Current:Home > FinanceHunter Biden's indictment stopped at gun charges. But more may be coming -TradeSphere
Hunter Biden's indictment stopped at gun charges. But more may be coming
View
Date:2025-04-15 18:50:32
The indictment of Hunter Biden on Thursday made one thing all but certain: President Joe Biden will embark on a 2024 reelection bid dogged once again by his son's tumultuous business and personal life.
The younger Biden is facing felony charges related to false statements in purchasing a firearm, and a third count of illegally obtaining a firearm while addicted to drugs. But with prosecutors continuing to scrutinize his overseas business deals and financial records, the gun charges might soon be just one thread in a potential web of legal troubles.
In June, Hunter Biden struck a plea agreement with prosecutors that would have allowed him to plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax offenses -- before the deal fell apart during a court hearing in July after U.S. Judge Maryellen Noreika expressed concern over the structure of the agreement.
MORE: Hunter Biden indicted by special counsel on felony gun charges
Special counsel David Weiss subsequently withdrew the two tax charges in Delaware with the intention of bringing them in California and Washington, D.C. -- the venues where the alleged misconduct occurred.
Investigators have examined whether Hunter Biden paid adequate taxes on millions of dollars of his income, including money he made from multiple overseas business ventures. ABC News previously reported that in 2022, he borrowed $2 million from his lawyer and confidant Kevin Morris to pay the IRS for back taxes, penalties and liens that he owed.
Prosecutors have not offered a timeline for the tax charges.
Meanwhile, the president's political foes have latched onto Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings to level allegations depicting the entire Biden family as corrupt, despite uncovering no clear evidence to date indicating that Joe Biden profited from or meaningfully endorsed his son's work.
"Today's charges are a very small start, but unless U.S. Attorney Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud schemes and influence peddling, it will be clear President Biden's DOJ is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy," House Oversight Chair James Comer said in a statement to ABC News, referencing unproven allegations against Hunter Biden and his father.
MORE: Timeline: Hunter Biden under legal, political scrutiny
Comer said Republicans are looking for indictments related to "money laundering, violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, tax evasion, the list goes on and on."
A White House spokesperson has said that "congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years," and that President Biden "was never in business with his son."
veryGood! (44)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Why children of married parents do better, but America is moving the other way
- Indonesia’s leading presidential hopeful picks Widodo’s son to run for VP in 2024 election
- Reese Witherspoon Tears Up Saying She Felt Like She Broke a Year Ago
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Philadelphia Orchestra and musicians agree to 3-year labor deal with 15.8% salary increase
- The WEAR by Erin Andrews x BaubleBar NFL Jewelry Collab Is Everything We’ve Ever Dreamed Of
- No. 3 Ohio State rides stingy defense to defeat of No. 6 Penn State
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- UAW chief Shawn Fain says latest offers show automakers have money left to spend
Ranking
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- US moves carrier to Middle East following attacks on US forces
- Author Salman Rushdie calls for defense of freedom of expression as he receives German prize
- Iowa woman who made fake cancer claims on social media must pay restitution but stays out of prison
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- CEO of Web Summit tech conference resigns over Israel comments
- 'Wait Wait' for October 21, 2023: Live from Connecticut with James Patterson!
- Venezuela’s opposition is holding primary to pick challenger for Maduro in 2024 presidential rival
Recommendation
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
NASCAR Homestead-Miami playoff race 2023: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for 4EVER 400
A Detroit synagogue president was fatally stabbed outside her home. Police don’t have a motive
1 dead, 3 wounded in Arkansas shooting, police say
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
Phoenix Mercury owner can learn a lot from Mark Davis about what it means to truly respect the WNBA
Another promising young college student has died. The truth about fentanyl.
Pakistan’s thrice-elected, self-exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returns home ahead of vote