Indictment Expected for Hunter Biden in Gun Charges
Special counsel David Weiss is planning to seek an indictment against Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, for gun charges by the end of the month, according to the Justice Department. This follows a previous deal that Hunter Biden had reached regarding a felony gun possession charge, which would have allowed him to avoid prosecution if he met certain conditions over a 24-month period. However, the deal fell apart in court when his plea deal to resolve two tax charges also collapsed. As a result, the future of the gun deal has been uncertain.
The Speedy Trial Act requires the government to obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The special counsel’s office stated that they intend to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date. The exact number of charges that will be brought against Hunter Biden has not been disclosed by the prosecutors.
Hunter Biden’s gun-related legal troubles stem from a firearm he purchased in October 2018. During the purchase, he lied on a federal form by stating that he was not using, and was not addicted to, any illegal drugs, despite struggling with crack cocaine addiction at the time. Lying on the ATF form or possessing a firearm as a drug user is a federal crime. The statute of limitations for some of these offenses is set to expire in October.
David Weiss has been leading the investigation into Hunter Biden since late 2018. His team has been looking into potential felony tax evasion, illegal foreign lobbying, money laundering, and other matters related to Hunter Biden’s overseas business deals. In June, it appeared that the probe was winding down when Weiss announced an agreement in which Hunter Biden would plead guilty to two federal tax misdemeanors and enter into a “diversion agreement” that would drop the gun charge in two years if he passed drug tests and stayed out of legal trouble.
However, the deal faced scrutiny from the federal judge overseeing the case and eventually fell apart at a court hearing in July. Efforts to renegotiate the agreement reached an impasse, leading Attorney General Merrick Garland to elevate David Weiss to special counsel status in August, escalating the probe.
In addition to the gun case, Weiss is also considering whether to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes. He mentioned in a court filing last month that a trial is now in order for the tax offenses and that he may bring tax charges, possibly in California or Washington, DC.
House Republicans have made their first official request to Hunter Biden’s attorneys for documents related to the defunct plea agreement. The request marks a new chapter for the House Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees, which have been investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings for months without finding direct evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden. If the requested documents are not provided, the committees may seek testimony from Hunter Biden and his attorneys.
The documents being sought include communications between David Weiss and other DOJ officials regarding the potential charges against Hunter Biden, drafts of the proposed plea agreement and immunity language, and emails between Hunter Biden’s attorneys and The New York Times and Politico, among other materials. Hunter Biden’s attorneys have until September 20 to respond to the request.
This story is developing, and additional updates will be provided.
Sources:
– CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/hunter-biden-indictment-gun-charges/index.html
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