FILE – In this Jan. 30, 2010, file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his son Hunter, right, at the Duke Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in Washington. Hunter Biden is expressing regret for being discharged from the Navy Reserve amid published reports that he tested positive for cocaine. The Wall Street Journal reports that Hunter Biden failed the drug test last year and was discharged in February. In a statement issued Thursday, Oct. 16, Biden doesn’t say why he was discharged. He says he’s embarrassed that his actions led to his discharge and that he respects the Navy’s decision. The vice president’s office declined to comment.(AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, doesn’t seem like a particularity good person. His tenure in public life has included being kicked out of the military for drug use, dating his late brother’s wife shortly after his death, being involved in numerous overseas corruption gambits, and attempting to skip out on child support after getting a woman in Arkansas pregnant.

On the latter issue, it looks as though the younger Biden has cleared the decks. After laughably trying to claim he couldn’t make his already rescheduled deposition because of coronavirus, a surprise settlement has been reached.

This morning his lawyers tell the court: "Late last night, after the Court entered the order, we reached a global, final settlement of all issues." I hope she got PAID. pic.twitter.com/DtD4uP6DZR — Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) March 11, 2020

This is objectively a good thing for Joe Biden’s campaign. While Hunter Biden’s scandals are far and wide, this one was the one Trump could most easily weaponize. You could just imagine him bringing Ms. Roberts to the debates and sitting her on the front row the way he did Bill Clinton’s accusers. I suspect this settlement will have dealt with that possibility via some measure and that the millions being awarded to this woman will make her fairly risk adverse to trying to make political hay out of it (also, no one knows her politics).

The question is why this was done now? Hunter Biden has fought this all the way and then just decides overnight to pay her off? I suspect his father’s recent reemergence has a lot to do with the timing. It’s foolhardy to believe that Joe and Jill Biden haven’t been in their son’s ear about getting rid of this issue. Further, it’s obvious that Hunter Biden is a very wealthy man and that his claims of being broke were nonsense.

Still, Trump will have plenty of wells to tap when it comes to the issues surrounding Hunter and his father. The Ukraine corruption story is still in its infancy, and while Ms. Roberts may have been paid to be quiet here, the story itself will still be out there.

Things are going to get very ugly as we head into the summer. You can bet there’s some stuff stored up for Trump as well. Allegations from both sides are going to be flung and we’ll have to see how they all land.

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