On June 11, the son of the president of the United States was found guilty of violating federal firearms laws for lying about his active drug use at the time he purchased a firearm. He also plans face a jury in Los Angeles in September, accused of violating tax laws.
Hunter Biden continues to weigh on his father, US President Joe Biden, who is seeking a second term in November. The cases are a problem for both Bidens. Conservative media have long tried to link Hunter Biden's activities with those of his father.
A committee controlled by Republicans in the House of Representatives He took advantage of Hunter Biden's businesses to open an impeachment investigation against his father, who is practically dead. No solid evidence has emerged to show that President Biden benefited from his son's misdeeds or links the father's political activities with the son's business.
Still, the cases against Hunter Biden, after a plea deal fell through, will hang over Joe Biden's re-election campaign this year. His likely opponent, former President Donald Trump, was found guilty on May 30. falsify business records to hide money payments to a porn star to maintain her silence. Trump faces three other criminal proceedings.
What were the charges against Hunter Biden?
After a week-long trial, a federal jury in Delaware found Hunter Biden guilty on three counts related to his October 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra .38 caliber revolver while he was an active drug user.
When purchasing the gun, he answered “no” to a question on a federal gun purchase form asking whether he was “an unlawful user of or addicted to marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic or any other controlled substance.” “
Prosecutors say between 2016 and 2019, When Hunter Biden earned more than $7 million as a lawyer, lobbyist and consultant, he intentionally failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes he owed on time.
The nine-count indictment charges him with three felonies and six misdemeanors. Instead of paying taxes he knew he owed, prosecutors say, he spent his money on “drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing” and other personal items. He also falsely identified personal expenses as business deductions, misled his accountants and knowingly signed false tax returns, they say.
What prison sentence is Hunter Biden facing?
Two of the weapons charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years; the third is punishable by up to five years in prison. However, judges rarely impose maximum sentences. Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if he is convicted of all tax charges, but would likely face a much lesser sentence.
What is the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden about?
In September, Republican Kevin McCarthy, then speaker of the House of Representatives, launched an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden over what he called a “culture of corruption.” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has gathered evidence that, between 2014 and 2019, Hunter Biden and his associates received about $24 million from people or companies based in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Kazakhstan.
Comer said they “sold access for profit around the world to the detriment of American interests.” The investigation began with an examination of documents and emails recovered from an abandoned laptop belonging to Hunter Biden, which was turned over to Biden's personal attorney. Trump, Rudy Giuliani, in 2020.
Democrats dismiss the investigation as political revenge for Trump's two impeachments. The effort to impeach Biden lost steam in February 2024 after an FBI informant was accused of lying to the agency on Hunter Biden and his father's connection to the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings.
What evidence is there against Joe Biden?
There is some evidence that Hunter Biden landed lucrative deals because of the perception that his father's influence in Washington could help him get things done. On multiple occasions, Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone during business meetings or arranged for his father to meet him and his associates for coffee.
Comer has pointed out the checks issued by Hunter Biden to Joe Biden as proof that the president benefited from his exploits. But Comer's committee has yet to identify a clear example of Biden subverting American interests to help her son.
A report of September 2020 posted by Republican members The Senate Homeland Security Committee concluded that Hunter Biden's foreign work created a potential conflict of interest for his father, especially as it related to U.S. policy toward Ukraine, but did not allege that any law had been enacted. broken.
