Hunter Biden Charged by Justice Department Following Investigation into His Taxes, Firearm Possession
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Hunter revealed that federal prosecutors were investigating his "tax affairs" about a month after his father, Joe Biden, was elected president. He is expected to plead guilty to some of the charges
President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden was charged Tuesday on federal misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal income tax and a felony charge of illegally possessing a weapon.
According to multiple reports, Hunter is expected to enter a plea deal in which he will plead guilty to the tax charges and work with prosecutors to get the firearm charge dismissed. NBC News reports that the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend probation for Hunter, and that jail time is unlikely.
The charges come more than a month after CNBC reported that the younger Biden's lawyers had met with prosecutors at the Department of Justice, a step that signaled authorities were moving to charge him.
"The President and First Lady love their son and support [Hunter] as he continues to rebuild his life," a White House spokesperson said in response to the charges. "We will have no further comment."
Earlier this month, the DOJ charged former President Donald Trump with 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents. Trump and his supporters have accused President Biden of controlling the Justice Department's charging decisions, an argument weakened by Tuesday's charges against the president's son.
Related: Donald Trump's Historic Federal Indictment: All About the Charges and Allegations
A probe into Hunter, 53, began in 2018 and initially focused on his business dealings with foreign interests — a topic that was much-discussed in the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, particularly by former President Trump.
But the investigation reportedly evolved with time, focusing also on Hunter's income taxes and paperwork he used to purchase a firearm in 2018, on which he denied being "an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance" despite publicly admitting to struggles with addiction.
CNBC reports that the investigation into Hunter was led by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney for Delaware who was appointed to his role by Trump, and whom Attorney General Merrick Garland recently described as "capable of making any decisions that he feels are appropriate."
Hunter revealed that federal prosecutors in Delaware were investigating his "tax affairs" about a month after his father was elected president, later telling CBS News that he was "being completely cooperative" in the investigation.
Related: What We Know and Don't Know About the Investigation of Hunter Biden
A statement provided by President Biden's transition team at the time said that the now-president "is deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger."
In October, President Biden elaborated on his feelings about his son and the investigation, telling CNN's Jake Tapper that Hunter had "overcome" his addiction and "established a new life."
"I'm confident that he is — what he says and does are consistent with what happens," the president said. "And for example, he wrote a book about his problems and was straightforward about it. I'm proud of him."
Hunter has no official involvement in the White House and did not work on his father's presidential campaign, but was nonetheless a major character in the 2020 face-off between his dad and Trump.
During a debate between the two presidential candidates, Trump accused Hunter of earning $3.5 million from the wife of the former mayor of Moscow, a reference to a report released by two GOP-led Senate panels during Trump's term in office. That report delved into Hunter's relationship with Ukrainian energy company Burisma, which once gave him a lucrative position on its board.
In that same debate, Trump also attacked Hunter for his "cocaine use."
"Like a lot of people we know at home, my son ... had a drug problem," the elder Biden responded. "[Hunter] worked on it. He fixed it. And I'm proud of him. But he wasn't given tens of millions ... that is totally discredited."
Hunter has spoken openly about his struggles with addiction, which bubbled up into public view during his during his 2017 divorce from his first wife, who alleged in legal filings that he had spent money on drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and strip clubs.
In his 2021 memoir Beautiful Things, Hunter delved into his life as an addict, writing that he at one point was drinking a quart of vodka a day; at another, he lived with a homeless woman who was also his dealer. He has since spoken about finding new peace and stability while living on the West Coast, where he also works as a painter.
In a pair of interviews with CBS News about his book, the younger Biden said he was convinced that "trauma" stemming from the 1972 car crash that killed his mother, Neilia, and his infant sister, Naomi, was at the center of his addictions.
Hunter and his late brother, Beau, were in the car with them and were both injured.
Hunter has five children, including daughters Naomi, Finnegan and Maisy with his first wife Kathleen, a son Beau with his current wife Melissa Cohen, and a child he had with a woman in Arkansas that spawned a paternity suit.
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Reports have indicated that the woman with whom he fathered a child — Lunden Roberts — testified in the case against him, along with another woman with whom he had previously had an affair.
Earlier this month, Biden appeared in an Arkansas state court for a child-support payment hearing regarding the child he had with Roberts. That case remains ongoing.
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