President Joe Biden is in emotional turmoil over his son's legal trouble - and his relationship with his attorney general has fallen apart, according to a report. 

Biden's ties to Merrick Garland have become "frigid" as the DOJ pursues criminal probes into Hunter, Axios reports.

Biden, Garland at odds

Biden and his close aides are furious at Garland for appointing Special Counsel David Weiss, who filed tax charges last week, after previously bringing gun charges.

At an event in August, Biden commented coldly, "Attorney General Garland — I haven't seen you in a long while. It's good to see you."

One Biden aide "unflatteringly compared Garland to former FBI Director James Comey, claiming they both have been obsessed with the appearance of having integrity rather than just trying to make the right decision."

Republicans have taken a far different view, accusing Special Counsel David Weiss of going soft on Hunter for political reasons.

The first son says he is only being charged because of political pressure from Republicans, who formally launched an impeachment inquiry Wednesday over the objections of Democrats and Hunter himself.

Democrats have insisted there is no connection between Hunter's wrongdoing and his father, who evidence shows played a significant role in his family's business dealings.

Hunter speaks out

In a public statement outside the Senate building, Hunter said "MAGA" Republicans were using him to destroy his father, who he said was not "financially involved" in his business dealings.

Striking a personal note, Hunter said Republicans "have taken the light of my dad’s love, the light of my dad’s love for me, and presented it as darkness."

Democrats have echoed that language, claiming - absurdly enough - that Joe Biden's only crime is being a loving father to his son.

According to Axios, Biden blames himself for all of the legal and media scrutiny his son has faced.

Biden "has suggested to close associates that if he hadn't run in 2020, Hunter wouldn't be facing criminal prosecutions or be the target of daily stories by conservative media," Axios writes.

It's worth noting that the sources for this Axios story are close to Biden, so it's possible they're plugging a narrative to generate sympathy for "the big guy."

Of course, Joe Biden is human, and he has feelings like everyone else.

But the notion that there is a significant rift between Biden and his DOJ is sure to strike many readers as improbable, given the kid-gloved treatment Hunter has received relative to Donald Trump and his supporters.