'Lavish spending on drugs, girlfriends, exotic cars': All you need to know about new tax charges on Hunter Biden

The justice department on Thursday brought fresh criminal allegations against Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, charging him with neglecting to pay $1.4 million in taxes despite his extravagant spending.

According to the indictment presented in the US District Court for Central California, Hunter Biden faces three felony charges and six misdemeanors related to tax offenses.

The charges

• The charges, which include three felonies and six misdemeanors, are related to unpaid taxes of at least $1.4 million between 2016 and 2019, a period during which Hunter Biden has admitted to struggling with addiction.
• The indictment also details Hunter Biden’s lavish spending on drugs, girlfriends, luxury hotels, and exotic cars, while neglecting his tax obligations.
• Hunter Biden could face up to 17 years in prison if convicted. His defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, denounced the charges as politically motivated and said they would not have been pursued if Hunter Biden had a different last name.
• The White House declined to comment on the indictment, referring questions to the Justice Department or Hunter Biden’s legal team.

Why it matters

• The indictment is a significant blow to the Biden family, as it comes amid a congressional impeachment inquiry against President Biden, alleging his involvement in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. The House is expected to vote next week to formally authorize the inquiry.
• The impeachment inquiry is based on claims that Joe Biden abused his power as vice president and as a presidential candidate to benefit his son’s business interests in Ukraine and China.
• So far, no evidence has emerged to support these allegations, but the ethics of the Biden family’s international business dealings have raised concerns.
• The indictment also casts doubt on the prospects of a plea deal that Hunter Biden was negotiating with prosecutors over the summer, which would have allowed him to avoid jail time by admitting guilt to two misdemeanor tax evasion charges and reaching a separate agreement on a federal gun charge in Delaware.

The big picture

• The criminal investigation into Hunter Biden, led by special counsel David Weiss, began in 2018 and was revealed in December 2020, after Joe Biden won the presidential election.
• The investigation has focused on Hunter Biden’s tax affairs, foreign business transactions, and possible money laundering, as well as his acquisition of a handgun in 2018, which he allegedly lied about on a federal background check form.
• The investigation has also examined the contents of a laptop that purportedly belonged to Hunter Biden, which was seized by the FBI in 2019 and contained emails and photos that suggested his involvement in various business deals and personal scandals.
• The investigation has been criticized by some Democrats and media outlets as a politically motivated smear campaign, while some Republicans and conservative commentators have accused Weiss of being too lenient and slow in pursuing the case.

What they’re saying

• Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, issued a statement on Thursday, slamming the indictment as a result of “Republican pressure” on Weiss.
• Lowell said that the charges in both California and Delaware were “unprecedented” and “unjustified,” and that Hunter Biden had already paid his back taxes in full.
• Lowell also said that Weiss had succumbed to “the demands of a vocal minority who have never accepted the results of the 2020 election.”
• Lowell vowed to fight the charges in court and clear Hunter Biden’s name.
• Former Representative Sean Duffy expressed his view that the indictment could lead to Democrats seeking an alternative candidate in the 2024 election. Additionally, Charles Hurt from the Washington Times commented that the indictment could be likened to a "nuclear bomb" for the Biden family, emphasizing the potential impact on President Biden's reelection campaign, the Fox News report said.
• Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, compared President Biden's denials to Clinton's infamous assertion, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman," during the 1998 Whitewater-Lewinsky scandal. Turley suggested that just as Clinton's denial did not hold up, Biden's claims might also be seen as increasingly untenable.

What to watch

• The indictment is likely to fuel the impeachment efforts of congressional Republicans, who have been calling for a thorough investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings and possible corruption.
• The House Judiciary Committee, led by ranking member Jim Jordan, has been conducting a preliminary inquiry into the matter, and has requested documents and testimony from various witnesses, including Weiss, Lowell, and Hunter Biden himself.
• The committee is expected to vote next week to formally authorize the inquiry, which would give it more power to subpoena witnesses and evidence.
• The committee is also expected to release a report on its findings, which could form the basis of articles of impeachment against President Biden.

(With inputs from agencies)