Hunter Biden has launched an attack against Republicans. This may be difficult for the president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden has launched an attack against his Republican critics, saying in a new lawsuit that even though he is the son of the president of the United States, he should not be treated differently than any other American.

The lawsuit against the IRS It is just the latest in a series of counter-strikes by the president’s son. But while Hunter Biden’s lawyers may believe an aggressive approach is the best legal strategy for Biden Jr., it may not be what’s best for Biden Sr. as he seeks re-election and tries to keep the public focused on his political accomplishments.

The president didn’t have much to say about his son’s legal troubles — which now include a criminal indictment — except that Hunter did nothing wrong and that he loves his son. the White House strategy The goal was to keep the elder Biden sullen and focused on governing, believing that’s what voters would prioritize, while working to keep Hunter’s problems at bay.

There is an optimistic school of thought among the president’s allies that even if not all the headlines about Hunter Biden are a plus for the president’s reelection campaign, the legal process could ultimately clear the air in a positive way.

“It’s clear that the White House and Hunter’s team are looking at it from different perspectives,” said David Brock, a Democratic political strategist. “It’s important that the facts get to the public, and when that happens, I think that’s ultimately good for the president.”

But privately, some Democrats worry that Hunter Biden’s legal troubles could hurt Biden before 2024 and pose difficulties for Democrats in tight House races, according to people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. About his identity.

Hunter Biden’s lawsuit filed Monday against the IRS asserts that two agents who testified as whistleblowers violated his privacy by publicly disclosing his tax data as part of a House Republican investigation into his business dealings.

Hunter Biden’s team last week filed a lawsuit against a former aide to Donald Trump over his alleged role in releasing embarrassing emails and photos of the younger Biden. His team also asked state and federal agencies to open a criminal investigation into Trump’s allies for accessing and publishing his personal data.

Hunter Biden agreed in June to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and avoid prosecution on a gun charge by enrolling in a diversion program. But the agreement fell apart after a July 26 court hearing that was supposed to end the case, and the younger Biden was then charged with a weapons felony.

His legal troubles have increasingly complicated matters for the president, who is also facing an impeachment inquiry Republican House In an effort to link the president to His son’s business dealings. While Hunter Biden has brokered his family’s name in business dealings, Republicans have so far discovered no significant evidence of wrongdoing by Biden Sr., who spoke frequently to his son as vice president and stopped at business dinners with his son’s associates.

Biden didn’t have much to say about the impeachment campaign. And he has one too I keep my distance from Justice Department prosecutions For both his son and Donald Trump.

Now, Hunter Biden may be headed to trial in the midst of his father’s re-election efforts. That suits Republicans, who are eager to distract from the multiple criminal indictments against Trump, the front-runner in the GOP primary, whose trials could be unfolding at the same time.

Hunter Biden’s allies argued that the plea deal failed in part because Justice Department officials bowed to pressure from Republicans who claimed he was given a “sweetheart deal” to end a five-year investigation into his tax and business dealings.

“This is just the beginning and far from the end as Hunter and his team attack and fight,” said Michael LaRosa, a former special assistant to the president.

Their previous strategy of “non-response has only led to Republicans filling the void with disinformation, distortions, lies and conspiracy theories that have severely damaged the president’s image and reputation, as you see in poll after poll. “There has to be someone out there to correct the record and respond,” LaRosa said. “.

Polls reflect the impact of the drumbeat of negative headlines on the president.

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans are very concerned about whether Joe Biden has committed wrongdoing related to his son’s business dealings, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of Americans say they have little or no confidence that the Justice Department is handling its investigations Hunter Biden In a fair and non-partisan manner.

The political divide on these points is stark: 66% of Republicans — and just 7% of Democrats — are very or very concerned about whether Joe Biden has committed any wrongdoing when it comes to his son’s business dealings.

The headlines are likely to continue in light of the just-launched impeachment inquiry and the special counsel’s decision to bring federal firearms charges against Hunter Biden.

He is accused of lying on the forms he completed to purchase a gun when he stated that he was not a drug user at the time of the purchase. According to his memoirs, Hunter Biden fell into drug addiction after the death of his older brother Beau in 2015.

Earlier this year, Hunter Biden hired high-profile attorney Abbey Lowell, a legal heavyweight also known for representing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

After a brief period, Criminal referral requested. In March, Hunter Biden filed a lawsuit against a computer repair worker in Delaware, who reportedly had a laptop belonging to the president’s son and posted data from it. Five days ago, he filed a lawsuit against Trump’s aide over the publication of the data. and on On Monday, he filed a lawsuit against the IRS.

“Mr. Biden’s lawsuit against the IRS states that Biden has no or fewer rights than any other American citizen, and no government agency or agent is free to violate his rights simply because of who he is.

Prosecutions for lying on a federal gun application are uncommon, especially when there is no allegation that the gun was purchased to carry out a crime, experts said. There are also questions about the constitutionality of the federal ban on gun possession by people who use drugs in light of a Supreme Court ruling that expanded gun rights.

Hunter Biden The lawyers noted They will try to argue that the agreement that exempts him from prosecution on a felony gun charge should stay In effect even though the plea deal for the tax crimes has largely unraveled.

If the case goes to trial, it may be difficult to convince a jury.

“Addiction is something that touches a lot of Americans, and the idea that this person who was in trouble with substance abuse and for 11 days had a firearm that was never used for anything ever, that’s not going to sit well in a federal criminal prosecution,” said Jennifer Rodgers, a prosecutor. Ex-Fed: “With a lot of jurors.”

“And it’s not even a question of whether people think he’s being prosecuted because he’s Hunter Biden,” she added.

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Durkin reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.