Several 2024 presidential contenders aimed at the “partisan and “corrupt” Justice Department Tuesday after it was revealed that Hunter Biden had secured a tentative federal deal after an investigation that resulted in a felony gun charge and two tax misdemeanors.
“Looks like Hunter received a sweetheart deal and is not facing any charges on the massive corruption allegations. If Hunter were not connected to the elite D.C. class, he would have been put in jail a long time ago,” said GOP Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a tweet shortly following when the plea deal was made public.
A video of him accompanied the tweet deal by DeSantis at a campaign event that highlighted the “two different sets of rules” for Americans based on whether they are in “good standing with elite society or not.”
Former President Donald Trump slammed the plea deal, said it amounted to a “traffic ticket” for President Biden’s son, and said it showed that the justice system in the U.S. is “corrupt.”
“They gave him a traffic ticket and cleared everything up,” said Trump. “It is a disgrace to the system, it is a disgrace to America, it is a very unfair situation, it is prosecutorial misconduct, and it is election interference — all wrapped up into one.”
Trump pleaded guilty last week to 37 federal charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records and said if one of his sons were under investigation, “it would be a different world. If Hunter were a Republican, he would have been in jail years ago,” said DeSantis in a clip.
Attorney David Weiss: Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax
Under the agreement announced Tuesday by David Weiss, U.S. Attorney for Delaware, Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax. Biden also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement that involved a separate charge of possessing a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Weiss’ office indicated that unless there was a plea agreement, Hunter Biden would face a 12-month maximum penalty of 12 months in prison on each of two tax charges, with a maximum penalty of 10 years on the firearm charge. The deal still requires approval by a judge. “A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” said Weiss’ office, and added that the investigation is “ongoing.”
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy who entered the GOP race for president in February responded to the news and said the plea deal served as a way to “induce a collective amnesia in the American public.”
“The Hunter Biden plea deal is meant to induce a collective amnesia in the American public. Forget the audio tapes of the alleged bribe for Hunter and Joe Biden from the Ukrainian executive of oligarch-owned Burisma. Forget the ’10 for the big guy.’ Nothing to see here — no jail time for Hunter. And now the administrative state can justify what it did to Trump. ‘Equal’ justice.”
When discussing the plea deal, former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley insisted it represents a “double standard for justice” in America.
“This plea deal only raises further questions about Hunter Biden’s crimes and the double standard of justice in our federal government,” said Haley in a statement. “There is a lot more the Biden family has to answer for.”
Hunter’s criminal counsel, Chris Clark from the law firm Clark Smith Villazor, stated, “With the announcement of two agreements between my client, Hunter Biden, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware, it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved.”
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when pursuant to a plea agreement,” said Clark. “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government.”
The younger Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. The investigation into his “tax affairs” started amid the discovery of suspicious activity reports (SARs) regarding funds from “China and other foreign nations.” The firearms charge stemmed from allegations that Hunter Biden lied during a 2018 gun purchase.
“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” said Ian Sams, White House spokesperson, in a Tuesday morning statement. “We will have no further comment.”
