President Joe Biden’s son Hunter will plead guilty to federal tax offenses but avoid a full prosecution on a separate gun charge in a deal with the Justice Department that likely spares him time behind bars.
Hunter Biden, 53, will plead guilty to the misdemeanor tax offenses as part of an agreement made public Tuesday. The agreement will also avoid prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he adheres to conditions agreed to in court. It’s somewhat unusual to resolve a federal criminal case at the same time charges are filed in court but not unheard of.
As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department has agreed to recommend a sentence of probation for the two counts of failing to pay taxes in a timely matter for the years 2017 and 2018, according to sources. Hunter Biden owed at least $100,000 in federal taxes for 2017, and at least $100,000 in 2018, but did not pay what was due to the Internal Revenue Service by the deadlines.
The move could foreshadow the public release of documents related to Hunter Biden’s taxes. Smith gave notice Tuesday that he will be exercising his unique authority as chair of the House’s tax writing committee to consider documents that are otherwise barred from disclosure because they bear information related to a private citizen’s tax information.
A statement issued by Smith’s office Thursday afternoon said the session would allow committee members to review IRS whistleblower claims regarding alleged political interference into an IRS case “involving a high-profile individual” and alleged retaliation by the agency that resulted in the removal of the entire investigative team on the case. The statement did not specify if lawmakers were in possession yet of the tax information.
"Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement. 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," Clark said. "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."
President Biden kept Weiss in the position, apparently to avoid even the appearance of interference in the ongoing investigation into the president's son. The Justice Department has gone to great lengths to protect Weiss's independence, even as it was sharply criticized by Republican lawmakers and others about why the probe had dragged on for so long.
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