Hunter Biden requests dismissal of tax charges

Hunter Biden’s legal team will argue in front of a U.S. judge on Wednesday to have the criminal case against him dismissed. He is accused of evading $1.4 million in taxes, with his lawyers claiming that prosecutors gave in to political pressure from Republican lawmakers investigating his father, President Joe Biden.

The defense will present various legal challenges, including the assertion that Hunter was singled out by prosecutors due to Republican scrutiny and backlash over previous lenient treatment. Hunter Biden, 54, has pleaded not guilty to the charges of failing to pay taxes between 2016 and 2019, despite allegedly spending large sums on drugs, escorts, and luxury items. His attorney has stated that he repaid the full amount owed.

The trial is scheduled to begin in June, preceding a tightly contested and highly divisive November presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who is facing multiple criminal trials. Hunter Biden, the first child of a sitting president to face such charges, is also involved in a separate criminal case in Delaware related to his alleged purchase of a handgun while under the influence of illegal substances. He has entered a not guilty plea in that case as well.

Special Counsel David Weiss, responsible for both cases, has accused Hunter Biden’s legal team of promoting “conspiracy theories” related to the prosecution. He has emphasized that the Department of Justice, under the Biden administration, does not operate based on directives from Republican lawmakers.

The tax indictment against Hunter Biden highlights his foreign business dealings, which are being investigated by House Republicans in an impeachment inquiry to determine if Joe Biden benefited from his son’s actions. Thus far, no evidence has been found to suggest the president gained personally from Hunter’s activities.

Hunter Biden is also challenging the charges on the grounds that Weiss, who has been investigating him since 2019, was not properly appointed as special counsel. Originally nominated by former President Donald Trump as U.S. attorney in Delaware, Weiss was later appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland, nominated by Joe Biden.

The defense team for Hunter Biden is also arguing that the case should be dismissed based on a previous plea deal that fell through last year. The deal involved Hunter pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, but prosecutors claim it was never finalized.