Hunter Biden is going for a Hail Mary Pass. Unfortunately for him, reality is poised to intercept.

As Politico reported, Hunter Biden asked a judge Wednesday to approve subpoenas for documents from Donald Trump and former Justice Department officials, claiming the former president applied political pressure to a criminal investigation of him.

Biden’s attorneys allege there were “certain instances that appear to suggest incessant, improper, and partisan pressure applied” by Trump to his then-Attorney General William Barr and two top deputies, Jeffrey Rosen and Richard Donoghue.

The acorn clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree. Hunter’s dad blames Trump for his problems, too.

While charges against Hunter were not brought until this year, the investigation into his taxes and a gun purchase began in 2018, while Trump was still president. The court filing cites public comments made by Trump, information from the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and details from Barr’s book in which he described tension after Trump tried to pressure him over the status of the Hunter Biden probe.

If this sounds a bit desperate, it is. Hunter’s defense attorneys are fighting felony firearms case filed against him. Federal prosecutors alleged Hunter lied about not being addicted to drugs when buying a gun in 2018, making the transaction illegal, according to a September indictment.

He’d finessed a deal over the summer, and had been expected to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges in an agreement with prosecutors that spared him prosecution on the gun count if he stayed out of trouble for two years. But the deal imploded in July.

Some four+ months later, and this is what Hunter’s attorneys have come up with.

Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told Newsweek that selective prosecution is difficult to establish.

“[Hunter] Biden’s lawyers need to prove the prosecution was for an impermissible purpose, such as to prevent the exercise of a constitutional right, or based on an impermissible reason such as race or religion,” he said, adding that it is unlikely they will be able to meet that burden.

Rahmani noted the investigation has continued under his father’s DOJ, so issuing subpoenas to former officials does not “follow logically either.”

This isn’t about logic, however. It’s about treading water as fast as he can to keep the scandal from affecting Joe Biden’s bid for reelection. Though it must be said that the president has earned enough ire over how he’s running the country that Hunter’s legal issues blend in at this point.

Moves like this may buy Hunter time, shift some focus to Trump and keep attorneys on both sides busy during campaign season. But it also gives the Trump camp fodder for criticizing both Hunter and his father, a welcome distraction from Trump’s own legal issues.

Joe Biden’s been accused of having greased the wheels for Hunter over the course of his political career. One thing, however, is certain.

With this latest stunt, Hunter sure hasn’t done his father any favors.

Editorial cartoon by Bob Gorrell (Creators Syndicate)