After a bizarrely protracted five-year investigation, the federal government has reached a plea deal with President Biden's son, Hunter. Under its terms, Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and manage to bypass prosecution on a separate gun-related charge. The agreement is widely expected to allow the younger Biden to avoid any time behind bars. A few initial reactions to the news:
(1) Even if the feds did everything by the book -- and I've seen numerous analysts calling into question the length of this probe, especially given the lenient outcome -- this outcome is sure to raise eyebrows and hackles:
I’ll leave it to legal experts to weigh in on the deal’s substance & propriety— but so much for the president’s “did nothing wrong” assertions. A pardon seems likely, doesn’t it?
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) June 20, 2023
Are allegations about the many dubious foreign financial dealings under separate investigation?
(2) On that final question I posed, there appears to be a dispute. A federal prosecutor says the "investigation is ongoing," while an attorney for Hunter says the matter is "resolved." If this is the resolution to the tax crimes and gun purchase matters, what else is being looked into? Any of the suspicious foreign business dealings and related items, such as failing to register as a foreign agent? In other words, is this the first shoe to drop, or do the other allegations magically go away under a no-prison plea deal that took half-a-decade to reach, for some reason (as an internal whistleblower accused the administration of improperly handling the issue, including special, disparate treatment for the president's son)? Law professor Jonathan Turley has similar questions:
...Weiss is a respected and serious prosecutor. The question is whether the influence peddling allegations were part of his mandate and whether there is any ongoing investigation into those matters. Hunter Biden's lawyer has said that they believe that this now closes any further…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 20, 2023
(3) My understanding is that under the arrangement with prosecutors, Hunter Biden won't be forced to enter any plea on what appears to be a clear-cut case of lying on a gun purchase form -- which is illegal:
Lying on a federal firearm background check form carries up to 10 years in prison and is a felony. Not for Hunter Biden.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) June 20, 2023
Bear in mind that in addition to apparently skating on this gun crime (remember, this is the son of the "gun safety" president), the DOJ apparently also chose not to pursue a separate gun charge:
Worth noting that the addict in possession of a weapon charge is very rarely brought.
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) June 20, 2023
It’s been used as a catch-all for white supremacists in the past when the feds needed something to stick.
So when the feds really want to nail someone, they pursue the charge, otherwise it's "very rarely brought," as was the case here. I'll also remind you that Hunter's gun was dangerously disposed of in a publicly-accessible dumpster near a school, by his girlfriend and sister-and-law (the same woman). The Secret Service is alleged to have interfered with the resulting investigation, to boot. It appears as though the entire episode will result in no charges whatsoever, let alone the prospect for a prison sentence of up to a decade.
(4) To the extent that it can be credibly argued, with examples, that this is a sweetheart deal (as a non-expert layperson, it certainly looks that way to me), other concerns here include institutional credibility and the appearance of political interference. Joe Biden is the leader of the executive branch. He presides over the administration, including the Justice Department. He asserted on national television that his son had done "nothing wrong," while an investigation was underway. Just as Biden decreed his preferred outcome in the phony Border Patrol "whipping" episode (and his underlings found a way to punish the targets of Biden's misplaced indignation), Biden unethically telegraphed how he wanted his son's case to end up. Outcome: No jail time, limited charges, and a likely pardon. It's no wonder many Americans will question if this constitutes equal justice.
(5) Finally, I'm sure you'll be shocked to learn that Hunter Biden has also reportedly been less than forthcoming about the timing of all of this:
one bit: Hunter 1st learned of the investigation in late 2018, after the DoJ subpoenaed one of his financial institutions, a source familiar told Axios.
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 20, 2023
The investigation didn't become public until after the 2020 election
At that time, Hunter obscured how long he had known. pic.twitter.com/txMLYhvSp2
He knew about an investigation into him in 2018. We didn't learn about its existence until just after the 2020 election, during the course of which the Biden campaign and their protectors in the 'news' media and Big Tech censored a true report about an authentic laptop containing seriously problematic information -- with the help of dozens of former intelligence officials, as orchestrated by Team Biden. Quite a set of facts.