Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty To Gun Charges.
Hunter Biden was arrested and pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges in Delaware Tuesday—
marking the latest development in a long-running case that went awry for the president’s son in July when a plea deal he struck with prosecutors unraveled.
KEY FACTS
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to three charges: lying about his drug use on federal paperwork required to purchase a gun, lying to the gun dealer and illegally possessing the gun in 2018 while he was addicted to drugs.
The charges carry a combined maximum penalty of $750,000 in fines and 25 years in prison.Biden, who was accompanied in court by his attorney Abbe Lowell, was released following the brief hearing on conditions he would not possess a gun or use drugs or alcohol.
KEY BACKGROUND
Hunter Biden was indicted last month following a probe that began in 2020 into his financial dealings that expanded to encompass his taxes and the 2018 gun purchase. Prosecutors and Biden’s legal team announced in June they had reached an agreement for Biden to enter a diversion program to evade the gun charges and separately plead guilty to failing to file taxes in 2017 and 2018. The plea agreements were called off, however, over a disagreement between prosecutors and Biden’s legal team about future immunity.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Weiss’ office is expected to file new tax-related charges against Biden in jurisdictions outside 9f Delaware, possibly California or Washington, D.C., following the plea deal’s demise. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the two tax charges in court in July, when the plea deal was called off, and a judge later dismissed them, allowing Weiss to potentially bring charges in another jurisdiction.
TANGENT
House Republicans leading the GOP’s impeachment inquiry into whether President Joe Biden used his influence to aid Hunter Biden’s business dealings have accused the Justice Department of being lenient on Hunter Biden and unfairly prosecuting former President Donald Trump. They have pointed to IRS whistle-blowers who have said Weiss’ office slow-walked its probe into Biden and was blocked from bringing charges in jurisdictions outside of Delaware, because he was beholden to a higher power at the Justice Department who was working on behalf of the president. Other IRS officials have disputed those claims in testimony before the House committee leading the impeachment investigation, stating that they did not recall Weiss denying that he was the decision maker in the case—and Weiss has denied the allegations
