Dr. Keith Ablow, a well-known psychiatrist, opened up about his experience working with the first son, Hunter Biden, in a conversation with The Post’s Miranda Devine, just a few years after he raised concerns about then-Vice President Joe Biden’s cognitive health.
“I believe I was referred to Hunter after treating several high-profile individuals, and I still provide support to numerous prominent figures. So, there’s that,” Ablow explained to Devine during the latest episode of “Pod Force One,” regarding the origins of their unique doctor-patient relationship formed in 2018.
Ablow stirred controversy in 2012 when he claimed that during a vice presidential debate against then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), he observed an “element of dementia” in the elder Biden.
By the time Hunter reached out, Ablow noted, personal and political differences likely faded into the background.
“In times of distress, those things become irrelevant. It really levels the playing field. Political beliefs are secondary,” Ablow remarked.
“When someone is in dire need and believes another can assist them, that erases many barriers. Otherwise, it would definitely be an unusual situation,” he added.
Documents from Hunter’s discarded laptop indicate that he began seeing Ablow in late 2018, continuing sessions into 2019.
Complete Episode
As part of his treatment plan, it is believed Hunter received intravenous ketamine—a substance with dissociative and hallucinogenic properties—to assist in overcoming his addiction to crack cocaine.
On at least two occasions in December 2018 and January 2019, Hunter stayed at a cottage close to Ablow’s clinic in Newburyport, Massachusetts, while regularly visiting the nearby Blue Water Wellness Center to utilize their sensory deprivation tank.
During their sessions, there were even discussions about co-authoring a book.
While Ablow has not confirmed administering ketamine to Hunter, he has defended the therapeutic use of the substance.
“If someone involved in both art and business decides to reinvent themselves, you might reflect on the role that ketamine treatment could have played,” he mentioned to Devine in 2022, subtly referencing Hunter.
“Without either confirming or denying that Mr. Biden was treated by me, those who overlook the potential for a life transformation are also those who disregard the chance for redemption, and I accept both possibilities,” he said.
Hunter apparently ceased sessions with Ablow shortly before Joe Biden’s successful presidential campaign launch in April 2019, although he left behind a laptop “and several other items” with the doctor.
Each week, Post columnist Miranda Devine interviews influential disruptors in Washington for exclusive insights. Subscribe here!
Receive Miranda’s latest insights
Subscribe to Devine Online, the newsletter from Miranda Devine
Thank you for subscribing!
“I urged him to retrieve it multiple times,” Ablow recounted on Wednesday’s episode. “Eventually, I said, ‘If you aren’t going to collect it, I can send it to you.’ But I never received a shipping address for those items. Eventually, since it remained in my office, it was confiscated during the DEA raid on my office in February 2020.”
Ablow expressed that “to this day, I’m uncertain why” federal agents conducted the search of his office while noting that he has never faced any criminal charges.