Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes, lying about gun purchase

WASHINGTON (TND) — Hunter Biden has reached a deal with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to two minor tax crimes and a false statement related to a gun purchase, according to court documents.

The investigation into President Joe Biden's son began in 2018 and became a focal point for Donald Trump during his 2020 reelection efforts. While the deal will bring an end to the DOJ investigation if a judge signs off, it will likely only intensify Republican investigations into the president and his family and ramp up the political pressure over what they see as a politicization of the Justice Department.

The White House did not comment on the deal other than to say the president and first lady support Hunter Biden.

“The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.

Originally, an investigation focused on Hunter Biden's finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work.

As part of the agreement, he will plead guilty to failure to pay federal income tax and is expected to reach an agreement with prosecutors on the felony charge of illegally owning a firearm as a drug user.

“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," Christopher Clark, a lawyer for the younger Biden, said in a statement that it was his understanding that the five-year investigation had now been resolved.

"He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward,” Clark said.

The gun charge states that Hunter Biden possessed a handgun, a Colt Cobra 38 special, despite knowing he was a drug user for 11 days in October 2018. The count carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the Justice Department says Hunter Biden has reached a pretrial agreement on that charge. Full details were not immediately available.

The investigation was led by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by Trump in 2018.

House Republicans have made the president's son's business dealings a key issue since taking the House majority after the 2022 midterm elections. Led by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and the House Oversight Committee, lawmakers have been holding hearing and investigating the president and his family for months.

Comer criticized the plea deal, which may lead to Hunter Biden serving no jail time, as a "slap on the wrist" and said the committee's investigation into the family will continue.

“Let’s be clear: the Department of Justice’s charges against President Biden’s son Hunter reveals a two-tiered system of justice," Comer said in a statement. "Hunter Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery. These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on the Oversight Committee’s investigation. We will not rest until the full extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s schemes are revealed.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said the deal would not impact Comer's investigation into Biden's family and echoed other complaints about what they described as a "two-tiered justice system."

"If you are the president's leading political opponent, DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. If you are the president's son, you get a sweetheart deal," he said.

In an appearance on MSNBC, Clark rebutted accusations made by Republicans and addressed McCarthy's comments directly.

“I’ve heard Speaker McCarthy say a lot of stuff I don’t agree with. There was no basis for what he said. And he’s not right,” he said.

Trump, who was just arraigned on 37 charges in connection to the DOJ investigation into classified documents, said the president's son was getting off easy in a post on Truth Social.

"Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere "traffic ticket." Our system is BROKEN!" he wrote.