A Democratic congressman has admitted it is “clear” that First Son Hunter Biden broke the law and should be prosecuted.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a Friday night interview with MSNBC that “it’s clear he (Hunter) broke the law when it came to taxes and possibly owning a handgun.”
“He should be held accountable for this,” he said, also lashing out at his fellow Republicans who “never” would have made the same admission about the Trump family during the former’s tenure. president.
“If he (Hunter) took advantage of his father’s influence, he should be held accountable. And I stress that because you’ve never heard a Republican say the same thing about Donald Trump or his family,” he said.
His comments come days after a federal judge rejected a plea deal between Hunter Biden and the federal government on tax evasion and gun charges.
Hunter Biden’s plea deal collapsed last week in federal court in Delaware as a judge rejected its incredibly broad parameters. The first son ended up pleading not guilty to two counts of misdemeanor tax evasion
Himes argued there was no evidence left that President Joe Biden in any way colluded with Hunter over his crimes – but if evidence does come to light, it should be taken seriously.
“Now for the issue of impeachment, there is no evidence today, no evidence that Joe Biden, the President of the United States, knew what his son was doing. If, if he knew about it, if he participated in it, then it’s a very different conversation,’ he said.
The scandal-ridden first son is still under federal investigation and last week pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willfully non-paying income tax after a love plea deal fell apart in real time at the courthouse.
The White House said the president has supported and will continue to support his son throughout the investigation.
“Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him. As we said, the president, the first lady – they love their son and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“This case was handled independently, as you all know, by the Department of Justice under the direction of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President Trump.”
Jean-Pierre added that the president would not forgive his son, whose guilt remains in question.
Last Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika set fire to parts of the agreement during a three-hour hearing in her Wilmington courtroom.
She objected to a paragraph on any potential breaches of the agreement that could result in a prosecution for her gun charge – and which would decide whether Hunter was found guilty of breaching it.
Normally, prosecutors would make the decision. But in the language pushed by Hunter’s team, if the government believes there is a “conscious material breach” of the agreement, it will seek a ruling from U.S. District Judge of Delaware – Noreika.
They would seek a decision based on a “preponderance of the evidence” and, if they got one, they could sue for perjury, obstruction of justice or other criminal offences.
The judge called the deal “non-standard” and said it could be unconstitutional to give him a role normally performed by prosecutors themselves, who are part of the executive branch.
“I don’t want to violate the separation of powers or do anything (un)constitutional,” the judge said. She also said she has never seen a diversion agreement “so broad” that it encompasses crimes in another case.
On Friday, President Joe Biden mocked Republicans threatening to impeach him for his alleged involvement in his son Hunter’s business deals. The White House maintained that Biden was never “in business” with his son
“I thought Hunter Biden’s lawyers made it clear why they wanted the judge involved, which was to have that neutral party in the event that the Justice Department was under a different administration,” said former New York Southern District Attorney Jessica Roth. CN.
Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer, who is due to testify in Congress on Monday – behind closed doors – that Joe was part of the phone calls when Hunter struck lucrative overseas deals, adds to the family’s ongoing legal troubles. Biden.
Last month, the Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee released testimony from an IRS whistleblower saying Hunter invoked his father when he sent a threatening WhatsApp message to a Chinese businessman.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this week that an impeachment inquiry was possible — and his GOP colleagues have already expressed support.
The White House has maintained that Biden was never “in business” with his son.
However, the president actually said he never spoke to Hunter about the foreign deals.
Hunter is expected to return to federal court in several weeks to see if a judge will accept a new deal between prosecutors and his legal team.
