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Politics Jun 20, 2023
Hunter Biden hugs Joe and Jill Biden during the president's inauguration ceremony in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. | Photo courtesy of Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II/Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has tentatively reached an agreement in which he will plead guilty to two minor tax crimes and a gun charge, court papers filed on Tuesday morning show. The agreement will likely keep him out of jail.
The tax charges relate to his alleged failure to pay approximately $100,000 in taxes on $1.5 million in income over the years 2017 and 2018, according to anonymous sources cited by the Washington Post.
Under the agreement, Hunter Biden is expected to enter a diversion program, a less severe sentence applied to individuals with substance abuse issues. If he successfully completes the program, the gun charge will be removed from his record.
The gun charge stems from a purchase made in late 2018, when Hunter Biden was struggling with a substance abuse problem. He has since been open about his addiction and treatment in his memoir.
The plea agreement also signifies the end of a five-year investigation by federal prosecutors, including the FBI and IRS, into Hunter Biden’s conduct. The investigation did not result in any charges related to his foreign dealings or other alleged wrongdoing.
Unsurprisingly, the agreement has sparked a political backlash.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, called it a “sweetheart” deal and accused the Justice Department of “slow walking” the investigation and implicating the Biden family in corruption.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, called Attorney General Merrick Garland a “disgrace.”
Additionally, the House Oversight Committee’s ranking member, Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, called for an investigation into the Department of Justice’s handling of the case.
“Let’s be clear: the Department of Justice’s charges against President Biden’s son Hunter reveal a two-tiered system of justice,” Comer said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Democratic administration has maintained that Weiss was nominated by former President Donald Trump and that the decision not to appoint a new U.S. Attorney was to avoid any appearance of political interference.
The White House released a statement in support of Hunter Biden that said, “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”
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