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:2025-04-16 15:40:30
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! (75)
Related
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Coroner: Human remains found in former home of man convicted in slaying of wife
- Princess Kate apologizes for missing Irish Guards' final rehearsal before king's parade
- Caitlin Clark's next game: How to watch Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun on Monday
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Howard University cuts ties with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs after video of attack on Cassie
- Florida authorities warn of shark dangers along Gulf Coast beaches after 3 people are attacked
- Rainbow flags rule the day as thousands turn out for LA Pride Parade
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Basketball Hall of Famer and 1967 NBA champion Chet Walker dies at 84
Ranking
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Iga Swiatek routs Jasmine Paolini to win third straight French Open title
- If your pet eats too many cicadas, when should you see the vet?
- Princess Kate apologizes for missing Irish Guards' final rehearsal before king's parade
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- How Heather Dubrow Supports Her 3 LGBTQIA+ Children in the Fight Against Homophobia
- Caitlin Clark expected to be off star-packed USA Basketball national team Olympic roster, reports say
- Move over Pepsi. Dr Pepper is coming for you. Sodas are tied for America's 2nd favorites
Recommendation
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
William Anders, former Apollo 8 astronaut, dies in plane crash
What to know about Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier’s first hearing in more than a decade
Costco is switching up how it sells books. What it means for shoppers.
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Hunter Biden’s family weathers a public and expansive airing in federal court of his drug addiction
Takeaways from Hunter Biden’s gun trial: His family turns out as his own words are used against him
Arizona closes Picacho Peak State Park after small plane crash that killed pilot