Hunter Biden has major conflicts of interest as senior adviser to the man who could pardon him

One of President Biden's most trusted advisers, his son Hunter Biden, may have a conflict of interest in advising his father to stay in the race despite a disastrous performance in last week's debate.

Hunter Biden was one of the loudest voices pleading with his father to stay in the presidential race during a family reunion at Camp David on Sunday, according to a report from The New York Times.

“Hunter Biden wants Americans to see the version of his father he knows — rambling and in control of the facts — rather than the aging, faltering president Americans saw Thursday night,” the report said, noting that the president’s son has “long been” one of his most trusted advisers.

The president's son was joined by first lady Jill Biden in encouraging him to push through to November, the report notes, while other family members, such as a grandchild, expressed interest in trying to do more to help the campaign, with the grandchild suggesting they could reach out to social media influencers.

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President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden during the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 1, 2024. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Hunter Biden may be the one with the most to lose if his father drops out of the race, with the president's son still facing sentencing after a conviction in a federal gun trial last month and another trial, this time on federal tax charges, later this year.

Although President Biden has the option to pardon his son in either case — presidents can pardon prospectively, meaning before someone has even been tried — he has so far indicated that he believes the first trial was fair and that he will “respect the jury’s decision.”

“I'm not going to do anything,” Biden told reporters last month.

Mike Howell, executive director of the Oversight Project at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that the president's son advocating for him to stay in the race was far worse than a simple conflict of interest.

“It's not a conflict of interest at all, it's just a pure and simple interest in keeping his father president so he can pardon not only Hunter, but also Joe and the rest of the family for the crimes they committed, and probably Merrick Garland, also for his role in the cover-up,” Howell said.

Representatives for Hunter Biden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Biden's meeting at Camp David with his family members came just days after a debate performance that sparked anxiety among Democratic politicians and donors, who noted that the president appeared weak and feeble compared to former President Trump.

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive on Marine One with their granddaughters Natalie Biden, left, and Finnegan Biden, Saturday, June 29, 2024, in East Hampton, New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Some have called on Biden to drop out of the race and let a younger candidate take over before November, with many doubting the president would be able to defeat his main political rival a second time.

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Those fears appear to be justified by a CBS News poll taken after the debate, where 45 percent of Democrats said the party should choose another candidate. Worse, only 27% of registered voters believe Biden has the mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president, compared to 35% in the last poll taken before the debate.

Meanwhile, the Biden campaign has vigorously pushed back on the idea of ​​the president quitting, though the New York Times report notes that some sources close to the president have said the door is not closed to that possibility.

But what the president chooses to do will ultimately depend on discussions between him and his family, NBC News reported after the debate, citing top Democratic sources.

President Biden during the debate in Atlanta last week. (Getty Images)

“The decision makers are two people: the president and his wife,” one of the sources said. “Those who do not understand how personal and family-related this decision will be are not aware of the situation.”

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“The only person who has ultimate influence over him is the first lady,” another added. “If she decides there needs to be a change of course, there will be a change of course.”

The Biden campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.