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NBCSEP 13 2024
Hunter Biden, son of US Pres. Joe Biden, pleaded guilty to all nine of his federal tax offenses on Thursday. Coming as a federal court in Los Angeles prepared for jury selection in his case, Biden's last-minute change of heart spared him and his family what would've likely been a damaging trial.
Biden stood accused on felony charges of tax evasion, filing a false personal tax return and filing a false corporate tax return, in addition to six misdemeanour charges for failing to pay $1.4M in taxes between 2016 and 2019.
Had this case proceeded to trial, prosecutors were likely to argue that Biden's lavish spending on escorts, drugs and exotic cars contributed to the failure to pay taxes. Evidence of such a lifestyle had already started to come to light at a separate trial in Delaware in June where Biden was ultimately convicted on three felony gun charges.
Now that Pres. Biden has pulled himself out of the presidential race, the consequences of additional criminal convictions for his son have less political weight. However, a new trial would have been damaging to the Bidens in other ways. In that respect, Hunter Biden did the right thing.
There was never any question of whether Hunter Biden was guilty of these crimes. Now, after dragging his family through the whole ordeal, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty at the latest possible stage in the hopes of still being pardoned by his father in the last months of his presidency.