President Joe Biden’s son Hunter may have negotiated a “sweetheart plea deal,” but he watched it fall apart in front of a judge over the summer — and on Thursday he had to finally face reality.
Now, Hunter Biden is entering a plea in one of California’s federal courts. Hunter is expected to plead not guilty to nine felony and misdemeanor offenses related to his taxes — alleged crimes that could carry serious jail time.
If convicted of the tax charges, Hunter Biden, 53, could receive a maximum of 17 years in prison.
The charges stem from what federal prosecutors say was a four-year scheme to skip out on paying the $1.4 million he owed to the IRS and instead use the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle that by his admission included regular abuse of illegal drugs and alcohol.
The plea deal, now defunct, would have given Hunter Biden two years’ probation in exchange for pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges. It also would have shielded him from prosecution on a gun-related charge.
Plus, the plea deal would have saved Hunter Biden an embarrassing spectacle, a trial during the 2024 campaign.
Hunter Biden’s original proposed plea deal with prosecutors had been pilloried as a “sweetheart deal” by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump.
The 45h president is facing his own federal charges — 91 counts across four criminal cases.
Following the collapse of Hunter Biden’s plea deal, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to handle the matter. A special counsel is tapped to handle cases in which the Justice Department perceives itself as having a conflict or where it’s deemed to be in the public interest to have a third party step in.
In parallel with Hunter’s upcoming trial, the House is pursuing an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
Republicans have described the impeachment inquiry as a necessary step given the extent of President Biden’s involvement in his son’s dealings.
Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, has claimed Special Counsel David Weiss was “bowing to Republican pressure.”
Some of Biden’s family members have made similar remarks.
In an interview that aired Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” First Lady Jill Biden claimed the treatment of her stepson was “cruel.”
Hunter Biden’s appearance in the California court on Thursday will also include a discussion over future court dates and filing deadlines.
In addition to the federal case in California, Hunter Biden has also been charged in Delaware with lying in October 2018 on a federal form for gun purchasers when he swore he wasn’t using or addicted to illegal drugs. He was using crack cocaine at the time. He’s also accused of possessing the gun illegally and has pleaded not guilty in that case.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.