Hunter Biden will plead guilty to three federal crimes
Biden will plead guilty to federal crimes as part of a plea deal with the Justice Department to resolve tax and firearm crimes.
Biden, 53, was charged with illegally owning a firearm in 2018 after lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun.
Biden was also charged with failing to file and pay taxes in 2017 and 2018, which are misdemeanor offenses.
Documents from the Justice Department confirm that Biden will enter a pre-trial diversion agreement for the firearm offense.
But the White House has been preparing for any potential political fallout related to charges against Hunter Biden since early May, as lawyers representing Biden met with top federal prosecutors in Delaware in April.
Key events
Trump comments on Hunter Biden plea deal
Donald Trump has commented on charges filed against Hunter Biden, comparing the plea deal struck to a traffic ticket.
In a post made by Trump to social media platform Truth Social, Trump said: “Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere ‘traffic ticket.’ Our system is BROKEN!”
Make America Great Again Inc, a super pac that supports Trump, also released a statement calling the agreement a “sweetheart deal” to “make their bogus case to ‘get Trump’ appear fair.”
Republican lawmakers have publicly criticized a plea deal Hunter Biden will enter for tax and firearm charges, as investigations in Biden and his family are expected to ramp up.
In a statement, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer called Biden’s charges a “slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery”.
🚨🚨🚨
Hunter Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery.
Read my full statement.👇 pic.twitter.com/9swtTaUUQu
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) June 20, 2023
Illinois representative Mary Miller called Biden’s expected plea a “sweetheart deal from the DOJ that shields “THE BIG GUY” Joe Biden from the Biden foreign bribery operation”.
🚨Hunter Biden is receiving a sweetheart deal from the DOJ that shields “THE BIG GUY” Joe Biden from the Biden foreign bribery operation. The cash & diamonds he didn’t pay taxes on came from CHINA, RUSSIA & UKRAINE. No FARA foreign agent charges? TWO SYSTEMS OF JUSTICE!
— Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) June 20, 2023
Joe Biden and first lady say they love and support their son, White House says
The White House issued a statement on Hunter Biden’s charges, amid Justice Department filing confirming that Biden will enter a plea deal for tax crimes and a federal gun offense.
A White House spokesperson said in a statement: “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
White House statement from @IanSams: “The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
— Ken Thomas (@KThomasDC) June 20, 2023
Chris Clark, the lawyer representing Hunter Biden, has released a statement following charges filed against Biden.
According to a statement shared with CNN, Clark acknowledged that Biden was charged with two misdemeanor tax crimes that were resolved in a plea agreement and one federal firearm charge, that was subject to a pre-trial diversion agreement.
Calling the five-year investigation into Biden “resolved”, Clark added: “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
From CNN’s Manu Raju:
Hunter Biden will plead guilty to three federal crimes
Biden will plead guilty to federal crimes as part of a plea deal with the Justice Department to resolve tax and firearm crimes.
Biden, 53, was charged with illegally owning a firearm in 2018 after lying about his drug use when he purchased a gun.
Biden was also charged with failing to file and pay taxes in 2017 and 2018, which are misdemeanor offenses.
Documents from the Justice Department confirm that Biden will enter a pre-trial diversion agreement for the firearm offense.
But the White House has been preparing for any potential political fallout related to charges against Hunter Biden since early May, as lawyers representing Biden met with top federal prosecutors in Delaware in April.
Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, will plead guilty to three federal crimes on Tuesday, according to Justice Department.
Biden is pleading guilty to two counts of wilful failure to pay income tax and a separate federal firearm offense, reports Reuters.
This story is breaking. Follow the blog for more updates.
It promises to be another very busy week in American political news and we’ll bring you all the developments as they happen.
Here’s what’s also happening:
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Judge Aileen Cannon, presiding in Donald Trump’s federal criminal case over his keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office and allegedly refusing to return them and obstructing the related investigation, has set a trial date of August 14 this year. Trump was only arraigned on dozens of charges last week.
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Joe Biden is very much out on the 2024 election campaign trail. He’s in California, where yesterday he spoke about climate action and today he’s speaking about seizing the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI).
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Special counsel John Durham, who ran “an investigation into an investigation” at the behest of the Trump administration, reviewing the Trump-Russia inquiry (and finding very little of substance) is due to testify at 3pm ET before the (Republican-controlled) House intelligence committee.