Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and has struck a deal with federal prosecutors over a felony gun charge.
According to a court filing released by US Attorney David Weiss on Tuesday, Biden was charged with two counts of “willful failure to pay federal income tax” and for “possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.”
Weiss, who has overseen the federal probe into Biden’s taxes since 2018, has agreed to recommend probation for Biden’s tax violations and it is unlikely he will serve jail time for either his tax and gun charges, according to the Washington Post. If Biden complies with the terms of his pretrial diversion, he could have the gun charge removed from his record in two years.
Christopher Clark, Biden’s attorney, said he believes the charges will “resolve” the five-year investigation into Biden’s criminal probe.
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement,” Clark said in a statement released Tuesday. “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the government. 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 offered a short statement about Biden’s plea deal.
“The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment,” said White House spokesman Ian Sams.
House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said that Biden’s plea deal will not impact the committee’s investigation into the Biden family. He claimed that the plea deal is evidence of a “two tier system of justice”.
“Hunter Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling and possibly bribery,” Comer said in a statement. “These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on the Oversight Committee’s investigation.”
