12th August, 2023
President Joe Biden’s son Hunter may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said shortly after promotion into that role on Friday.
A potential trial raises the possibility of an unprecedented spectacle in U.S. history: The son of a sitting president facing criminal charges while his father campaigns for re-election, likely against Republican Donald Trump, who faces at least three upcoming criminal trials of his own.
Republicans in the House of Representatives are also threatening an impeachment inquiry into unproven claims that President Biden benefited from his 54-year-old son’s business ventures.
Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, filed misdemeanour criminal tax and gun charges in June, but a federal judge refused to accept a proposed plea deal.
Weiss said in a court filing on Friday that talks between the two sides have since broken down. “The Government now believes that the case will not resolve short of a trial,” he wrote.
The filing came moments after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated Weiss to special counsel status, giving him additional authority and independence to pursue the investigation.
Hunter Biden in July pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000.
He did not enter a plea in a separate case where he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while using illegal drugs, which is a felony.