President Biden's relationship with Attorney General Merrick Garland has grown icy and he's reportedly expressed guilt over Hunter Biden's legal problems, suggesting to people close to him that his son wouldn't be facing indictments if he didn't run for president in 2020, according to a new report.
"The 81-year-old president 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 — all while trying to stay sober and rebuild his life," the Axios report read, in a piece headlined, "Biden's Hunter trigger: President feels guilty, sad, angry when son attacked."
The outlet noted few of the president's aides "feel free to discuss Hunter's situation with the president" and those who do are cautious because it could anger him.
Hunter Biden was indicted in California on Thursday on nine federal counts related to his alleged failure to pay taxes.
President Biden reportedly suggested his 2020 run made Hunter Biden's legal problems worse, Axios reported Tuesday. (Left: Photographer: Julia Nikhinson/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images, Circle: (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images))
FROM SEX CLUBS TO STRIPPERS: HERE ARE THE 5 MOST SALACIOUS DETAILS FROM THE HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT
Hunter Biden, during a podcast appearance with musician Moby on Dec. 8, said Republicans were "trying to kill" him.
"They are trying to destroy a presidency. And so, it's not about me. In their most base way, what they're trying to do is they're trying to kill me, knowing that it will be a pain greater than my father could be able to handle. And so, therefore, destroying a presidency in that way," he said, calling them "very sick people."
Axios also reported "Biden's relationship with Garland — which was already tense — has become more frigid amid Biden's frustration at the lengthy criminal investigation and now prosecution of Hunter by the Justice Department."
"Those close to Biden argue that Garland is trying in vain to satisfy bad-faith GOP critics — and that the special counsel is a way of deflecting a difficult decision under the guise of objectivity," their report read.
Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, walks with family members in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S, November 24, 2023. (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)
WATCH: BIDEN IGNORES REPORTERS WHEN PRESSED ON HUNTER'S NEW INDICTMENT
Biden also appears frustrated by any questions from the press regarding his son, including one from last week.
During a Wednesday press conference at the White House, New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked Biden if he would explain to Americans ahead of a potential impeachment inquiry why he interacted with "so many" of his son and brother's foreign business associates.
"I'm not going to comment. I did not and it's just a bunch of lies," Biden responded. "They're lies. I did not. They're lies."
President Joe Biden salutes while arriving during an event in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Fox News' Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
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