Hunter Biden, the US president’s biggest headache (and possible obstacle to re-election)

Hunter Bidenson of the current president of USAJoe Biden is once again at the center of the news due to his problem with the law after special prosecutor David Weiss filed nine charges against him in the framework of an investigation into his taxes.

LOOK: Hunter Biden: “They are trying to kill me”

The Justice Department indictment was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, California, and includes charges of failing to pay taxes, failing to file returns, evading assessments and filing a fraudulent form.

At least three of those charges are estimated to be serious. According to a press release issued by the Department of Justice, Hunter could face a maximum of 17 years in prison if he is convicted.

Special Counsel Weiss and his team argue that Biden “participated in a four-year plan (from 2016 to 2019) to avoid paying at least 1.4 million dollars”, according to the American network CNN.

This is the second time that Weiss has led a criminal prosecution against the president’s son after he was charged in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, in September with three counts of illegally purchasing and possessing weapons.

According to the tax argument, in 2018 – when Biden obtained said weapon – he consumed illegal drugs and would have lied when filling out the purchase form.

For this charge, in which he pleaded not guilty, the president’s son could face up to 25 years in prison.

– A long list of scandals –

Federal prosecutors have been reviewing Hunter Biden’s finances in detail since 2018. Interest in him, however, gained greater strength when David Weiss, who was appointed by former Republican President Donald Trump, took over as special prosecutor in August.

Due to the relationship with the New York magnate, Biden’s defense has not hesitated to accuse Weiss of “give in to political pressure” from the Republicans.

This Friday the 8th, after the charges in California against Biden became known, his lawyer issued a statement stating that “If Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been filed”.

However, these are far from the only accusations made about Hunter during his eventful public life.

A lawyer by profession, he was a lobbyist during the first decade of this century. In May 2013 he entered the US Navy Reserve but just a month later he was discharged after testing positive for cocaine during a urine test.

Although he always denied having done it voluntarily and claimed to have been deceived by strangers who offered him adulterated cigarettes, in 2021 Hunter published a book where he confessed his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

After leaving the Navy, Hunter co-founded BHR Partners, a company dedicated to investing Chinese capital outside the Asian giant. During Trump’s presidency, the Republican directed his speeches against him and asked Beijing to investigate the accounts of Biden’s son.

Under pressure, Hunter announced in 2019 that he was resigning from the board of BHR Partners, with a view to not harm his father’s candidacy; However, it would later be discovered that he maintained at least a 10% stake in the firm.

– Collateral damage –

The most notorious scandal in which he has been involved, however, occurred in the midst of the presidential campaign, when Trump accused both Hunter and Joe Biden of maintaining irregular relations with China and Ukraine.

According to journalistic investigations, Hunter would have served as a bridge between Ukraine’s largest natural gas producer, Burisma Holdings, and his father while he still held senior positions. This relationship, which was not proven to be illegal, sparked criticism for the conflict of interest it entailed and overshadowed the anti-corruption fight led by Joe Biden during the Obama Administration.

All of these scandals have not only affected Joe Biden’s public image but could also translate into an impeachment trial that Republicans in the Lower House of Congress have been promoting since September.

Kevin McCarthy, president of said chamber, assured during the presentation of the impeachment process that the president has “lied” to the American people about the relationships and benefits his family would have received from dubious businesses abroad.

Although this initiative has little chance of advancing in a Congress dominated by Democrats, it remains to be seen the impact it will have on next year’s presidential elections, where Biden plans to run for re-election and in which he could once again face the always unpredictable Trump. .