President Joe Biden’s troubled son Hunter will plead guilty to two federal crimes for willfully failing to pay federal income tax and is also entering a pretrial diversion agreement related to illegally possessing a weapon.
Hunter’s agreement in connection with a charge of possession of a firearm by a person who is a user or addict of illegal drugs often calls for the related criminal charge to be dismissed if a defendant complies with the conditions of the deal for a set period of time.
It is considered unusual to resolve a federal criminal case at the same time the charges are filed in court, though it is not totally unheard of.
Critics quickly complained that it was a “sweetheart deal” — but it still doesn’t completely stop Hunter’s legal woes.
The deal does end a long-running Justice Department investigation into Biden’s second son and averts a trial that would have generated days or weeks of distracting headlines for a White House that has struggled with crashing approval ratings. It also likely avoids any jail time for Hunter.
But congressional Republicans are pursuing their own investigations into years of Hunter Biden’s shady business dealings, including examining foreign payments and other aspects of his finances.
“I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life,” Christopher Clark, a lawyer for the younger Biden, said in a statement that it was his understanding that the five-year investigation had now been resolved.
“He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward,” Clark said.
For years, Joe Biden has dodged questions about his son’s business dealings and drug addiction.
The gun charge states that Hunter Biden possessed a handgun, a Colt Cobra 38 special, despite knowing he was a drug user for 11 days in October 2018. The count carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the Justice Department says Hunter Biden has reached a pretrial agreement on that charge.
Full details were not immediately available.
The White House had no immediate comment on the case.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article