Prosecutors announce plan to indict Joe Biden's son Hunter by end of month
Federal prosecutors said they plan to bring an indictment related to gun charges against US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, by as early as the end of this month, in a bombshell announcement.
While the exact charges are still unclear, a court filing revealed that the indictment will be issued before September 29. The specific charges that special counsel David Weiss will bring against Hunter Biden were not revealed in the filing made in US District Court in Delaware, although the Justice Department said these will be gun-related.
More specifically, it is understood that the charges will be related to a gun possession charge in which he was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user. The new filing comes six weeks after Hunter's planned plea deal to resolve charges of tax and weapons crimes fell apart when a judge questioned its conditions.
The court filing stated: "The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date."
US Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, newly named a special counsel in the case, referred to the new indictment in a status report required by Judge Maryellen Noreika.
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President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden arrive at Fort McNair in June (AP)Defence attorneys have argued that an agreement sparing Hunter Biden from prosecution on a felony gun charge remains in place. It was part of a plea deal on misdemeanour tax offences that fell apart during a court appearance in July.
Biden was charged in June with two misdemeanour crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018. He had been expected to plead guilty in July after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation.
The case fell apart during the hearing after Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised multiple concerns about the specifics of the deal and her role in the proceedings.
The court filing said that the United States, through its lawyers, had to provide an update on a case by September 6, 2023. This was because of the Speedy Trial Act, which requires charges to be filed within 30 days of an arrest or summons. In this case, the defendant was charged on June 20, 2023.
The court had a hearing on July 26, 2023, where the defendant agreed to some things but not everything, so the court needed more time to decide. The Speedy Trial Act allows for delays when the court needs to make decisions.
Because of this, the 30-day countdown for filing charges only started on July 24, 2023. So, the government had until September 29, 2023, to file the charges, and they planned to do it before that date, according to the filing.
News of a possible new indictment comes as House Republicans are preparing for a likely impeachment inquiry of President Biden over unsubstantiated claims that he played a role in his son’s foreign business affairs during his time as vice president.
“If you look at all the information we have been able to gather so far, it is a natural step forward that you would have to go to an impeachment inquiry,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News recently.
The younger Biden has been the target of congressional investigations since Republicans gained control of the House in January, with lawmakers obtaining thousands of pages of financial records from various members of the Biden family through subpoenas to the Treasury Department and various financial institutions. Three powerful House committees are now pursuing several lines of inquiry related to the president and his son.
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And while Republicans have sought to connect Hunter Biden’s financial affairs directly to his father, they have failed to produce evidence that the president directly participated in his son’s work, though he sometimes had dinner with Hunter Biden’s clients or said hello to them on calls.
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