President Joe Biden on Wednesday hosted family members of all eight Americans still held hostage during the Hamas attack on Israel more than two months ago, taking time during what is shaping up to be a key week for his first in-person meeting with the families.
The sit-down comes one day after fractures began to show in Biden’s decades-long relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, all while the president hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. Zelensky’s visit was meant to demonstrate Biden’s continued support for Ukraine’s defense against Russia while funding for crucial military and economic aid for the country seems stalled in Congress.
It also comes a day before his national security adviser heads to Israel on Thursday for meetings with Netanyahu and the Israeli war cabinet to try and smooth over some of those emerging differences.
Biden also faces crises much closer to home. Hunter Biden, the president’s twice- indicted son, appeared outside the Capitol on Wednesday, assuring reporters that his father had nothing to do with his business dealings that have come under congressional and legal scrutiny.
The younger Biden declined to appear under subpoena for a closed-door deposition that is part of the GOP-led impeachment investigation into his father. Hunter Biden instead said he wanted to testify publicly. His refusal to appear prompted House Oversight Chair James Comer and Rep. Jim Jordan to announce they would initiate contempt proceedings.
The political and personal stakes are high for the president and present another opportunity to confront one of his chief political challenges: Showing voters concerned about his age that the 81-year-old president still has the stamina and capacity to deftly navigate multiple high-stakes crises simultaneously.
Speaking to reporters after meeting…
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