Special counsel David Weiss unveiled nine federal tax-related charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday, more than four months after the plea deal. derailed by a federal judge.
Biden’s son will return to court facing three new felony charges and six misdemeanor counts related to tax evasion and filing false returns, but he will escape sanctions related to foreign influence peddling involving his father at the White House.
Hunter Biden’s plea deal collapsed in July after confusion over whether Biden would receive broad immunity from potential future charges. The original plea deal was limited to two tax offenses and a felony firearms charge, the latter of which would have been dismissed if he had remained sober and not committed other crimes for 24 months .
The Biden family, however, raked more than $20 million from foreign oligarchs, including China, Russia and Kazakhstan, through a series of shell companies, many of which were created while Joe Biden was vice president. The Biden family’s influence-peddling schemes are now at the center of a congressional impeachment inquiry into the president.
Whistleblowers involved in the Internal Revenue Service’s federal tax investigation say the investigation suffered undue interference of the Ministry of Justice, which left the most serious crimes off the table. In November, House Republicans officially serving on the Judiciary Committee subpoenaed one of Weiss’ top deputies, Delaware Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf. Wolf is expected to appear before lawmakers next week.
“Information available to the committee suggests that you – either directly or by instructing others – were responsible for numerous decisions to deviate from standard investigative protocol during the Department’s investigation of Hunter Biden ” wrote House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. .
Hunter Biden was also officially subpoenaed to testify before lawmakers in the lower house. On Wednesday, Jordan, along with House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky, threatened to detain Hunter Biden. contempt for his refusal to comply with the legislators’ request. Hunter Biden’s lawyer proposed only allowing testimony in a public forum. House Republicans denied responded to the request, but said Hunter Biden would have to hold a public hearing at a later date after a closed-door deposition.
“Mr. Biden’s attempt to avoid appearing for a deposition under the terms of the subpoenas – by instead offering to testify in a public hearing – amounts to a demand that he receive special treatment from the commissions’ share,” the lawmakers wrote. “Mr. Biden will not succeed in dictating to the commissions how they will conduct their investigation.