On Tuesday, officials announced that Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax.
In addition to the tax misdemeanors, Hunter also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement for a separate firearm possession charge by a person unlawfully using or addicted to controlled substances.
Chris Clark, Hunter’s attorney, 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.”
The announcements brought swift and harsh criticism from conservatives, charging the DOJ with providing Hunter Biden with preferential treatment.
Former President Donald Trump blasted the plea agreement, calling it a mere “traffic ticket” and claiming the agreement evidences political bias and corruption within the DOJ. Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“They gave him a traffic ticket and cleared everything up. 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.”
Several Republican presidential candidates have condemned the DOJ’s deal with Hunter Biden, describing it as a “sweetheart deal” and indicative of a “two-tiered system of justice.”
Notable critics include Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and conservative radio personality Larry Elder. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott characterized Biden’s legal treatment as a “slap on the wrist,” while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley suggested that it raises more questions than it answers.
In a news conference in Sweden on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked if the legal deal represented a “different standard of justice.” The Attorney General responded by referring inquiries about the case to the U.S. Attorney assigned to the investigation.
Garland said: “From the moment of my appointment as Attorney General, I [determined to] leave this matter in the hands of the United States Attorney, who was appointed by the previous president, and assigned to this matter by the previous administration, that he would be given full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate, and that’s what he’s done.”
Garland added: “If you have any further questions about that matter, you should direct them to the U.S. attorney to explain his decision.”
The charges against Hunter Biden follow a lengthy investigation by the Federal District of Delaware into alleged failures in tax payments and misinformation on a federal firearm application.
Though the plea deal appears to resolve that case, Hunter Biden is also under scrutiny for controversial business dealings during his tenure on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.
David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware asserts the investigation is “ongoing.”
