Hunter Biden has failed to fly under the radar for five years. While his cocaine addiction and laptop debacle made headline news, neither of them is why he’s back in the news this week.
Instead, the younger Biden is trying to strike a deal with federal prosecutors, who were looking to give him two years of probation. According to reports, Hunter Biden failed to pay $100,000 in taxes for the $1.5 million he earned in 2017 and 2018 and is facing two misdemeanor charges.
The original deal also includes a gun charge lawyers hope to expunge from Biden’s permanent record. In 2018, Biden was in possession of a firearm as a drug user, which is a felony charge and carries a possible 10-year sentence.
Judge Objects
Maryellen Noreika, a U.S. District Court Judge, raised concerns about the language of the plea deal and her role in accepting it after the gun charge and tax cases overlapped and made Judge Noreika question the deal’s validity.
The judge gave prosecutors and defense lawyers one month to clarify why she should agree to the plea saying, “It seems to me like you are saying, ‘Just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.’… This seems to me to be form over substance.”
Republicans Push Back
The terms of the plea deal for Hunter Biden brought on immediate pushback from the Republican party. Claiming Biden got a “sweetheart” deal, GOP leaders have been incensed at the disparity between Biden’s treatment and the pressure Donald Trump has faced from the Justice Department.
Senate and House Republicans argue that the President’s son got a slap on the wrist. At the same time, the GOP laments the “unfair censuring” of the former President and current front-runner to rival President Biden. The alleged favoritism has led many Republicans to investigate every angle of Hunter Biden’s personal and professional life.
Biden Pressed for Details
Judge Noreita seemed hesitant to put her signature on the deal from prosecutors and pressed the President’s son for further details. She demanded names of Ukranian and Chinese entities left unnamed in Biden’s agreement. She also wanted honesty from Biden about his current drug and alcohol use and whether he was still seeking treatment for his substance abuse.
In June 2019, Biden said he was not currently in rehab or drug therapy, although he mentioned participating in a drug and alcohol support group. Thus far, there’s no mention of whether or not he provided the names of his foreign contacts.
Mum’s The Word
Understandably, President Biden has been very quiet on issues concerning his younger son. The senior Biden has been very busy between trying to keep inflation capped, handling issues with the Ukrainian and Russian conflict, and seeking reelection. However, it will be interesting to hear what he has to say on the campaign trail, as the topic is sure to be blasted by his opponents as a weak spot.
Still, one thing is evident: President Biden’s love for his son. “I’m very proud of my son,” Biden said after the two attended Mass at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Johns Island, South Carolina. Biden, who proclaims to “put family first,” must have struggled to sit back while his administration investigated his son over the last five years.
While the Republicans aren’t likely to let this ordeal die quietly, President Biden and Hunter are surely looking forward to being able to put it to rest.
Source: Yahoo, Associated Press.
