Hunter Biden agrees to plead guilty to charges in federal tax, gun case
Hunter Biden has agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors on misdemeanor charges and will likely avoid jail time.
Former President Trump said Tuesday that the plea agreement reached with Hunter Biden amounts to a "traffic ticket" for President Biden's son, and said it shows the justice system in the United States is "corrupt."
"They gave him a traffic ticket and cleared everything up," Trump told Fox News Digital after Biden's plea deal was announced. "It is a disgrace to the system, it is a disgrace to America, it is a very unfair situation, it is prosecutorial misconduct, and it is election interference — all wrapped up into one."
Under he agreement announced by U.S. attorney for Delaware David Weiss, Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax. Biden also agreed to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement regarding a separate charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
Trump, who last week pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records, said if his one of his sons were under investigation "it would be a different world."
HUNTER BIDEN AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY IN FEDERAL TAX, GUN CASE
A plea deal was announced Tuesday that will allow Hunter Biden, third from left, avoid jail time related to two tax misdemeanors and a felony gun charge. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
"This is a corrupt justice system and a corrupt FBI," Trump said, adding that one of his family members would likely be facing "hundreds of years."
Weiss' office indicated that without a plea agreement, Hunter Biden would face a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison on each of the two tax charges, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the firearm charge. The deal still has to be approved by a judge.
"A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors," Weiss' office said.
"The investigation is ongoing," the office said in a statement Tuesday.
TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE
Hunter's criminal counsel, Chris Clark of Clark Smith Villazor, said that "with the announcement of two agreements between my client, Hunter Biden, and the Unites States Attorney's Office for the District of Delaware, it is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved."
"Hunter will take responsibility for two instances of misdemeanor failure to file tax payments when due pursuant to a plea agreement," Clark said. "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."
Former U.S. President Trump said if one of his family members faced the charges against Hunter Biden, they would likely be facing "hundreds of years." (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018. That investigation into his "tax affairs" began amid the discovery of suspicious activity reports (SARs) regarding funds from "China and other foreign nations."
The firearms charge stemmed from allegations that Hunter Biden lied during a gun purchase in 2018.
A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden's late son, Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school.
A firearm transaction report reviewed by Fox News indicated that Hunter Biden purchased a gun earlier that month.
Hunter Biden seen here as his father is sworn in as president in 2021. (KEVIN DIETSCH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Hunter Biden was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine.
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"The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life," White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement Tuesday morning. "We will have no further comment."
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