Hunter Biden stayed at White House for two straight weeks after agreeing to ill-fated plea deal — without most staff knowing: report
Hunter Biden was able to get in two weeks of father-son time with President Biden, unbeknownst to most White House staffers, before his plea deal on federal tax and gun crimes collapsed, according to a report.
The president’s embattled 53-year-old son began what ended up being a two-week stay at the Executive Mansion on June 21 — one day after he reached a doomed plea agreement with US Attorney David Weiss, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The collapsed deal would’ve spared him jail time on accusations that he failed to pay taxes and lied about his crack cocaine addiction when purchasing a firearm.
The majority of the 80-year-old president’s aides were unaware of Hunter Biden’s extended DC visit, which overlapped with a White House state dinner honoring India’s prime minister attended by the first son, two Biden family trips to Camp David, the discovery of a bag of cocaine steps from the Situation Room and an Independence Day blowout at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Hunter Biden, with his wife and son in tow, left the White House on July 5.
The report notes that most White House aides, including senior staffers, are not only “not involved” in conversations about the president’s son but “strenuously avoid” discussing Hunter Biden’s legal woes with the commander-in-chief because of the belief that their “contributions and ideas would not be welcome.”
They refuse to broach the topic with the president despite concern over the “toll” Hunter Biden’s legal predicaments are having on the oldest president in US history.
The lack of open dialogue between President Biden and his aides has been “complicating” the president’s re-election efforts, as the eventual Republican presidential nominee is expected to hammer the incumbent on the initial “sweetheart” plea deal offered to Hunter Biden, the cover-up alleged by two IRS whistleblowers that shielded him from legal exposure throughout the government’s investigation into the first son, and his involvement in his son’s overseas influence-peddling operation.
“Hands off my family,” was the president’s message to aides concerning advice about Hunter Biden, according to a June NBC News report.
However, aides cleared the president’s schedule on July 26, so he could closely monitor his son’s appearance in a Delaware courtroom, where it was expected that his plea deal with Weiss would be finalized, according to the Washington Post.
Staffers reportedly had concerns about “exposing” the president to reporters as the courtroom proceedings played out, and only scheduled “internal meetings” that day and a 45-minute interview with podcast host Jay Shetty about mental health.
The president’s personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, gave the commander-in-chief updates as the hours-long hearing unfolded and Hunter Biden’s deal fell apart, culminating in a not-guilty plea by the first son.
Attorney General Merrick Garland subsequently elevated Weiss to special counsel, which “blindsided” President Biden, according to the report.
Weiss will continue the investigation into the first son, which may lead to further charges against Hunter Biden, including for allegedly failing to register as a foreign agent while lobbying, and will likely take the case to trial — which could occur in the middle of President Biden’s re-election campaign.
