President Joe Biden has long worked to cultivate the image of a loyal family man, and according to recent reporting, he has permitted several members of his extended clan to take up residence at the White House, as the Washington Free Beacon suggests.

Among those who have apparently joined the president and first lady in the private quarters at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are beleaguered first son Hunter Biden, granddaughter Naomi Biden, and her then-fiancé Peter Neal in the run-up to their 2022 wedding – which also took place at the White House.

Hunter's Hideout?

Miranda Devine of the New York Post recently reported that Hunter Biden's extended stay at the White House could have something to do with the Arkansas legal battle in which he is currently embroiled.

Specifically, former adult entertainer Lunden Roberts – who is also the mother of Hunter Biden's young daughter – has sued for an increase in child support payments and is requesting that the first son be put in jail for failing to provide financial records as ordered by the court.

Hunter Biden is also the subject of a federal tax probe, congressional investigations into his foreign business dealings, and a host of other controversies in which he could potentially be targeted by process servers.

As such, the D.C. rumor mill has, according to Devine, been rife with speculation that Hunter – and perhaps his wife and young son – are living at the White House as a way to avoid receipt of legal papers.

Notable Presence

Bolstering the notion that Hunter Biden is indeed living at the White House is the fact that he has been routinely spotted on the grounds, often right in the mix when his father and stepmother climb aboard Marine One to head off on weekend getaways, as the Post notes.

Hunter Biden also notably tagged along on his father's recent trip to Ireland, stepping in to assist when the president had difficulty answering a question posed by a child at a public event.

Adding to suspicions regarding the Hunter Biden family's frequent presence at the White House is the glaring addition of what the Post called an “elaborate swing set suitable for a toddler” on the grounds of the property.

Given that whenever he is present at the White House, Hunter Biden is surrounded by Secret Service detail assigned to his father as well as to himself, it thus stands to reason that process servers would find the official residence to be a particularly daunting location in which to do their jobs.

Not Just Hunter

Though Hunter Biden's residential status at the White House remains unverified, the fact that the president's granddaughter and Hunter Biden's oldest daughter, Naomi Biden, lived there with her then-fiancé for a period of time is not in question, as the Free Beacon notes.

The pair acknowledged in a Vogue magazine interview that they did indeed resided at the White House “for a few months” last year.

The reason for that living situation, according to the interview, was that their apartment lease had run out.

Having enjoyed a suite on the third floor of the White House – which also includes a billiards room, gym, and solarium, Naomi Biden said, “I try to remind myself it's the White House, but it also gets normalized over time.”

Questions, Concerns Arise

Former White House ethics counsel Richard Painter explained to the Free Beacon why such arrangements are, in fact, quite concerning.

“The problem is that people who stay in the residence with the president have access to the entire building. There's nobody sitting at a guard desk keeping you from going from the residence to the West Wing,” Painter said.

“What you don't want is family members just drifting on down there on their own or even being invited down there and getting involved in official meetings. They need to stay away from U.S. government business,” he added.

While it is true that then-first lady Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, also took up residence at the White House during her son-in-law's tenure in office, she did so primarily to help create a sense of normality for her two young granddaughters and assist in child rearing. Given the controversies swirling around Hunter Biden and allegations that he has made a fortune trading on his father's influence and inside knowledge, the considerations at play for critics appear much different.