Hunter Biden’s guilty plea on tax evasion charges last month faced a setback when a judge questioned the deal, prompting US President Joe Biden to break his silence and state that the prosecution of Hunter Biden is up to the Justice Department. President Biden declined to comment further on any ongoing investigations.
Hunter Biden was expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay income taxes as part of a plea deal. This deal would have allowed him to avoid punishment for the charge of gun possession while an illegal drug user, if he successfully completed a pre-trial diversion program. The gun charge, which stems from misrepresenting his active addiction status in an application to purchase a firearm, typically carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
However, Judge Maryellen Noreika raised concerns about the plea deal and declined to accept it. She pointed out that US attorney David Weiss appeared to have given Biden immunity even from other potential crimes not mentioned during the proceedings. Efforts to negotiate a replacement deal failed, as Weiss revealed on Friday.
Last week, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden. However, Weiss has been leading the investigation into Biden since 2019, leading some to argue that the appointment changes little.
Weiss requested the dismissal of the Delaware tax charges, possibly in preparation to re-file them in either California or Washington DC. This move has caused some controversy, with IRS whistleblowers claiming that the Justice Department interfered in the investigation. Weiss, who was appointed by former President Trump, has denied these claims.
While Weiss has not brought forward any charges beyond the tax and gun indictments, controversial footage obtained from a laptop abandoned by Hunter Biden in a Delaware repair shop suggests further illegal activities. The footage allegedly shows Biden engaging in sex with possibly-underage prostitutes, using crack cocaine, and flaunting his illegal gun. Emails from the laptop, as well as testimony from Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, hint at a potential and potentially illegal influence-peddling scheme involving Joe Biden himself, who was reportedly involved in over a dozen international business calls.
Joe Biden has consistently denied any knowledge of or involvement in his son’s international business dealings. However, the laptop’s contents appear to suggest otherwise, linking Joe Biden to at least 14 of Hunter Biden’s business associates from various countries, including Ukraine, China, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and the United States.
The investigation into Hunter Biden’s activities continues, with the appointment of David Weiss as a special counsel. The outcome of this investigation remains uncertain, and it is ultimately up to the Justice Department to determine the next steps in the prosecution. President Biden has chosen not to comment further on the matter.
Source link
