On Dec 1st Joe Biden made an un-expected move to grant legal protection to his son Hunter Biden covering almost 11-years worth of activities (this includes time-period from early-2014 til end of 2024)
The white-house statement points to what they see as politically-driven legal actions: Joe Biden explained his choice saying these investigations were not fair and needed to stop. The president believes this step will help prevent un-necessary targeting of his family member
The timing seems important because people close to the next administration have shown interest in looking at Hunter Bidenʼs old work deals; some of Donald Trumpʼs allies want to check business activities from about 10 years back. This protection might block those plans but its still not clear how things will work out