Federal agents probing Hunter Biden have obtained what they claim is “sufficient evidence” to charge the 52-year-old with tax crimes and lying about his drug abuse to buy a gun, according to The Washington Post.
The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying that the final decision on whether to file the charges against Biden junior will be made by Delaware Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed to his current post by former US President Donald Trump.
The sources claimed that the agents had determined “months ago” that they had gathered “a viable criminal case” against Hunter Biden, but that it’s up to prosecutors at the Justice Department whether to file charges.
According to the insiders, Attorney General Merrick Garland pledged that there will be no political or otherwise improper interference in the Hunter Biden case, and has not moved to push Weiss to make a decision on the accusations.
The WaPo likewise noted that “It is not uncommon for Justice Department investigations to take years to finish,” and that its policy “would require any criminal tax charges to be approved by the department’s tax division”.
A Weiss spokesman, along with the Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and International Revenue Service (IRS), have not commented on the matter yet.
Hunter Biden lawyer Chris Clark, for his part, argued in a statement that “It is a federal felony for a federal agent to leak information about a Grand Jury investigation such as this one”. Referring to the WaPo, he added that “any agent you cite as a source in your article apparently has committed such a felony”.
“We expect the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors. As is proper and legally required, we believe the prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense. That is the job of the prosecutors. They should not be pressured, rushed, or criticized for doing their job,” Clark said.
Conservatives have meanwhile quipped at the news on Twitter as they referred to Hunter Biden's “laptop from Hell” saga being hushed up as so-called "Russian disinformation" ahead of the 2020 election.
Washington Examiner Executive Editor Seth Mandel tweeted that he was “looking forward to the ‘obviously a Russian disinfo op’ letter signed by all the decorated intel officials”. Radio host Jason Rantz joked that, “Obviously, the Russians are involved in setting up Hunter Biden! Also the Saudis! And even Q-Anon!"
Actor Daniel Bostic, for his part, argued that “Charging Hunter Biden for tax and firearm crimes is like charging Harvey Weinstein for mortgage fraud”. Disgraced Hollywood producer Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years behind bars in March 2020 for predatory behavior, sexual harassment and rape against several dozen women.
Federal Probe Into Hunter Biden Underway
The WaPo report came after US media cited unnamed sources as saying that the federal probe into Hunter Biden, which has been in place since 2018, had reached a “critical juncture” in August, and that investigators were weighing whether to charge the president's son.
The sources asserted that prosecutors were focused on tax- and gun-related charges against the POTUS’ son. The firearm charge relates to at least one false statement made by Hunter in his procurement of a weapon. It is believed Joe Biden’s son should have been prohibited from purchasing a firearm due to his self-professed struggle with drug addiction.
1 September 2022, 22:10 GMT
The investigation specifically looks into the contents of the “laptop from Hell,” including compromising emails, naked photos and graphic videos that have been released since 2020, when the New York Post was the first to make public several emails from the device, which was allegedly abandoned by Hunter at a repair shop in Delaware.
The laptop yielded details about potentially illegal activities by the president’s son, ranging from parties with prostitutes to “business deals” involving the trading of cash for access to his father during the latter's tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president.
Joe Biden has repeatedly dismissed any knowledge of his son’s business activities, and most news outlets and social media companies successfully shielded him from the laptop-related revelations ahead of the 2020 presidential election campaign, when they were rejected as part of a “Russian disinformation operation”. Earlier this year, however, the New York Times and The Washington Post made a U-turn, confirming that the laptop was authentic and that the damning information contained within was genuine.