Hunter Biden has been charged with three federal crimes, two for failing to file and pay taxes on time and one for possessing a firearm while using drugs. The president’s son will reportedly plead guilty to the tax charges. Under the terms of the deal, he is expected to serve two years probation on the tax charges and enter a diversion program for the gun charge.
This means that Biden is not likely to serve any time in prison.
President Joe Biden’s detractors have been clamoring for his son to be arrested for years. One might expect that they would be delighted to finally see Hunter Biden charged with a crime.
They’re not.
Instead, right-wingers are outraged that he’s facing relatively minor charges. Many believe it’s evidence of a conspiracy. They’re also convinced that former President Donald Trump predicted this would happen.
Earlier this month, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the president’s son would be charged with “something small.” He suggested that the charges would be designed to make the Justice Department appear evenhanded after it charged Trump with 37 crimes associated with retaining classified documents.
“Trump was right! The weak charges brought against Hunter (he will face no jail time!) is just an effort to make the Biden DOJ look ‘fair,’” right-wing influencer Alex Bruesewitz tweeted on Tuesday. “But it’s not fair! Hunter and Joe are the real criminals! Trump did nothing wrong!”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) similarly alleged that it isn’t a “coincidence” that the president’s son received a “sweetheart deal” shortly after Trump was charged.
After news of the charges broke, Trump posted, “People are going wild over the Hunter Biden Scam with the DOJ!”
There’s no evidence of any scam. As many pointed out, the federal prosecutor who negotiated the plea deal is a Trump appointee.
Others are alleging a variety of motives for the Biden administration to supposedly help his son avoid prison.
Mollie Hemingway, editor of the conservative outlet the Federalist, tweeted that the younger Biden is being charged with “mild” crimes “so people will stop talking about bribery scandal implicating POTUS.”
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) complained that Hunter Biden is “getting away with a slap on the wrist” and alleged that the House Oversight Committee has uncovered “growing evidence” that Bidens have “engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery.” Comer did not substantiate this claim.
Others suggested that the president is simply using his position to protect his son from being held accountable.
“His dad owns the justice department. We expected the get out of jail free card,” wrote one.
Hunter Biden’s attorney said in a written statement that the plea deal means the long-running investigation “is resolved.”
Conservatives are unlikely to be satisfied with this outcome. A congressional investigation by House Republicans into the Bidens is still ongoing.
