Joe Biden’s hackles raised by Republican focus on son Hunter

Joe Biden is growing irritated by aides questioning whether his son is a political liability and is said to have become ‘consumed’ by corruption allegations surrounding his family.

Hunter Biden outside the US Capitol this week. Picture: Getty Images

Joe Biden is growing irritated by aides questioning whether his son is a political liability and is said to have become “consumed” by corruption allegations surrounding his family.

As Republicans accelerate their impeachment inquiry into the US President, the 81-year-old was reported to be increasingly concerned about the welfare of his troubled son.

Hunter’s tangled business dealings have left him facing potential jail time and brought the Republican investigation to the door of the White House.

Mr Biden has reportedly told friends of his fears at the toll the investigation has had on Hunter, 53, who also faces criminal charges over tax and firearms offences, and is now set to be held in contempt of congress for defying a subpoena to testify to the Republican-led investigation of his father.

Friends said the President was visibly troubled by his son’s legal woes. Hunter could face up to 17 years in jail if convicted of nine charges issued against him in California last week. He also faces a gun charge in Delaware after a plea deal with prosecutors collapsed in court in August.

Mr Biden has privately told friends he is worried his son could slide back into drug addiction if he were sent to jail.

“You can see it in his eyes, and you can see his shoulders slump,” one confidant of the President told Politico. “He’s so worried about Hunter. And we’re worried it could consume him.”

Joe Biden has told friends he is worried his son Hunter could slide back into drug addiction if he were sent to jail. Picture: AFP

The Biden administration stepped up its counteroffensive after House Republicans voted on Wednesday to authorise the impeachment inquiry against the President.

Republicans claim to have uncovered a “culture of corruption” around Mr Biden, centred on his son’s business dealings at a time when Mr Biden was vice-president, but have so far failed to produce evidence that he profited from Hunter’s contracts overseas.

Mr Biden has described the inquiry as a “baseless political stunt”.

Hours before the House of Representatives vote to formalise the impeachment inquiry, Hunter made a defiant appearance on Capitol Hill. Refusing to comply with a subpoena to testify in private before a Republican-led committee, he instead demanded a public hearing before congress.

He accused Republicans of manipulating evidence against him in a bid to smear his father. “They have lied over and over about every aspect of my personal and professional life … There is no evidence to support the allegations that my father was financially involved in my business, because it did not happen,” Hunter said.

To the dismay of some in the White House, Mr Biden has refused to distance himself from his son as Republicans seek to tie him to Hunter’s business affairs.

Hunter remains a regular visitor to the White House and Politico reported that the President has barked at aides who cautioned that his son was a liability heading into next year’s presidential campaign.

The Times