Few members of the President's family have been subject to as much controversy as Hunter Biden.
From drug addiction and political scrutiny to intense marital strife,
Joe Biden's oldest living son has built a reputation of infamy and scandal.
Hunter Biden's guilty plea for misdemeanor tax evasion charges has caused many issues
for his father, Joe Biden's administration. This is just the latest chapter of the legal
troubles that have plagued Hunter for years, which include investigations into his business
dealings in Ukraine and China, and speculation as to whether or not he compromised his father.
Hunter's history has offered ample ammunition for Republicans, who have used it to try to undermine
Biden's presidency. However, his legal issues haven't just had professional consequences.
In mid-2022, speculation arose that the federal probe was causing tension in Hunter and Melissa
Cohen's marriage. As he is investigated, Hunter is constantly under surveillance,
which has reportedly pushed his family into reclusion. As a source told Page Six,
"They never go anywhere because they've been instructed to stay out of sight
and away from the cameras while the investigation into Hunter continues."
Despite the challenges, Hunter and Cohen were still together as he prepared to plead
guilty in June 2023, with both attending a state dinner as a couple the same week.
Whether Hunter's marriage will survive the storm is unknown,
but considering he married Cohen just six days after meeting her in May 2019,
the couple's longevity has already exceeded most expectations.
Hunter's first marriage to Kathleen Buhle was no simpler, ending amid scandalous circumstances
in 2017. Buhle filed for divorce after 23 years and parenting three kids with Hunter,
and the proceedings became quite contentious. Reportedly,
much of Hunter's past played a major role in its denouement.
This is unsurprising, as Delaware Online reports that Hunter and Buhle's marriage
had been on the rocks for a while amid his drug addiction and supposed dealings with sex workers.
"He was struggling under a massive drug addiction."
However, the last straw for Buhle came about when, during a 2016 group therapy session,
her daughter informed her that Hunter had cheated on her with Beau Biden's widow,
Hallie Biden. Buhle recounted this revelation in her 2022 memoir, If We Break.
Buhle filed for divorce in December 2016, igniting a legal battle that quickly turned
ugly. According to the Daily Mail, Buhle allegedly threatened to leak, quote, "compromising photos"
of Hunter, a tactic Hunter's lawyer described as punishable by law under D.C.'s blackmail statute.
Finances were at the heart of their legal conflict. Hunter accused Buhle
of intentionally fighting for an amount above what he could provide, knowing Joe Biden would
have to help him. In turn, according to Delaware Online, Buhle had previously accused Hunter of
using their money on drugs and sex workers. They reached a confidential agreement in April 2017,
but a 2019 email revealed he pays $37,000 monthly, the Daily Mail noted.
When he married Melissa Cohen in May 2019, Hunter Biden had just been sued again. This
time he was taken to court by Lunden Roberts, an Arkansas woman who, according to CNN,
claimed the daughter she birthed in August 2018 was his and began asking for child
support. The son of the then-presidential candidate Joe Biden denied her claims,
but DNA testing confirmed the paternity in January 2020, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The child support case became more complicated in late 2019,
when then-President Donald Trump was accused of pressuring the Ukrainian
government to investigate Hunter and Joe's role in the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma.
In response, CNBC reports that Roberts quickly filed a petition asking Hunter to
disclose his earnings relating to the company. Hunter's lawyers accused Roberts of trying to
benefit from a delicate political situation that should be kept separate from his personal life.
However, Roberts' lawyer had a different opinion, stating,
"My client just wants to get child support for her child,
she is not trying to hurt Joe Biden or help Donald Trump."
In March 2020, Hunter and Roberts came to an undisclosed agreement. In late 2022,
CNN reported that Hunter filed to reduce this amount,
revealing he was paying her $20,000 a month. According to the New York Post,
Roberts also wants to change her child's last name to Biden, which Hunter opposes on the premise it
will bring her unwanted attention. In June 2023, it seems that the two came to a settlement with
Hunter paying less in child support and his child’s last name remaining the same.