Indirectly, former president Trump may have some influence over the outcome of Hunter Biden’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors signed last week.
Biden arranged to submit guilty pleas to two tax-related misdemeanors and a typically felony charge involving an unauthorized firearms purchase. Others who have committed comparable crimes, in this instance providing false information on a federal background check form, have been sentenced to prison.
Obviously, this is the son of Democrat Joe Biden.
The plea agreement was negotiated by Delaware’s U.S. attorney, David Weiss, whose office claimed it is still investigating Biden’s firearms purchase. Weiss stated in a statement that “between approximately October 12, 2018 and October 23, 2018, Hunter Biden possessed a firearm despite knowing that he was an illegal user and addict of a controlled substance.”
Regarding the tax penalties, Biden neglected to pay income tax on incomes of approximately $1.5 million per year for the years 2017 and 2018. CNN reported earlier this week that Biden would appear at some point to plead guilty to the charges.
“Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement,” according to his attorney Chris Clark.
Clark continued, “A firearm charge, which will be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement and will not be the subject of the plea agreement, will also be filed by the Government,” and that Hunter Biden “believes it is important to take responsibility” for errors he claimed were “made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life.”
A “pretrial diversion agreement” indicates that Biden is unlikely to be sentenced to prison and is more likely to receive probation. Trump appointed Judge Maryellen Noreika of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in December 2017. In August 2018, she was confirmed by the Senate, which granted her its sanction. Also highly contentious is the plea agreement for the tax charges.
ABC News reports that the judge has mandated Hunter’s presence in court on July 26. The plea agreement reached between he and the Department of Justice will then be presented to her for approval or rejection.
ABC reports that she has contributed to political candidates from both major parties. Among them are Hillary Clinton, the late John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton.
President Trump responded almost immediately to the news of Hunter’s plea bargain on Truth Social, stating:
“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!”
More on this story via The Republic Brief:
Hunter Biden’s attorney, Christopher Clark, was interviewed after the plea was revealed. CONTINUE READING…