Hunter Biden continues to be a political headache for his father. But just how damaging is he?

The announcement by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday that he had appointed a specialcounsel in the Hunter Biden probe was likely as noted by the New York Times chief White House correspondent the last thing the White House wanted to see.

Referring to a plea deal Hunter Biden reached with federal prosecutors in June on charges of tax evasion and gun possession, Peter Baker wrote that President Joe Biden, his father,"had hoped the plea agreement would allow them to put this matter behind them to some extent, even knowing that Republicans on the Hill would keep investigating."

However, the appointment of the special counsel, Baker wrote on his blog,"now makes clear that Hunter's issues will remain front and centreas the 2024 campaign heats up."

And while the investigation into Hunter Bidenmay continue to hang over the president for the indefinite future, what remains unclear isjust how politically damaging this could be.

Republicans looking for 'smoking guns'

"I would put it as a headache," saidPope "Mac" McCorkle, a formerDemocratic consultant and a professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy in Durham, N.C."But always with the possibility that it could get worse."

What could be worse, hesaid, is ifnew evidence showed any kind of link to the presidentand his son's operation.

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"So far, the Republicans have been looking hard for such smoking guns and finding only ambiguous dribs and drabs," McCorkle said.

That a special prosecutor has been appointed may seem like a political gift for the Republicans, giving legitimacy tocontroversy surrounding Hunter Biden that they believe has been ignoredfor years.

Yet the appointment of David Weiss, the U.S. attorney forDelaware, who hadbeen probing the financial and business dealings of the president's son, as the specialcounsel was slammed by some Republicans. Weisswas at the centre ofHunter Biden's plea deal a deal some Republicans felt gave himpreferential treatment before it ultimately fell apart.

"If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn't get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?"House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

McCarthy added that the Department of Justice "cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption."

The announcement by Garland comes as Joe Biden's possible rival for the presidency in 2024, former president Donald Trump, facescriminal chargesin three separate indictments, as well asa potential fourthindictment for alleged election interference in Georgia.

"Republicans are furiously trying to get the scores even as possible because of all the former president Trump's problems," McCorkle said.

House Republicans have beenmounting their own investigation into Hunter Biden's business dealings, including foreign payments.The Republicans are struggling to connect the son's work to his father.So far they have not been able to produce evidence to show any wrongdoing.

"As long as it stays in that arena, it's going to be a headache for Biden, but not something that could really threaten him," McCorkle said.

"But the Republicans are going to do their best to keep the Biden story alive, regardless of how thinit might be in terms of actually directly implicating Joe Biden."

WATCH |The Hunter Biden Affair: Epic scandal or nothing-burger?

The Hunter Biden Affair: Epic scandal or nothing-burger?

1 year ago

Duration 8:05

Depending on where you land on the political spectrum, the controversy involving U.S. President Joe Bidens son Hunter is either one of the greatest corruption scandals in American history or a right-wing partisan joke. CBCs Alex Panetta breaks down what we know, what we don't and whats next.

Distraction for Joe Biden's campaign

Still, Friday's announcement is "an unwelcome development" for the Biden team, said Jim Merrill, who served as Sen. Marco Rubio's senior adviser and consultant during his presidential run in 2016, and as campaign manager for Sen. Mitt Romney's campaign in New Hampshire when he ran for president.

"We just don't know yet what's going to come out from this," he said. "As we know, a few weeks ago, there was a plea agreement that now has gone away that would have helped take this issue off the table. So I think it's a problem. And and we just don't know yet how big."

It's also a major distraction for Joe Biden's campaign, Merrillsaid, and anissue that might occupy his team as they struggle to manage these stories.

Lori Cox Han, a political science professor at Chapman University in Orange, Calif.,said her advice to the presidentwould be to say that he supports his son and make no further comment.

While the announcement of a special counsel is certainly a significant development, it actually could end up helping Joe Biden, she said.

"Whenit is resolved one way or the other, I think that will be the best thing for Biden politically now both the White House and his re-election campaign," she said. "And I think in some ways, it's in everybody's best interest."

Todd Belt, a professor and program director at George WashingtonUniversity's Graduate School of Political Management in Washington, D.C., said if Garland had denied Weiss's request for this designation as special counsel, "that would have looked really bad for Joe Biden," who would have been accused of politicizing the Justice Department.

"So in effect, this actuallygives Joe Biden cover to show that he's not politicizing the Justice Department," he said.