In a display of accountability, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and a deal has been struck with federal prosecutors to resolve a felony gun charge.
As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department will recommend a sentence of probation for the two counts of failing to pay taxes in a timely manner for the years 2017 and 2018.
The plea deal comes at a time of heightened political scrutiny, with the potential to impact the 2024 presidential race. It also follows a 37-count federal criminal indictment filed against Donald Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, to which Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The charges against Hunter Biden were detailed in a criminal filing in the US District Court in Delaware, where US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, has been conducting an investigation that had once explored allegations of money laundering, foreign lobbying, and other potential charges.
Despite the plea deal, the Justice Department has stated that the investigation is ongoing. Hunter Biden’s attorney, Christopher Clark, however, asserted that the deal with federal prosecutors will “resolve” the Justice Department’s long-running criminal probe into the president’s son.
With resilience, Hunter Biden is taking responsibility for his actions during a challenging time in his life marked by turmoil and addiction. As part of his plea agreement, he will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due. Additionally, a firearm charge will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be part of the plea agreement. Clark remarked, “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward”.
The White House, in a brief statement, expressed their support for Hunter Biden, with White House spokesman Ian Sams stating, “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment”.
Negotiations for the plea deal escalated in recent weeks, with Hunter Biden’s legal team presenting arguments detailing why they believe Hunter Biden should not be charged. Their argument included the point that Hunter Biden had paid back taxes owed, including penalties.
As part of the investigation, prosecutors had been examining a 2018 incident where a firearm owned by Hunter Biden was discarded by his then-girlfriend into a dumpster in Wilmington. This raised the possibility that Hunter Biden may have violated federal law when he bought the firearm while struggling with drug addiction. Consequently, Hunter Biden is pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to pay federal taxes. His attorney has stated that these were difficult years for Hunter Biden, owing to his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. However, Clark has stated that his client has now “fully paid” his IRS tax debts.
With this plea deal, Hunter Biden turns a new page in his life, accepting responsibility for his actions and looking forward to a future of growth and recovery.