Joe Biden May Have Just Made a 'Breathtaking Mistake,' Legal Analyst Warns

President Joe Biden may have put himself at risk by discussing with his son, Hunter, about his decision to refuse to comply with a House subpoena, according to legal analyst Jonathan Turley.

Hunter Biden was called in to testify before Republican investigators in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday as part of the GOP-led impeachment inquiry into the president. Hunter, alongside other members of the Biden family, has been targeted by lawmakers who accuse the President and his loved ones of benefiting from Hunter's foreign business dealings.

Instead of appearing for the deposition, however, the Democratic president's son slammed House Republicans for their investigation and said that he would only agree to a public interview on the matter.

"Republicans do not want an open process where Americans can see their tactics, expose their baseless inquiry, or hear what I have to say," Hunter Biden said outside of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday that the president was "certainly familiar with what his son was going to say" regarding the subpoena, raising questions on whether Biden could have added more fuel to Republicans' impeach investigations, according to Turley's op-ed published by The Messenger on Thursday.

Turley wrote that Jean-Pierre's comment "suggests that the president spoke with his son before his act of contempt and discussed his statement."

"If that is true, it was a breathtaking mistake," the attorney added.

"There already are questions over special treatment potentially being given to Hunter in the form of alleged felonies being allowed to expire, warnings about planned federal raids, and sweetheart deals," he continued.

"If this latest allegation is true, the president was speaking with his son about committing a potentially criminal act of contempt. Hunter was refusing to give testimony focused not on his own role but on his father's potential role in the alleged influence peddling. The House can pursue evidence on that conversation and how the president may have supported his son's effort."

Newsweek reached out to the White House Press Office for comment.

House Judiciary Committee Chair James Comer said that he plans to hold Hunter Biden in contempt for defying his subpoena, writing in a joint statement with GOP Representative Jim Jordan on Wednesday, "We will not provide special treatment because his last name is Biden." Other Republican lawmakers also criticized the president's son on social media, echoing calls for lawmakers to hold him in contempt.

House lawmakers also voted to approve the impeachment inquiry into the president later in the day Wednesday, while all Democratic members of the chamber rallied behind the president. Biden's allies have accused Republicans of pushing the impeachment inquiry to distract from the party's dysfunction in the House. The GOP-led investigation has also yet to produce evidence that Biden directly benefited from his son's business dealings or participated in an alleged bribery scheme with foreign entities on behalf of his family.

During Wednesday's briefing, Jean-Pierre directed reporter's questions regarding Hunter Biden's subpoena to focus on the "important work" that the president is doing for the "American people," including Biden's meetings this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I want to be really clear," Jean-Pierre said. "Hunter Biden is a private citizen...And you've heard me say this, you've heard the president say this. When it comes to the president and the First Lady [Jill Biden], they are proud of him...they are proud of their son."

The president's son is also facing felony tax charges and an indictment in Deleware for federal firearm-related charges.