June 20, 2023

Hunter Biden’s plea deal to misdemeanor tax and gun charges Tuesday was met with a mixture of sadness and relief by his father’s inner circle.

The president himself privately told confidants that he was proud of his son for taking responsibility for his actions, according to two people familiar with the conversations, even as his team expects the political attacks to only intensify.

Several people close to the elder Biden portrayed him as having been deeply anxious for months about his son’s legal fortunes and frustrated at the slow pace of the investigation. Biden had repeatedly barked to confidants that he could not understand why his son was being made to twist in the wind for five years, concerned the legal limbo could create a stress that would trigger his son’s demons, according to those people in the inner circle, who spoke about private matters on condition of anonymity.

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