President Biden is privately anxious about the criminal investigation into his son Hunter Biden, according to a new report from Wednesday that talked to close White House allies.
"You can see it in his eyes, and you can see his shoulders slump," one Biden confidant told Politico. "He’s so worried about Hunter. And we’re worried it could consume him."
"I know when he hurts," former Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat, told the outlet. "He doesn’t talk about it much, most of us don’t. He has a real human decency, and a lot of it is created by scarring. And he’s worried."
"The White House has long stressed that the president does not interfere in matters before the Justice Department," Politico wrote. "But privately, fears about the upcoming campaign and potential criminal trial have become an ever-present weight on the president, according to those close to him. The elder Biden has told friends he worries that his son could even backslide into addiction."
Hunter made national headlines after he appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday to give a press conference where he lashed out at Republicans. Hunter notably refused to sit for a deposition before Congress, instead declaring that his father, President Biden, was never "financially involved" in his business dealings.
"They have taken the light of my father’s love for me and done their best to turn it into darkness," Hunter told reporters. "They have no shame."
The president's aides have suffered from Biden's outbursts when his son Hunter becomes the subject of conversation, according to the article.
"The 81-year-old president is deeply sensitive about his son and has barked at aides who have mused about Hunter Biden as an electoral liability or those who wondered if he should be accompanying the president on the road," Politico reported. "Many aides now choose to avoid the subject, for fear of triggering the president’s temper, according to two of the five confidants. For example, no one raised whether it was a good idea for Hunter Biden to attend a June state dinner for India’s prime minister just days after accepting a plea deal."
Hunter has expressed private concerns that he "might have to flee the country if Trump were to be elected president again, according to two people who have spoken to him."
But Democrats continue to worry the Hunter Biden saga could do damage to his father's 2024 prospects, Politico reported.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly said President Biden is proud of his son when pressed on the matter.
Biden's campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
