MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg on Friday vouched for Hunter Biden, the son of 2020 rival Joseph R. Biden, saying it’s “unbelievably dishonorable” to try to pit a father and son against each other for political purposes.

Mr. Buttigieg said it’s not a danger to nominate someone who’s still under the threat of investigation.

“No — and we are not going to let them change the subject,” he said. “This is not about Hunter Biden or Vice President Biden or anybody — this is about an abuse of power by the president.”

“We’ve got to draw a line here, and to be the kind of president, to be the kind of human being who would seek to turn someone against his own son, who would seek to weaponize a son against his own father is an unbelievably dishonorable thing,” he said.

Mr. Biden thanked Mr. Buttigieg for his comments.

“It is a diversion,” the former vice president said.

Mr. Biden and Hunter Biden have been at the center of the impeachment of President Trump.

Mr. Trump was accused of abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine into digging up dirt on the Bidens, as well as obstruction of Congress for failing to cooperate with the House impeachment inquiry.

The Senate voted to acquit the president this week after the House voted to approve the two articles of impeachment in December.

Some congressional Republicans have expressed an interest in continuing to investigate the Bidens, including Hunter Biden’s plum job on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president.

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