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A federal judge denied a request from first son Hunter Biden’s legal team on Monday to dismiss charges related to his failure to pay taxes, setting the stage for a criminal trial.
President Joe Biden’s son is currently facing prosecution by the Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss on charges related to tax evasion and felony gun possession. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi of the Central District of California, a Trump appointee, rejected all of Hunter’s arguments to dismiss the charges, stating that the government’s case has significant merit to proceed with a trial.
Hunter Biden’s legal team had requested that the charges against him be dropped based on a previous plea agreement made in June 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. However, a federal judge of that court dismissed this plea agreement.
Additionally, his legal team argued that the prosecution was motivated by political reasons and violated his due process rights and the constitutional separation of powers, but Scarci dismissed these arguments in an 82-page ruling, the Daily Caller reported.
“Defendant asserts he is situated similarly to individuals who did not timely pay income tax for tax year 2019 but received leniency due to COVID-19 relief programs…The Government alleges Defendant’s nonpayment extended well before the emergence of COVID-19 and leniency programs thereunder, providing a legitimate prosecutorial reason to pursue the charge in Count 9 against him and not other individuals who failed to timely pay their 2019 taxes,” the judge wrote.
Hunter Biden faces nine federal charges, including tax evasion, tax fraud, and failure to file taxes for the years 2016 through 2019. The indictment alleges that rather than paying the reported $1.4 million in taxes owed, Hunter Biden diverted the funds for payments to multiple women, adult entertainment, and pornography.
Hunter Biden is also facing a federal indictment in Delaware for allegedly possessing a firearm while under the influence of narcotic drugs. Additionally, he is the subject of an ongoing impeachment inquiry by the House of Representatives regarding his father’s actions during Joe Biden’s vice presidency, specifically related to Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine and China, the Caller added.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson notified Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer late last week that the House will submit the articles of impeachment against U.S. Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10.
This is the next step toward holding an impeachment trial in the upper house. In response to the letter, Schumer’s office stated that senators will take the juror oath on April 11.
“The House impeached Mayorkas on February 13 by an extremely narrow margin, making him the first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in almost 150 years,” CNN reported.
“House Republicans impeached Mayorkas last month after failing to do so on their first try, a stunning loss that came about after GOP defections and absences sank the initial floor vote. Republicans have sought to use the impeachment of Mayorkas’ to spotlight the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border, as the conference has faced building pressure from their base to hold President Joe Biden and his departments and agencies accountable over immigration and border security policies,” the outlet added.
While Schumer has not yet specified how his chamber will conduct the trial, the Democratic-controlled Senate is unlikely to find Mayorkas guilty.
Instead, senators may swiftly move to drop the impeachment. According to Schumer’s statement from last month, Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside over the proceedings.
Although several constitutional experts have stated that the evidence does not meet that high standard, Johnson claimed in his letter that Mayorkas has committed serious crimes and misdemeanors related to his management of the southern border.
