Judge Rejects Hunter Biden's Dismissal Request
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Facts
- A US District Judge on Monday refused to dismiss Hunter Biden’s request to have his federal tax evasion case dropped. Pres. Joe Biden’s son is accused of failing to pay $1.4M in taxes and could face up to 17 years in prison.1
- Judge Mark Scarsi sided with special counsel David Weiss' disagreement with Biden's argument that the indictments against him are politically motivated.2
- In an 82-page order, Scarsi rejected all of Hunter’s eight motions to dismiss the case, writing there was 'virtually no evidence' to the theory that Weiss’ office exhibited anti-Biden bias. Scarsi also called the motion 'remarkable' since it failed to include any evidence.3
- Previously, Biden’s attorneys argued to dismiss the case due to a plea agreement reached in June 2023, but a Delaware district court judge threw the deal out of the court.4
- Scarsi said that the agreement between Biden and federal prosecutors was never valid because a probation officer never signed it.5
- The case is scheduled to begin in June, with Biden looking to defend himself against nine felony and misdemeanor tax charges. He also faces a June trial in Delaware for allegedly lying on a federal form to illegally buy a firearm. He's looking to have that case dismissed.6
Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2CBS, 3CNN, 4Daily Caller, 5Local3News.com and 6KRCG.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. Biden may be shocked that he wasn't able to use his privilege to have this case dismissed, but his weak attempt has fallen flat on its face. It's about time Biden is being held accountable for not paying his taxes. But there's still a strong chance the Democrat-sympathizing Justice Department will still do what it can to go easy on the president's son.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Newsweek. Whatever crimes or misdemeanors the younger Biden has committed, he's an adult and should have to face the music if found guilty. Republicans' attempts to tie Joe Biden to Hunter's missteps, though, are nothing but hypocritical conspiracy theories from the party backing multi-time-indicted former Pres. Donald Trump for the 2024 election.