Hunter Biden Goes On Offensive With Lawsuits, Ethics Complaints And Clashes With The White House

Topline

Hunter Biden, the president’s son, is taking a more combative approach to fending off frequent attacks from GOP rivals of his father who say he was part of an illegal scheme to use his father’s power to enrich himself and his family, filing a number of lawsuits and a congressional ethics complaint.

Hunter Biden, U.S. President Joe Biden’s son, is photographed attending the annual Easter Egg Roll … [+] on the South Lawn of the White House on April 10. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Biden filed a defamation lawsuit against Patrick Byrne, the former CEO of Overstock, this week alleging he falsely claimed the president’s son had offered to use his father’s power to do favors for Iranian officials in exchange for $800 million (Byrne, an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, has a history of peddling conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, Covid-19 and the so-called “deep state,” among other topics).

Byrne reposted the accusation on X, formerly known as Twitter, after Hamas’ attack in Israel in October, which Biden and his attorneys argued was Byrne making a “clear implication” that Biden had “contributed to the terrorist attacks by Hamas” as well as “the deaths of more than 1,400 innocent civilians.”

In September, Biden filed lawsuits against Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s former personal lawyer, and Garrett Ziegler, a former Trump aide, for invasion of privacy after the staunch Trump allies acquired an old personal hard drive of his that contained sexually explicit photos and personal documents and allegedly tampered with, altered and copied its data before parading that data in the media and online.

He also sued the owner of the repair shop where Biden allegedly dropped off his laptop before its hard drive was given to Giuliani.

In July, Biden’s attorney filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics after Rep. Marjorie Talyor Greene (R-Ga.) during a committee hearing displayed large posters with explicit photos of Biden — which were acquired via the hard drive — engaging in sexual activity, claiming the photos were evidence Biden was paying for sex and writing it off on his taxes.

He also sued the Internal Revenue Service in September over accusations that staff members illegally leaked his personal financial information during media interviews they participated in amid GOP inquiries into his finances.

Key Background

Republicans — including Trump, Giuliani and Greene — have long accused Biden of being part of an illegal scheme to use his father’s power when he was vice president for financial gain through overseas business deals. They often point to his work with Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings, where he served on the board of directors, and his dealings with State Energy HK Limited, a Chinese company. No evidence produced to date has proved Biden was improperly enriched through his relationship with his father. Republicans also routinely attack Biden for his struggles with drug addiction and his sexual activity. In September, Biden was indicted by a special counsel on felony gun charges for allegedly lying on a federal firearms form and illegally owning a gun. It was the first time in U.S. history the Justice Department brought charges against the son of a sitting president, but it did not rise to the level of the accusations thrown at Biden by Republican adversaries. These accusations are also the core of an impeachment inquiry focused on the president and, on Wednesday, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee subpoenaed Biden as it attempts to compel him to testify before Congress.

Tangent

Biden’s recent aggressive strategy reportedly comes after a disagreement with White House advisers over how he should defend himself against these attacks. Axios reported in May that Biden’s team and top White House aides clashed, leading to Biden hiring attorney Abbe Lowell — who filed Biden’s recent lawsuits — to the surprise and dismay of White House officials. Lowell has become an influential figure in Biden’s circle and has driven the push for a more proactive approach in recent months, according to Axios.

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