Hunter Biden is facing federal gun charges after his plea deal with the president’s son fell apart in July. Federal prosecutors indicted Biden on Thursday, alleging that he illegally obtained and possessed a Colt revolver in October 2018. He falsely declared that he was not a user of, or addicted to, narcotic drugs when obtaining the firearm. David Weiss, a Donald Trump appointee as US attorney for Delaware, filed this surprising indictment. Attorney General Merrick Garland named him a special counsel last month after the plea deal collapsed. The deal initially included two misdemeanor tax charges.
This represents the initial instance of a son of a sitting US president facing federal criminal charges. Hunter Biden could face up to 10 years in prison on each of the two counts of making false statements to a Delaware gun dealer, along with an additional five years for possessing the gun as someone with drug addiction.
The indictment carries significant political implications. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Tuesday that Republicans were pursuing an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden‘s involvement in his son’s business dealings. Three House committees are seeking bank papers and other documents to investigate claims that the president illegally profited from his son’s business relationship.
Lawyer Abbe Lowell
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, condemned the indictment as politically motivated, emphasizing that the evidence in the case has not changed in the last six weeks. Lowell argued that Hunter possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days did not pose a threat to public safety and accused prosecutors of succumbing to political pressure.
Republicans, such as James Comer, have described this development as a “small start” and criticized the failed plea agreement as a “sweetheart deal.” Democrats view the impeachment inquiry as a distraction aimed at appeasing hardliners in the party amid a government funding dispute.
Supporters of Hunter Biden have criticized what they see as a heavy-handed political prosecution, particularly given his lack of a previous criminal record. Hunter’s lawyers had previously anticipated dropping felony gun charges in exchange for him abiding by the terms of a diversion agreement.
The White House, following its usual stance, referred questions to the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden’s private lawyers.
David Weiss led a five-year investigation into Hunter Biden before being named special counsel. He presented a plea deal to the US district judge Maryellen Noreika in July, which included two years of probation for tax evasion and pre-trial diversion for the weapons charges. However, Noreika expressed concerns about her role in enforcing the agreement, leading to its collapse.
It remains unclear what will happen to the tax evasion charges against Hunter Biden, but Weiss hinted at the possibility of additional charges. Court papers show that Hunter Biden admitted to addiction issues but got sober in May 2019 and paid off around $2 million in back taxes over the next five months.
