Joe Biden's son pleads guilty to tax evasion and makes deal with gun case

Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two tax offenses and will make a deal with federal prosecutors to drop felony firearms charges, reports CNN.

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As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department agreed to recommend probation for two counts of late tax payments for 2017 and 2018, according to sources. Hunter Biden owed at least $100 in federal taxes for 000 and at least $2017 in 100, but failed to pay what was due to the IRS on time.

The judge will have the last word on the verdict.

The plea deal will have an immediate impact on the 2024 presidential race. This has already drawn political criticism from Republicans regarding the Biden administration and the Department of Justice. Especially as a 37-count federal criminal charge is filed against Donald Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump pleaded not guilty last week.

On the subject: Trump was charged and released: what will happen next and when to wait for the verdict

Hunter Biden's attorney, Christopher Clark, said in a statement that the deal with federal prosecutors would "resolve" the Justice Department's longstanding criminal investigation into the president's son.

“Hunter will accept responsibility for two counts of failure to pay taxes on time as part of the plea agreement,” Clark said. — The firearm charge, which would be subject to a pre-trial diversion agreement and not the subject of a plea agreement, will also be filed by the government. I know that Hunter feels it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes that he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”

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In a brief statement, the White House said the Bidens "love their son."

“The President and First Lady love and support their son as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment," White House spokesman Ian Sams said.

Trump criticized Hunter Biden's plea deal at Truth Social.

"Wow! Biden's corrupt Justice Department just decriminalized Hunter Biden by giving Hunter Biden a simple "traffic ticket." Our system is BROKEN!” - he wrote.

Negotiations for a plea deal have intensified in recent weeks. Hunter Biden's legal team secured a meeting with the Department of Justice in April where Hunter Biden's lawyers explained in detail why they thought Hunter Biden should not be charged. Part of their argument was that Hunter Biden paid the taxes he owed, including fines.

Investigation of the use of firearms and non-payment of taxes

Prosecutors were investigating a 2018 incident in which a firearm belonging to Hunter Biden was thrown into a dumpster in Wilmington by his then-girlfriend, according to a source briefed on the matter. Hunter Biden said in a 2021 media interview that he was addicted to drugs, raising the possibility that he violated federal law when he bought a firearm.

Federal law prohibits the purchase of firearms by anyone who uses or is addicted to illegal drugs.

Hunter Biden pleads guilty to two counts of willful evasion of federal taxes, according to recently unsealed indictment documents. According to emails, he was repeatedly warned about his tax liabilities, but his lawyer said in July 2022 that those years were difficult for Hunter Biden, given the struggle with drug and alcohol addiction. Clarke said his client has now "paid in full" his IRS tax debts.

Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is scrutinizing Hunter Biden's financial dealings and looking into the Department of Justice's attitude towards the investigation, as well as any involvement of other members of the Biden family in overseas deals.

One whistleblower who worked for the FBI complained to Republican lawmakers that the Justice Department was preventing agents from taking more aggressive investigative steps in the Hunter Biden case.

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Republicans in the House of Representatives threatened to charge FBI Director Christopher Wray with contempt of Congress. The pressure on him will continue until he agrees to allow them to review the document summarizing the whistleblower's allegations. The whistleblower claimed that Joe Biden received millions of dollars in payments to his family for certain political activities. The informant's allegations were not corroborated by the investigators.

personal struggle

Hunter Biden's legal troubles come amid personal troubles he's been facing. He described many of his difficulties in his 2021 memoirs. Biden spoke openly about fighting addiction to alcohol and drugs. His 24-year marriage ended in divorce in 2017, and his ex-wife accused him of spending on alcohol and strip clubs. In 2017, he also admitted to having a relationship with his late brother's widow Bo. Hunter Biden married for the second time in 2019 and has a child together with his wife Melissa Cohen.

In 2020, Joe Biden said he was proud of his son's progress in fighting addiction. He came out in an interview last year saying he was "proud" of his son for being forthright about his struggle with drug addiction.

“My son is not a child, he is a grown man who is addicted to drugs, as happened in many families. He got over it. He started a new life,” said Joe Biden.

After his election, Joe Biden promised not to interfere with the Justice Department's prosecutorial decision-making process.

Attorney General Merrick Garland told the Senate in 2022 that "there will be no interference" with the Justice Department's investigation into Hunter Biden and said the President "undertakes not to interfere not only in this investigation, but in any other investigation."

Among other investigations into Biden's son, Hunter's efforts to secure a deal with CEFC China Energy to invest in US energy projects have come under scrutiny, according to documents released by Republicans on two Senate committees.

The deal ultimately fell through and the company's executive was later detained by Chinese authorities amid allegations of corruption.

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