My first thought was: So what?
Hunter Biden’s indictment on gun charges means nothing to me other than confirming my belief that the Justice Department is protecting Slow Joe.
Ed did a good piece on the actual indictments and gave his take on it here. Definitely read it.
I still find it amazing that after the plea deal fiasco, David Weiss was appointed special counsel. To me, this is rock-solid proof that the entire investigation is rigged, since it became clear to the world that Weiss tried to give Hunter a deal that he had to admit was unprecedented.
Given the judge’s reluctance to grant the plea deal, Weiss simply had to charge Biden with something, and the gun charge was the least dangerous to either Hunter or Joe Biden. My guess is that there will be a plea deal covering the gun charge, giving Hunter community service or a suspended sentence, and that will be that.
The crimes for which Hunter should be charged are financial and failing to register as a foreign agent. The gun crime, while it clearly should be prosecuted in the same manner as is done with anybody else (and still won’t be), has no national significance and certainly wouldn’t warrant years of investigation. He is clearly guilty. He should be prosecuted as any private citizen would, and if he were anybody else that would be that. Happens daily.
And, as Ed points out, Hunter may totally skate on these charges in any case. There is a strong argument that the diversion agreement is still in force since a judge didn’t have to approve diversion agreements in any case.
In fact, it’s not entirely clear that this will go to trial at all. Expect Hunter’s legal team to demand that the court restore the diversion agreement:
Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell previously said that the earlier gun deal with prosecutors “prevents any additional charges from being filed” and that his client “has been abiding by the conditions of release under that agreement.” Prosecutors say that deal never went into force.
That could be a bigger problem for Weiss than it looks, since diversion agreements don’t usually require courts to finalize. If Weiss agreed to it and Hunter didn’t violate its terms afterward, a court might be inclined toward sympathy for Lowell’s position here. And one has to wonder if that’s not what Weiss is counting on in filing this indictment, as a way to cover his own ass after attempting to bail out the Bidens over the last five years.
The charges that matter and from which Hunter Biden has been shielded the most are those that go to his influence peddling, improper access to government, action as a foreign agent while traveling with the president, sharing his income with his father and family during Biden’s Vice Presidency, and the evidence that they provide that Joe Biden has sold out the country for money.
CNN political director David Chalian bemoans the fact that the "child" of President Biden was "indicted on criminal charges," fretting its another sad chapter for Joe Biden given he's "buried two children, so he understands pain."
"And, when his young daughter and his first wife… pic.twitter.com/GC6XNVeEUS
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) September 14, 2023
I will take this investigation seriously if Hunter gets charged with a FARA violation. Those are the nationally significant charges that have warranted an investigation. Even the potential IRS charges, in which Hunter hid millions in foreign income, pale in significance.
The Weiss investigation clearly has been engaged in an effort to shield Joe Biden from any blowback from Hunter’s and his own actions. And, as far as I can tell, still is. It is impossible for any rational person to believe that after so many years of investigation, Weiss doesn’t have the evidence to charge, because enough evidence is in the public domain now. After only a few months of investigation, the Republicans in Congress have collected enough evidence that Hunter Biden is guilty of FARA violations that the case would be open and shut in a fair jury trial.
In my view, the gun charges are a big nothing, because it is almost certain that Hunter will face no consequences. Perhaps I am wrong, but I will believe it when I see it. I would put money on Hunter getting a tiny, unfelt slap on the wrist.
Corruption is the issue that matters, and corruption will be covered up.
So count me out of the crowd of people who think this matters much. It is all a show.
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