Hunter Biden, long facing criminal counts for allegedly lying on a federal form that is required when individuals buy guns, was set earlier this summer to get a sweetheart deal where federal prosecutors would give him a diversion program and drop the criminal case.
That collapsed when a judge questioned an apparent blanket immunity provision, and now Biden is facing three counts related to the incident in which he claimed not to have been a user of illicit drugs when he bought the weapon.
He later provided evidence against himself when he wrote in a book that he was, in fact, a user at that time.
Now a report at Fox News confirms he’s been indicted.
“Biden was charged with making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm; false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer; and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance”, the report explained.
The failed deal had come from prosecutor David Weiss, before he was made “special counsel” on the issue. The plan had been for Hunter Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanors and get a diversion program, and in return escape liability for a long list of tax charges for failing to pay taxes on millions in income, and a felony gun charge.
CNBC reported the charges are in US District Court in Delaware.
Merrick Garland, Joe Biden’s attorney general, handed Weiss the “special counsel” designation after the failed deal.
The investigation of Hunter Biden was begun in 2018, and concerned charges he took in millions of dollars in income and never paid taxes on the money. He also is accused of lying on a routine federal form when he applied to buy a handgun.
Republicans, pointing out that others facing the same charges have ended up in jail, called it a “sweetheart” deal and a U.S. district judge rejected it because it could have been interpreted to prevent Hunter Biden from facing any future charges regarding other crimes.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reported legal experts criticized the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter Biden case.
Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, told the DCNF plea agreement would have caused “too much of a political backlash” if the terms revealed in court were written down.
“The Biden Justice Department’s sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden couldn’t even withstand basic questioning by a friendly Delaware federal judge,” Davis told the DCNF. “That’s because we now know there was an even sweeter secret deal: today was supposed to be the end of all criminal charges involving the Biden family. They were going to protect President Biden by sweeping under the rug today in Delaware all the Biden family crimes.
“The Biden Justice Department couldn’t write that into the plea agreement, because it would cause too much of a political backlash”, Davis continued. “And the Biden DOJ could continue to pretend they are investigating Biden crimes–and continue to protect the Bidens by rebuffing congressional inquiries under the false claim of an ‘ongoing investigation’”.
The New York Post reported that in October 2018 Hunter Biden’s sister-in-law-turned-lover, Hallie Biden, allegedly tossed Hunter’s .38-caliber revolver in a dumpster outside a grocery store in Wilmington, Del.
Hallie, who had been married to Hunter’s late brother Beau Biden, reportedly claimed in text messages that she was afraid her boyfriend would “use” the gun, the report said.
National Review reported when Hunter Biden answered “no” to the question, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?” he may have committed a felony.
