“Mr. President, your son, Hunter Biden, has been convicted of felonies in connection with his purchase of a gun and lying about his drug use. He now faces another trial for tax evasion. What makes him different from your opponent, who has also suffered a criminal conviction?”

Tonight’s debate on CNN, the first of the general election, is bound to include such a question about the president’s adult son and his troubles with the law. As Joe Biden’s campaign has laid out, and as we’ve previously outlined, the president’s major debate strategy should be focused on bringing attention to Donald Trump’s criminality. The former president’s supporters are obviously hoping that Hunter Biden’s recent criminal conviction will distract from the verdict against Trump. Here is the best way to avoid the obvious pitfalls surrounding the other Biden while turning his son’s troubles into an opportunity to reinforce his commitment to the rule of law.

“I am a dad as well as being the president. I love my son. Before he worked so hard to turn his life around, he made serious mistakes. He is suffering the consequences. That’s what the rule of law is all about. I stand by it, I trust the jury’s first verdict, and I will not criticize it. We must accept the law when it does its work, even if we might wish, as a parent, that the jury’s decision was different.

My opponent is different. He is the first former president ever tried or convicted of crimes. 34 times he was found guilty of lying in business records to cover up a crime against democracy.

He paid hush money to interfere with the 2016 election and keep the truth about the scandal from you, the voters, and interfere with the 2016 election, as he tried to do after the 2020 election. His........

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