It has been noted that President Joe Biden will have to watch and wait as 12 jurors in his home state decide if his son is guilty of felony gun charges, a case brought by his own Justice Department via Politico.
For the White House, the scenario of Hunter Biden’s first criminal trial is expected to start June 3 and it is an unprecedented event in American political history that they hoped never to face.
The aides insist that the White House will have no involvement in the case, brought by special counsel David Weiss but some fear that it could dramatically impact the president himself, more psychologically than politically.
Three advisers have granted anonymity to speak about private deliberations said they, and members of the First Family, are worried about the weight Hunter Biden’s trial will place on the president at an already difficult time for him politically. Biden has expressed fears to them about the possibility that his son will serve time in prison.
“He worries about Hunter every single day, from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep,” said one of the three advisers. “That will only pick up during a trial.”
The possibility of a reprieve vanished Tuesday when a judge rejected a last-ditch request to postpone the case.
The president has long been apprised of his son’s legal fights. He checks on him daily — usually with a call, sometimes by a text. The advisers say that will continue through the trial.
But there is a concern among the president’s team about how to approach the matter. With few exceptions, it is noted that the White House aides don’t bring up the subject of Hunter Biden with the president, for fear of an angry rebuke or an icy stare, according to two of those people familiar with the president’s reactions.
They anticipate that the President will watch some of the media coverage of the trial. However, there is little-to-no appetite among his aides to discuss ways to politically manage it, even as the reelection campaign accelerates into a crucial phase. The president has told close allies that he is deeply proud of his son and confident in his sobriety.
