Joe Biden is consumed with anxiety and fear that his son Hunter Biden will go to jail, as he comes under scrutiny from criminal investigators and Republicans in Congress.

The president "fears the worst if his son were convicted or faced any sort of prison time," according to a story in Politico. 

Biden's fear...

Hunter Biden is facing criminal charges for tax fraud and a gun crime, but many say the charges capture only a slice of a larger scandal implicating the president.

Democrats have sought to separate Hunter's troubles from his father, whom they maintain is innocent of any wrongdoing, despite a considerable body of evidence that suggests Joe Biden had an active role in his son's shady affairs.

In a statement outside the Capitol Wednesday, Hunter condemned the Republicans' investigation of the Bidens as a shameless partisan effort to destroy his father, who he said was not "financially involved" in any business dealings.

That phrasing grabbed attention, with many calling it another caveat in a continuously evolving cover story. Many say Hunter opened himself to a contempt charge for ignoring a subpoena from House Republicans to testify about his international business dealings.

But the White House praised Hunter's "powerful" statement, as Democrats rallied to condemn the formal opening of an impeachment inquiry into the president.

Is Biden colluding

Behind closed doors, Biden has griped about Attorney General Merrick Garland's appointment of a Special Counsel to investigate Hunter, and he is increasingly worried about his son's welfare.

“You can see it in his eyes, and you can see his shoulders slump,” said one confidant of the president. “He’s so worried about Hunter. And we’re worried it could consume him.”

Hunter was slapped with charges in California last week for cheating on over $1 million in taxes and using the money instead to pay for his extravagant lifestyle.

If Biden is worried enough about his son's conviction, one would expect him to pull whatever strings he can to avoid that outcome - but the White House insists that the DOJ is free of interference.

The White House conceded that Biden was "familiar" with the substance of his son's prepared remarks outside the Capitol, which closely echoed his father's campaign rhetoric about "MAGA Republicans."

“For six years, I’ve been the target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine shouting. ‘Where’s Hunter?’” Hunter Biden said. “Well, here’s my answer. I am here.”