Despite the outrage that greeted reports of the president's actions, Biden's immediate response was no simple matter.

His son Hunter Biden's lucrative contracts with Ukraine ‐ at the same time the vice president was in charge of U.S. policy toward the country raised ‐ raised the prospect of fueling a narrative with downside political risk for Biden.

"This puts him on the ropes over having to talk about this," said Patrick Murray, a pollster with Monmouth University. "He certainly doesn't want to talk about this, his family."