Hunter Biden to plead guilty in criminal gun and tax case
- Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two criminal charges for failing to pay taxes.
- The Justice Department also brought a firearm possession charge against Joe Biden's son.
Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty in a criminal gun and tax case in a deal with the Justice Department.
In a court filing Tuesday, prosecutors in the US Attorney's office in Delaware said the son of President Joe Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two criminal counts for failing to pay income tax.
Prosecutors also brought a charge against Hunter Biden for being in possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. According to the filing, Biden agreed to enter a pretrial diversion program for that charge, meaning that prosecutors reserve the right to dismiss it at a later date if Biden seeks treatment.
It isn't yet clear when Biden will be required to show up in court to enter his guilty plea. Any plea deal would also have to be approved by a federal judge in Delaware, where the case was brought.
The gun charge, if prosecutors decide to bring it to trial, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison, according to a filing. Biden held on to a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver for less than two weeks before his then-girlfriend threw it away, according to the Washington Post.
Hunter Biden has openly discussed his substance abuse, a struggle that was put in vivid detail after some news outlets published photos and emails from his laptop. In his 2021 memoir, Biden wrote at length about using crack and the various ways he tried to scheme around drug tests while he was using — these admissions in the memoir helped fuel the gun charge that Biden ended up facing.
David Weiss, the US Attorney in Delaware, opened the investigation in 2018 during now-former President Donald Trump's administration. Hunter Biden reportedly failed to pay around $1.2 million in taxes in 2017 and 2018, but his attorneys say he has since paid the IRS the money in full. While US Attorneys typically resign en masse with each new presidential administration, the Justice Department under Biden asked Weiss to remain in his role.
It is unlikely that Tuesday's news will end Biden's struggles. Republicans, led by former President Donald Trump, have used the president's son as a cudgel against Joe Biden since the early days of the 2020 presidential campaign.
Just last week, Sen. Chuck Grassley said on the Senate floor that a foreign national who claims he bribed then-Vice President Joe Biden has 17 audio tapes of conversations discussing the alleged illicit dealings, though even some Republicans aren't clear if the tapes are legit. House Republicans, armed with their razor-thin majority, have also zeroed in on Hunter Biden through multiple probes.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has sought to portray his investigation as one of the president as his panel combs through Hunter Biden's financial records.
In a statement, the president and first lady expressed their continuing support for their son.
"The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life," White House spokesman Ian Sams said in a statement after the news broke. "We will have no further comment."
This story is developing and will be updated.