Karine Jean-Pierre REJECTS claims White House has changed its story on Joe's knowledge of Hunter's deals: Press secretary avoids discussing collapsed plea deal and illegal firearm possession

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected the notion Wednesday that the White House has changed its wording when discussing President Joe Biden's relationship with Hunter Biden's foreign business deals. 

Jean-Pierre tried avoiding discussing the first son's dramatic day in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware by reading a statement about the case at the top of the briefing. 

But she was still peppered with questions about whether the president had been in touch with Hunter and his legal team as his plea deal collapsed, what the president thought of Hunter being charged with illegal firearms possession - and what the president was doing Wednesday, as he had no events on his public schedule. 

Real Clear Politics' Philip Wegmann pointed out to Jean-Pierre that previous statements distancing the president from his son's overseas businesses said the two had never discussed those opportunities, while more recently the White House line has been that Joe and Hunter were never in business together. 

'Why the updated language?' he asked. 

'Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed on this. Nothing has changed on this,' the press secretary insisted. 'You could ask me a million different ways on this question, nothing has changed.' 

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre rejected the notion Wednesday that the White House has changed its wording when discussing President Joe Biden's relationship with Hunter Biden's foreign business deal

New testimony is expected to come out from Hunter's business partner Devon Archer, who will tell Congress that Hunter would put business associates on speakerphone with his father. 

What's unclear is whether the now-president approved of these calls. 

Hunter's plea deal crumbled when prosecutors on Wednesday said it didn't mean he couldn't face future charges - potentially related to the foreign business deals under investigation. 

The first son was supposed to avoid jail time by admitting to felony gun possession, a charge related to him lying about his drug use on a form to buy a firearm in 2018.

When asked Wednesday if President Biden believed someone who is charged with possessing a firearm illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, Jean-Pierre tried batting the question away.

'I think I know where this question is going,' she said. 'And I'm just going to continue to say as it relates to the case that we're seeing in Delaware, I'm just going to not speak to that.'  

'It is an independent matter,' she added. 

Hunter Biden is captured outside the federal courthouse Wednesday in Wilminton, Delaware as an expected plea deal fell apart

She said it was up to the Department of Justice to decide charges. 

Trying again, CBS' Weijia Jiang noted how Biden, as a politician, has worked on legislation to keep illegal guns off the streets. 

'So when someone possesses one illegally,' she asked. 'What does the president believe should happen to them?' 

Jean-Pierre, at that point, acknowledged Jiang had accurately described Biden's record, but still wouldn't bite.  

'The president has been very clear - you just laid out where his position has been, what his policies have been, what he was able to pass into law - I'm going to be very mindful here,' she said. 'I'm going to be very careful because I see where this question is going and I'm just going to refer you - as this has been an independent investigation, it's overseen by the Department of Justice -I'm going to let them speak to this as they're moving forward.'

Jean-Pierre said she hadn't spoken to the president by Wednesday's briefing, but said he had been 'busy.' 

He had no public events on his schedule, though she detailed some of the meetings and conversations he had, including participating in a podcast interview. 

Asked if he'd been in touch with his son, or his son's legal team, and how much of the day he'd spent paying attention to the unprecedented court case, she demurred providing details.

'Look, I don't have anything to share,' she told CNN's Jeremy Diamond. 'I would refer you to - on this particular issue - I would refer you to Hunter's representative, I would refer you to the Department of Justice.'

'I don't have anything to share beyond what I shared at the top of this briefing,' she noted. 

She had kicked off the briefing by telling journalists they should reach out to Hunter's representative or the Department of Justice. 

'I know many people have been following the news in Delaware today and are going to have a lot of questions,' she said. 'Hunter Biden is a private citizen and this was a personal matter for him.'

She noted how the president and first lady Jill Biden 'love their son and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life.' 

Jean-Pierre pointed out the 'indepndent' nature of the investigation, referencing how it was carried out by a prosecutor who was 'appointed by the former president, President Trump.'