According to a Tuesday court filing by the Department of Justice, Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, will plead guilty to two federal charges, with a third charged, related to a gun, to be handled differently. Two charges stem from tax misdemeanors, and one from a form filed when he purchased a firearm.
Chris Clark, Biden’s attorney, released a statement in which he announced that the investigation into Hunter’s conduct had been resolved thanks to twin agreements on the charges he was facing. “With the announcement of two agreements between my client, Hunter Biden, and the Unites States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved,” Mr. Clark said.
Continuing, Mr. Clark added, “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.”
Hunter was being investigated for felony tax evasion and making a false statement when purchasing a firearm. With the plea deals, it appears he was able to bring those charges down to misdemeanors.
In the court filing, US Attorney David C. Weiss noted that Hunter had pleaded guilty to two counts of “willful failure to pay federal income tax” and one charge of possessing a firearm despite being a user or addict of a controlled substance.
Weiss began the court filing by addressing the tax evasion claims, saying, “Enclosed, please find two Informations to be docketed in criminal matters involving the above-referenced defendant. The first Information charges the defendant with tax offenses namely, two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7203. The defendant has agreed to plead guilty to both counts of the tax Information.”
Continuing, he then addressed the firearm charge and what Hunter agreed to in respect to it, saying, “The second Information charges the defendant with a firearm offense namely, one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §$ 922(g)(3) and 924(a)(2) (2018). The defendant has agreed to enter a Pretrial Diversion Agreement with respect to the firearm Information.”
Ending the filing, Weiss said, “The defendant is represented by Christopher J. Clark. The parties jointly request that the Court schedule a consolidated Initial Appearance on the firearm Information and an Initial Appearance and Change of Plea Hearing on the tax Information charges. Original, executed copies of the Memorandum of Plea Agreement related to the tax Information, and the Pretrial Diversion Agreement related to the firearm Information, will be submitted at or in advance of the Hearing.”
President Biden, when asked in March how Hunter’s being charged would impact his presidency, said, “My son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him and it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him.” It would appear that President Biden’s assertion was incorrect and Hunter Biden did, in fact, do something wrong in multiple cases.
Featured image credit: Hunter image By Center for Strategic & International Studies – Panel 3: Our Shared Opportunity: A Vision for Global Prosperity, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93062660
UPDATE: the gun charge was not plead guilty, we updated to show it will be handled differently than the tax crime charges.
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