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward," Biden said in a statement released by his lawyer.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Biden, 44, was commissioned as an ensign on May 7, 2013. The married father of three had to obtain a waiver to join because of his age, and news reports noted that he'd also received a second waiver because of a drug-incident when he was younger.
Assigned to a reserve unit, the Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Virginia, Biden was failed his drug test shortly after arriving, in June of 2013. His official discharge came February 14, 2014.
Joe Biden and the office of the vice president declined to comment on the discharge.
In 2012, the vice president had joked at an American Legion event that, "We have a lot of bad judgment in my family. My son, who is over 40, just joined the United States Navy. He’s about to be sworn in as an officer, Hunter Biden."
It remains unclear if Hunter Biden's discharge was filed as "other than honorable" or "general," common designations for those released for drugs.
Biden was originally recommended for a direct commission via a process created so the Navy could recruit more civilians with needed skills.
He is currently managing partner at an investment company, Rosemont Seneca Partners.
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