Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty to tax evasion this Thursday before a federal court in Los Angelesand his legal complications increase the pressure on his father as he heads into a bitter re-election fight against Donald Trump.
The 53-year-old businessman, in recovery after a past of drug addiction, is a constant target of Republicans who use the case to talk, without evidence, about the “Biden Crime Family.”
One day before his court appearance in Los Angeles, Hunter Biden appeared without notice at the Capitol in Washington, where two GOP-dominated committees were debating contempt measures against him for refusing to testify behind closed doors last month about his business dealings.
Biden was charged with nine counts related to tax crimes. The indictment, issued Dec. 7, claims that money that was supposed to go into government coffers was misappropriated in an “extravagant lifestyle.”
Between 2016 and October 2020, “the defendant spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothing, and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything except his taxes.” , states the 56-page document.
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Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden.
“We are here today because you have been charged with a criminal offense,” District Judge Mark C. Scarsi told Biden, who wore a suit and blue tie, and who appeared with his attorney.
“Not guilty,” he responded to a court packed with journalists when asked how he would plead to the charges. The hearing lasted about half an hour.
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Biden will respond freely to the process, but Scarsi stressed that he cannot consume drugs or alcohol, or carry a firearm.
The next hearing will be March 27, and the judge's expectation is that the trial will begin June 20.
Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted of the nine crimes, three of which are considered serious. He is also the target of another indictment in Delaware on federal charges that he violated laws that prevent drug users from owning guns.
US President-elect Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Last year, an agreement that sought to negotiate his legal status collapsed amid a storm of criticism. who claimed that a reduction in his sentence showed that the Department of Justice treated him with soft hands because he was the president's son.
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, said in December that the opposite was true. “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter's last name was not Biden, his charges in Delaware, and these now in California, would not have been filed,” he said.
Hunter Biden has become a kind of piñata for Republicans who, ahead of the presidential elections in November, seek to attack Joe Biden, known for being a dedicated father and family man.
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Amid constant criticism, without presenting evidence, they launched an investigation that seeks to impeach the president for alleged accusations that Joe Biden would have benefited from his son's international negotiations.
The first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, questioned this Thursday the Republican attacks against her son. “I think what they're doing to Hunter is cruel. And I'm very proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction,” Jill Biden told MSNBC's morning show “Morning Joe.”
“I love my son. And this is hurting my grandchildren, and that's what has me so worried. It's affecting their lives too,” she concluded.
AFP
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