Hunter Biden Attending Meetings in the West Wing, Advising Father During Crisis; White House Aides Alarmed

 As the Democratic Party is deeply divided about whether Biden should stay in the race, a somewhat unusual circle of advisors is coming under scrutiny.

Hunter Biden is a regular presence in the White House, attends official meetings, and has emerged as one of the most powerful advisors in his father’s shrinking circle, according to multiple reports. The first son’s role, coming at such a “high-stakes moment,” is increasingly alarming White House staff and other Democrats, according to the New York Times.

Mr. Biden — who in June was found guilty on all counts in a felony gun case and will soon face a separate trial for tax evasion — is part of a dedicated and closely knit clan guiding the president, the Times reported on Tuesday. According to the Times, Hunter “calls and texts the president and first lady multiple times a day” to check how he is doing as the press, donors, and a growing number of top members of the Democratic party question his cognitive state.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Hunter urged President Biden to fire several high-level aides after Special Counsel Robert Hur’s disastrous report described the president’s alleged serious memory problems.

As debate swirls within the larger Democratic Party about whether Mr. Biden is fit to take on President Trump, and healthy enough to serve another four years, the president has reportedly leaned into his close family members and a “tiny group of loyalists,” shutting out the cadre of senior White House staff who traditionally operate the functions of the presidency. Mr. Biden has been increasingly “isolated,” the Times notes.

The White House, when reached by the Sun, disputed any suggestion that the president has a shrinking inner circle and maintains that he is hearing from a wide range of people.

“President Biden is proud of the well-rounded team he has built, with whom he’s fighting for middle class families, for our freedoms, and the rule of law. He has not made changes to the group of advisers he consults, who he trusts because they’ve demonstrated the integrity to tell the truth and keep the wellbeing of the American people front of mind,” the White House’s senior deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, tells the Sun. “The President has been having a wide range of candid discussions with members of Congress, governors, mayors, labor leaders, advocates, and others.”

The Times report comes as Democrats’ concerns about the president are resurfacing, following a brief lull after the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump. On Wednesday, Representative Adam Schiff became the latest congressional Democrat to express “serious concerns” about Mr. Biden’s re-election chances and publicly called on him to drop out and “pass the torch.” 

Hunter’s role in the White House as an unofficial advisor to his father following the debate first came under scrutiny earlier month, after NBC News reported on July 2 that Hunter had taken an “unusual” role of joining meetings with the president and top advisors. Joining in on policy meetings — and going far beyond his usual family and event appearances at the White House — prompting staffers to ask each other, “What the hell is happening?” The White House said at the time that Mr. Biden was in the meeting to help his father with “speech prep.” 

Members mentioned by the New York Times as being part of the president’s tight inner circle include Jill Biden’s top advisor, Anthony Bernal, and Annie Tomasini. Those two low-profile aides, along with a third, Ashley Williams, were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last week. In a letter, the committee’s chairman, Representative James Comer, wrote, “The Committee is concerned that Mr. Bernal appears to be one of several White House staffers who have taken it upon themselves to run the country while the President cannot.”

Noting that Mr. Bernal has “unusual status for an East Wing aide,” the Times reports that he is Hunter’s go-to if he can’t reach the president or Mrs. Biden. Mr. Bernal also works alongside Ms. Tomasini, who is noted as being frequently near the president and a valuable and trusted team player to him.

In subpoenaing the three aides, the Oversight Committee cited a recent Axios report that said they had created a “protective bubble” around Mr. Biden, shielding him not only from the public, but also from most of the White House staff. Mr. Bernal and Ms. Tomasini, according to another Axios report, have unusual access to the upstairs, residential areas of the White House, and the White House is sending home butlers and other residential staff early.