President Joe Biden reportedly ignores most White House aides when they try to share “contributions” or “ideas” about how to handle Hunter Biden’s legal position, according to a report.
Although a Delaware court dismissed the tax and gun plea deal Thursday against the president’s son, it was only a formality. Special Counsel David Weiss, appointed last week, intends to take his case to trial.
“Inside the White House, most aides strenuously avoid discussing Hunter’s troubles with the president, believing their contributions and ideas would not be welcome,” the Washington Post reported Thursday based on comments from half a dozen current and former administration officials. “[O]nly a small group of longtime trusted aides are engaged in conversations about how to handle family matters.”
Joe Biden, who is reportedly “consumed” with his son Hunter’s scandals, allegedly angrily dismisses White House aides who believe Hunter Biden’s controversial history might politically hurt his father, NBC News reported in June.
“Hands off my family,” Joe Biden reportedly told one aide.
“This is the reality of their family ethos,” a person close to the president allegedly said.
The plea deal broke down last month upon scrutiny from the judge. The agreement afforded Hunter Biden the opportunity to plead guilty for not paying taxes on over $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 and receive probation rather than jail time. In addition, Weiss devised a separate diversion agreement that gave Hunter Biden immunity from potential future charges, including a provision to essentially wipe a felony gun violation from his record.
White House aides “intentionally” did not schedule much on the president’s calendar that day so he could “monitor” his son’s hearing, the Post reported.
“The president made no public appearances that day, and aides privately expressed relief that Biden’s schedule was kept open because the plea deal collapsed, prolonging Hunter’s legal issues,” the Post reported. “There was particular concern in the West Wing that day because first lady Jill Biden was traveling out of the country, leaving the president without his primary source of support.”
After the plea deal collapsed, Hunter Biden did not immediately return to the White House, where he had stayed for two weeks not long before the hearing.
“Most [aides] were unaware that he and his family were staying in the White House for two weeks this summer,” the Post reported.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
