Hunter Biden Ditches Attorney, Brings in High-Profile Defender

Hunter Biden is back in court—again. This time, the President’s scandal-plagued son is swapping out his longtime defense attorney Abbe Lowell for a new legal brawler: Dick Harpootlian, a South Carolina Democrat with a flair for defending the indefensible.

Harpootlian is best known for representing convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh and proudly calls himself a “Joe Biden guy.” He’s now the one helping Hunter go after former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne in a defamation suit set for trial in July, as reported by Fox News.

Harpootlian confirmed the switch to The State, saying he’s now the point man as Hunter tries to wring money out of Byrne for accusing him of cozying up to Iran in 2021.

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The suit alleges that Byrne falsely claimed Hunter had backdoor dealings with Iranian officials, trying to negotiate a bribe to unfreeze $8 billion in assets—with his father’s blessing.

Hunter insists the accusation cost him hundreds of thousands in lost book deals, art sales, and paid speeches.

While Hunter gears up for that court fight, his personal finances are reportedly circling the drain. According to ABC News, his “art career” has stalled, sales have dropped off, and he’s drowning in legal bills from previous cases handled by Lowell.

It’s a far cry from the elite lifestyle he once flaunted—and now he’s trying to pin his financial woes on conservative critics.

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As for Harpootlian, his own political luck just ran out. He was narrowly booted from the South Carolina Senate by fellow Democrat Russell Ott, who made sure voters didn’t forget about Harpootlian’s defense of the disgraced Murdaugh.

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While he held his ground in the more liberal Richland County, Ott’s stronghold in rural Calhoun County flipped the race.

Still, Harpootlian remains defiant. After losing, he said:

“We went through a process… I lost. The process worked. I’m not accusing anybody of stealing anything. I’m not having a temper tantrum. I’m not expressing some doubt in our system.”

A curious statement—one wonders if he was throwing shade at his own party or just posturing.

He also told true crime fans at CrimeCon that he’d gladly take on another Murdaugh trial for free rather than waste money on luxury. “What’s so astounding about that? We do cases for free all the time,” he said. Sounds noble—until you remember who he’s defending.

Meanwhile, Abbe Lowell’s final act as Hunter’s attorney came during a 2024 deposition, where he lashed out at Republicans investigating Biden family corruption.

“They have produced no evidence that would do anything to support the notion that there was any financial transactions that involved Hunter with his father. Period.”

He furiously stated and added that GOP lawmakers seemed more interested in Hunter’s addiction than the mountain of red flags surrounding Biden family dealings.

But with Harpootlian now in Hunter’s corner, it looks like the President’s son is still hoping courtroom drama can somehow rescue his tattered reputation—and maybe his bank account.