Hunter Biden Indicted on 9 Tax Charges

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Facts

  • Hunter Biden, son of Pres. Joe Biden, Thursday was indicted in California on nine tax charges — three felonies and six misdemeanors — as a result of special counsel David Weiss' investigation.1
  • The younger Biden faces state charges of failing to pay at least $1.4M in self-assessed taxes between 2016 and 2019, and evading a tax assessment in 2018 when he filed returns that were falsified.2
  • Previously, Biden in October pleaded not guilty in a federal court in Delaware to gun charges brought by Weiss’ probe.3
  • The 56-page indictment said Biden 'spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills.'4
  • These charges come after earlier this year Biden's plea deal fell through, with a judge calling it 'unusual.' Also, two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers told Congress they thought Biden should've been charged with tax crimes that were more stark.5
  • Meanwhile, US House Republicans are continuing their impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, with Hunter's overseas business dealings at the center of their suspicions. So far there has been no evidence of Joe Biden's involvement in his son's dealings.6

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2USA Today, 3FOX News, 4Guardian, 5BBC News and 6CNN.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. These charges prove that the IRS whistleblowers and GOP have been right all along about the Biden Dept. of Justice (DOJ) being in the bag for the administration. The DOJ got caught offering the president's son a sweetheart deal, so now Hunter Biden must face the consequences of his actions and there must be more investigation into what else the president is hiding.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. If anything, the DOJ's extraordinary decision to charge the president’s son shows that justice is being served. While these charges are serious, they pale in comparison to what former Pres. Trump and his Republican allies had predicted. Although the current president's reelection campaign might deal with some distractions from Hunter's case, Joe Biden is not named anywhere in this indictment, as opposed to his likely opponent, Trump, who is facing dozens of indictments in multiple jurisdictions.

Predictions