7 of the biggest scandals involving presidential kids

Amy Carter was a rebellious first kid — she frequently participated in political protests and was dismissed from Brown for failing to finish her coursework.

Amy Carter, the daughter of former President Jimmy Carter, was only 9 years old when her father was elected, and only 13 when he lost his reelection in 1980. However, throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Amy Carter became a well-known activist for a number of political causes ... and even had a few run-ins with the law during that time. 

According to The New York Times, 17-year-old Carter was arrested in 1985 during an anti-apartheid demonstration at the South African embassy in Washington, DC, though she claimed she was "acting with her father's permission." 

Amy Carter was one of more than 1,500 people in a three-month span to be taken into custody near the embassy during protests against South Africa's apartheid policy, according to the LA Times. President Jimmy Carter's son Chip was also demonstrating at the embassy that day, although he was not arrested.

Amy Carter was arrested again in 1987 during an anti-CIA demonstration, though she and 14 other protesters were acquitted of trespassing and disorderly conduct, according to The New York Times. While her political activism certainly made headlines, Carter's rebellious nature also led to her removal from Brown University over "academic reasons" in 1987. 

According to The Washington Post, "reliable sources" informed the Providence Journal-Bulletin that following Carter's sophomore year, she was asked not to return after failing to finish her coursework. Carter went on to pursue a master's degree in art history at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she met her husband, computer consultant James Wentzel. She has since kept a relatively low profile.

Neil Bush, the son of President George H.W. Bush, was sued after being accused of engaging in conflicts of interest in the '90s, which effectively ended his hope for a political career.

Federal regulators sued Neil Bush, the third-eldest son of George H.W. Bush, in 1990 for alleged "conflict-of-interest regulations" and, as a director of Silverado Banking, Savings and Loan Association, allegedly failing to act to stop the institution from making improper and even illegal loans. The company's collapse in 1988 cost taxpayers over $1 billion. Other former employees, such as directors, officers, and lawyers, were also named in the lawsuit.

Bush was not indicted on any criminal charges, although he agreed to pay $50,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

"I happened to be one of hundreds of other American businessmen and women who served as an outside director on the board of a savings and loan institution that failed during the 1980s," Bush wrote in an email to The Washington Post in 2003. "I regret that the institution's failure cost taxpayers so much money."

Today, Bush chairs the board of directors at foundations including Points of Light, a philanthropic group his father founded.

As a 19-year-old college student, President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush was cited for two alcohol-related misdemeanors in a five-week span.

Jenna Bush and her twin sister, Barbara, were the talk of the town in the early 2000s, though it wasn't always for the right reasons. In 2001, while Jenna Bush was a freshman at the University of Texas, the first daughter was cited for two alleged underage drinking offenses: possession of alcohol as a minor and later trying to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol at an Austin restaurant.

The incidents occurred within a five-week span and were minor misdemeanors, though they also inevitably made national headlines. Bush, who pleaded no contest to the possession of alcohol charge, was ordered to pay $51.25 in court costs, serve eight hours of community service, and attend six hours of alcohol awareness classes. After she also pleaded no contest to trying to use someone else's ID for alcohol, her driver's license was suspended for 30 days, and she had to pay a total of $600, The Associated Press reported.

"I felt embarrassed, and I felt really badly for [my dad] because I thought this is going to make him look bad," Bush, now Jenna Bush Hager, told "Today" show host Hoda Kotb in March 2020. "He apologized to me because what we wanted more than anything was to just be normal college kids ... He said, 'I'm sorry. I promised you you could be normal, and this isn't normal.'"

Though the drinking charges were front-page news at the time, Bush Hager says she can now laugh about it.

"Everybody knows I had a fake ID, which was really naive because my dad was president," Bush Hager said on "Today." "I tried. I tried and failed. A girl that was in my school was like, 'We look a lot alike; I'll give you my ID.' That was dumb."

Jenna Bush's twin sister, Barbara, was also cited for possession of alcohol as a minor in the second incident.

While Jenna Bush made headlines for two underage-drinking-related citations, her twin sister, Barbara, was also ticketed for alleged possession of alcohol during the second incident. Police claimed that Barbara Bush, who had just finished her freshman year at Yale University, and a third woman were served alcohol at an Austin restaurant, according to The Washington Post.

Authorities alleged that Jenna Bush attempted to use false identification to purchase alcohol but was denied, though it was unclear whether Barbara and the third woman were asked to produce identification.

Barbara Bush pleaded no contest to the possession-of-alcohol charge in June 2001 and was ordered to complete eight hours of community service, attend an alcohol-awareness class, and pay $100 in court fines, The Associated Press reported at the time. The underage drinking charge was to be wiped from her record, the AP reported.

Malia Obama was criticized after screenshots of a video were posted online showing the Harvard University freshman smoking.

Malia Obama found herself in hot water in 2017 after a video online appeared to show her smoking and blowing smoke rings. According to the Independent, conservative news site The Daily Caller wrote an article about the video, which led to public criticism about the former first daughter. However, fellow first kids Ivanka Trump and Chelsea Clinton quickly came to Obama's defense, calling for her and other presidential children's right to privacy.

"Malia Obama should be allowed the same privacy as her school-aged peers," Trump tweeted, according to Time. "She is a young adult and private citizen, and should be OFF limits."

Chelsea Clinton also offered her support to Obama, writing, "Malia Obama's private life, as a young woman, a college student, a private citizen, should not be your clickbait. Be better."

Donald Trump Jr. has been embroiled in scandal multiple times.

Though Donald Trump Jr. never held an official position in his father's administration, he has nevertheless been a subject of controversy and public ire.

More than a decade before his father entered the White House, Trump Jr. was arrested in 2001 for public drunkenness during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He also later came under fire for a 2016 tweet aimed at Syrian Refugees, in which he posted an image that had the text, "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That's our Syrian refugee problem."

He commented, saying, "This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016." The post received so much backlash that a Skittles executive even posted its own statement.

"Skittles are candy. Refugees are people," said Denise Young, vice president of corporate affairs for Wrigley America, which owns Skittles. "We don't feel it is an appropriate analogy."

In 2019, Trump Jr. faced criticism for his hunting practices. On a trip to Mongolia, the politician's son hunted an endangered breed of sheep and later met with Mongolia's president. He was awarded a permit to hunt the sheep after he had already killed it, according to ProPublica.

Trump Jr. traveled with the Secret Service, costing taxpayers more than $75,000 for the eight-day excursion, according to documents obtained by a government watchdog group. USA Today reported that, according to a source close to the president's son, Trump Jr. paid for all of the trip himself apart from the security.

Trouble continued for Don even after his father left office. Trump Jr., along with his father and Ivanka Trump, were recently subpoenaed as part of a wide-ranging civil investigation by the New York attorney general into whether there was fraud within the Trump Organization.

However, while it was ordered that the Trumps would testify by March 10, as originally ordered by a Manhattan judge, their testimony is delayed while their lawyers appeal the judge's order, according to a report by Insider.

Hunter Biden is currently at the center of an investigation into his business dealings in Asia and Europe.

According to The New York Times, the investigation started as an inquiry into Hunter Biden's taxes, though it expanded in 2018 to include possible criminal violations of tax laws, foreign lobbying rules, and possible money laundering.

Biden has previously said he handled his tax affairs "legally and appropriately," and the Times reported this month that he had "paid off a significant tax liability," which experts said could make it harder for tax-related offenses to stick.

You might also recall that in 2020, President Donald Trump attempted to launch his own inquiry into Biden's involvement with Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy company.

Questioning over Biden's dealings with the company, and whether Biden used his political connections for financial gain, shed a negative light on his father's campaign and became a talking point for Trump seeking reelection. Both Bidens denied any wrongdoing in dealings with Ukraine and other countries.

The Justice Department's investigation into Biden's business dealings is ongoing and he has not been charged with any crime. The State Department will begin to hand over emails regarding Hunter Biden to The New York Times following a delay in two of the publication's Freedom of Information Act requests.