President Joe Biden’s son Hunter is under indictment for nine tax-related charges, including one felony.
Hunter’s lawyer Abbe Lowell characterized the charges as politically motivated and moved to dismiss the indictment.
On Monday, a federal judge denied all eight of the motions to dismiss, in a major blow to Hunter’s case.
President Biden himself has already been invited to testify before the House Oversight Committee, as part of their investigation into the extent of the president’s involvement in his son’s business deals.
Now, after the judge’s decision, Hunter may need to stand trial — in the middle of his father’s campaign for president.
The judge, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, also dismissed Hunter’s claim about suffering an unfair, politically motivated prosecution. He said her remained unconvinced by Lowell’s claims related to the timing of the charges, leaks from IRS agents before their congressional testimonies, and the appointment of the special counsel overseeing the case.
Scarsi, one of former President Donald Trump’s appointees, wrote, “Defendant fails to present a reasonable inference, let alone clear evidence, of discriminatory effect and discriminatory purpose.”
The judge handed down his 82-page ruling after appearing skeptical in a three-hour hearing last month. He rejected the defense’s claims of selective prosecution, their characterization of the lead prosecutor as unfit, their concerns about violations of due process, and more.
The prosecution had also dismissed Hunter’s claims as far-fetched.
Hunter has pleaded not guilty to the tax-related charges filed in Los Angeles, and his legal team has vowed to keep fighting.
“We strongly disagree with the court’s decision and will continue to vigorously pursue Mr. Biden’s challenges,” Lowell said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Hunter has been charged in Delaware with illegally possessing a gun and lying on a federal form to buy a gun. He’s pleaded not guilty in that case, too, and his attorneys are also trying to toss the gun charge.
On his gun application form, Hunter denied his ongoing drug abuse, but later he wrote in his memoir about abusing crack cocaine at the time.
In both cases, special counsel David Weiss is leading the prosecution. The court has tentatively scheduled a trial for June, assuming Hunter’s defense attorneys are unable to get the Delaware case tossed out.
Both sets of charges come after a yearslong investigation, and they were expected to conclude in a highly controversial plea deal last year. As part of that deal, Hunter would have faced prosecution only for the tax charges, and he would have faced something like probation for the gun charge.
However, a federal judge in Delaware questioned the plea deal at a hearing last year, and prosecutors accused Hunter of neglecting to earn approval from a probation officer.
Defense attorneys have pointed to the prosecutor’s signature on the deal’s immunity provisions. Still, Hunter Biden saw his lenient, “sweetheart” implode in court.
Scarsi, for his part, sided with the prosecutors demanding a stamp of approval from a probation officer.
If convicted, Hunter Biden, 53, could face a maximum of 17 years behind bars… and he could severely damage his father’s public image during the campaign.
Take a look at the House Oversight Committee’s predictions for the future of the Biden image —
🚨BREAKING🚨
Chairman Comer has sent an official invite to President Joe Biden to testify before our committee.
President Biden must answer questions about his participation in his family’s pay-for-influence schemes. pic.twitter.com/0beosRoMlW
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) March 28, 2024
“The reason we want them here is three of their former associates have testified that Joe Biden was the central figure in the Biden influence scheme. We know the Bidens were influence peddling, we've proven that.” –@RepJamesComer pic.twitter.com/8iHR8JiGY6
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) April 1, 2024
The Associated Press contributed to this article.