Hunter Biden's Broken Deal Allows Republicans to ‘Muddy’ the Minds of Voters
President's son was in court to resolve tax and gun charges
That Hunter Biden's plea deal on tax and gun charges fell apart in a Delaware courtroom will allow Republicans to continue to try to wield President Biden's son as a political cudgel that much longer.
The original plea agreement nearly fell apart Wednesday during a three-hour hearing, and leaves the younger Biden in limbo for the moment at a time when the president's political opponents are all-too-happy to continue using Hunter Biden as a political weapon.
Hunter Biden failed to pay between $1.1 million and $1.5 million in federal taxes before the legal deadlines and was set to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors with prosecutors agreeing to recommend a sentence of probation. The deal was also meant to resolve a federal firearms offense.
The plea deal, however, fell apart at the last minute, leaving Hunter Biden to enter a plea of “not guilty” before leaving the courthouse.
The two sides presumably will try to refashion a clearer deal to resolve the case.
However, that continues to leave the politics in play.
“The fact that if indeed the result out of court today is there's clear understanding on both sides that there is ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden, that fits beautifully into the Republican frame,” CNN Political Director David Chalian said Wednesday. “You have to understand, you noted Kevin McCarthy, the [House] speaker, talking — laying the groundwork for an impeachment inquiry —which goes back to these issues as well, because the whole impeachment inquiry that he wants to set up here is about Biden's business dealings, Hunter Biden's business dealings and if indeed Joe Biden in any way, as vice president, may have interfered in some way or exerted influence for the benefit of his son or his family.
“They haven't produced any evidence that that is the situation yet. But now you have an ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden, and it allows them to portray a picture entering into the campaign season to start chipping away at Joe Biden's character,” Chalian added. “That's the entire sort of premise here. That's the goal of what they want to do. They want to muddy up Joe Biden in the minds of voters ahead of the reelection."
Former Democratic senator Claire McCaskill said much the same thing, with Republicans trying to leverage problems in the Biden family to their own political benefit.
“Well, they’re going to keep doing what they have been doing. They are going to try to indict a father for loving his son, who has been addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, without evidence of the father doing anything other than loving that son. And that, I think, doesn’t fly with most of the American people,” McCaskill said. “It may fly within that small, calcified circle of the Trumpers who want to believe that somehow Joe Biden was involved in nefarious dealings, but there is no evidence.”
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