Since the charges against Hunter Biden have been made public several political forces have moved to condemn the plea deal that would bring an end to half a decade of investigations and peace to the Presidential family. So, we’ve rounded up ten legal experts that have gone on the record to address the deal and see who’s left crying wolf.
Four former federal prosecutors weighed in on the charges, which some found, “if anything harsh, not lenient.” One former prosecutor, Shan Wu, even claimed the real reason why charges were being brought forward was due to Hunter Biden’s last name. Ohio State Law Professor, Douglas Berman, backed up that line of thought after he claimed that a lack of charges could create the impression of a two-tiered justice system. Given the reaction of some Republicans, there’s a decent amount of irony in that.
One former IRS supervisory special agent also claimed that if Hunter Biden’s name had been John Doe, “no criminal tax prosecution would have ever been contemplated.” He’s not the only IRS expert who thought so. Former IRS Lawyer, Maggie Abdo-Gomes, claimed the law had been properly applied as if Hunter Biden had been any other first time non-violent offender, and if anything, “I would say probably a little stricter.” Even the former head of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division during the Obama administration claimed that if there had been evidence of worse crimes, the Department of Justice would’ve brought felony charges, but five years of investigations spanning two different administrations showed that wasn’t the case. A point that is further emphasized by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who directly told Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan, on June 7th, “I want to make clear that, as the attorney general has stated, I have been granted ultimate authority over this matter including responsibility for deciding where, when, and whether to file charges.”
Even a statement from the lead prosecutor on the case wasn’t enough to deter Republican frustration that the President’s son wasn’t publicly defenestrated. Some Republicans have called Hunter Biden’s plea deal unfair when compared to the treatment that Donald Trump received, which former prosecutor Renato Mariotti said, “insults the intelligence of the American people to compare misdemeanor tax charges” to obstruction of justice for top secret documents.
Multiple Legal Experts Have Weighed In On Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal, So Far The Charges Seem “If Anything Harsh, Not Lenient”
MULTIPLE LEGAL EXPERTS HAVE WEIGHED IN AND CONCLUDED THIS IS NO “SWEETHEART DEAL” – THIS IS THE OUTCOME OF HALF A DECADE OF FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS
HEADLINE: “Did Hunter Biden Get Off Easy? Republicans Think So—Here’s What Legal Experts Say” [Forbes, 6/20/23]
- Former Federal Prosecutor And New York University Professor Andrew Weissman Described Hunter Biden’s Penalties In Both The Tax And Gun Case, “If Anything Harsh, Not Lenient.” “NYU Law professor and former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann also described Biden’s penalties in both cases as ‘if anything harsh, not lenient,’ noting prosecutions for first-time tax offenses and false applications for a gun purchase seldom lead to jail time or even prosecutions.” [Forbes, 6/20/23]
- Ohio State Law Professor, Douglas Berman, Claimed Prosecutors Brought Forward Charges Because Hunter Is The President’s Son, And To Prevent Claims Of A Two-Tiered Justice System.” “Ohio State University law professor Douglas Berman suggested that prosecutors may have brought the charges because Biden is the president’s son, telling The New York Times that in most instances, the charges he faces are typically attached to more serious offenses, but in this case, ‘failure to bring some charges when there is no factual dispute . . . could create the impression of a two-tiered system of justice.’” [Forbes, 6/20/23]
- Michael Weinstein, Former Federal Prosecutor, Predicted Hunter Biden Was “Not Going To Prison” For The Tax Charges Given His Status As A First-Time Offender. “Michael Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor and chair of the White Collar Criminal Defense & Government Investigations Practice at Cole Schotz, predicted Biden is also ‘not going to prison’ for the tax charges, he told Reuters, given his status as a first-time offender, his willingness to plead guilty and the amount of back taxes he owed, which reportedly totalled $1.2 million that he has since paid back.” [Forbes, 6/20/23]
HEADLINE: “Did Hunter Biden Get Off Easy? We Asked The Experts.” [Politico, 6/21/23]
- Former IRS Lawyer, Maggie Abdo-Gomes, Claimed It Was Rare For People To Face Criminal Charges For Failing To Pay Taxes, She Continued, “‘The Laws Were Enforced As If It Had Been Anybody Else. ‘I Would Say Probably A Little Stricter, Because Failure To Pay Is Very Common.” “The Truth “Maggie Abdo-Gomez, a Miami tax attorney and former IRS lawyer, said it’s rare for people to face criminal charges for simply failing to pay their taxes. ‘I’ve only seen them — one time — prosecute someone for failure to pay taxes,” she said. ‘Because the truth is, if we prosecuted for failure to pay taxes, the jails would be full. Forget the drug dealers and the murderers and everybody else. I have a small practice, and I’ve got tons of people that owe taxes.’ ‘The laws were enforced as if it had been anybody else,’ she added, regarding Hunter’s case. ‘I would say probably a little stricter, because failure to pay is very common.’” [Politico, 6/21/23]
- Head Of the Justice Department’s Tax Division During The Obama Administration, Caroline Ciraolo, Said Typically The DOJ Would Have Brought Tougher Charges If They Had The Evidence That Hunter Biden Lied, “That’s Not The Case Here” And Five Years Of Investigations Under Two Administrations Investigated The Issue. “Caroline Ciraolo, acting head of the Justice Department’s Tax Division for the last year of the Obama administration, said the case’s resolution didn’t strike her as outside the norm. If the Justice Department had found evidence that Hunter Biden lied or took other ‘affirmative acts’ to dodge his taxes, he likely would have faced tougher charges, she said. ‘If there was evidence of affirmative conduct, then under DOJ policy the charge would have been felony evasion of payment,’ she added. ‘And that’s not the case here. And after five years and an investigation that crossed two administrations on different sides of the aisle, I would imagine that if there was evidence of affirmative conduct, we would not be looking at the information we’re looking at right now.’” [Politico, 6/21/23]
HEADLINE: “Legal Experts Cast Doubt On GOP Claims Of A ‘Sweetheart Deal’ In Hunter Biden Case” [CNN Politics, 6/21/23]
- Martin Sheil, Former Supervisory Special Agent For The IRS Criminal Investigation, Claimed If Hunter Biden’s Name Was John Doe, No Criminal Tax Prosecution Would’ve Been Contemplated. “‘If Hunter Biden’s name was John or Jane Doe, no criminal tax prosecution would have ever been contemplated and he would have almost certainly been slotted into a pre-trial diversion program, saving the government the time and expense of a trial,’ said Martin Sheil, a former supervisory special agent in the IRS Criminal Investigation.” [CNN Politics, 6/21/23]
- Former Federal Prosecutor, Shan Wu, Claimed If Hunter’s Last Name “Was Not Biden I Don’t Think He Would’ve Been Charged.” “‘If his last name was not Biden I don’t think he would have been charged,’ Shan Wu, a former federal prosecutor and CNN contributor, told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on ‘CNN News Central.’ ‘Typically in tax cases where the person has paid back the taxes, appetite for going after them criminally is low.’” [CNN Politics, 6/21/23]
- Former U.S. Attorney, Michael Moore, Claimed Hunter Biden Was “Probably More Severely Looked At” And Said He Was “Treated Differently To His Detriment.” “There’s nothing to this and they’re just trying to make much ado about nothing. He was probably more severely looked at. And remember this was a Trump-appointed prosecutor who remained in place to finish this case,’ Michael Moore, a former US attorney, told Bolduan on ‘CNN News Central.’ ‘You know, he was treated differently,” Moore said. ‘But he was treated differently to his detriment.’” [CNN Politics, 6/21/23]
Even Former Federal Prosecutor And Current Congressman Dan Goldman Claimed The “Unusual Aspect” Of Hunter’s Case Is That “He Was Charged Criminally At All”
Rep. Dan Goldman Tweeted That The Unusual Aspect Of Hunter Biden’s Case Was That “He Was Charged Criminally At All” And Compared His Case To That Of Roger Stone, Who Failed To Pay Nearly $2 Million Worth Of Taxes. “From 2007 until 2021, Roger Stone failed to pay $2 million in taxes and used shell companies to hide the money from the IRS. His case was resolved civilly without any criminal charges. The unusual aspect of Hunter’s case is that he was charged criminally at all.” [Daniel Goldman, Twitter, 6/20/23]
EVEN U.S. ATTORNEY WEISS TOLD JIM JORDAN THAT THIS WAS HIS DECISION AND NO ONE ELSES
U.S. Attorney David Weiss Wrote A Letter To Jim Jordan Confirming, “I Want To Make Clear That, As The Attorney General Has Stated, I Have Been Granted Ultimate Authority Over This Matter.”
[U.S. Department Of Justice, 6/7/23]
FALSE COMPARISONS TO DONALD TRUMP’S INDICTMENT DO A DISSERVICE TO CONSTITUENTS AND ARE JUST ABSURD – THE MAN KEPT NUCLEAR SECRETS IN A BATHROOM!
Republicans Compared The Justice Department’s Classified Documents Case To Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal, Which Former Prosecutor Renato Mariotti Said, “It Insults The Intelligence Of The American People To Compare Misdemeanor Tax Charges” To Obstruction Of Justice For Top Secret Documents. “Some Republicans have compared the Justice Department’s classified documents case against Trump to the Hunter Biden plea deal, but attorneys like former prosecutor Renato Mariotti say the two cases aren’t comparable […] ‘It insults the intelligence of the American people to compare misdemeanor tax charges to a scheme to steal Top Secret documents and obstruct justice when the government asked for them back,’ Mariotti tweeted.” [Forbes, 6/20/23]
- Op-Ed: “Hunter Biden Got Special Treatment — Especially Harsh.” [Renato Mariotti, Politico Magazine, 6/22/23]
Politico: Experts Claim Donald Trump Would’ve Received A Similar Plea Deal If He Had Cooperated With Federal Investigators. “And while former President Donald Trump is railing against the deal, experts noted an irony: Trump himself likely could have gotten a similar deal if he had cooperated with federal investigators eyeing his retention of government documents. Instead, Trump is accused of obstructing those investigators and is now under indictment and facing significant prison time.” [Politico, 6/21/23]
- Long-Time Manhattan, Criminal Defense Attorney, Elkan Abramowitz, Claimed “I Think That If Trump Wanted To Work Out A Deal For The Documents Case, He Would Have Gotten A Misdemeanor As Well Under Similar Arrangements.” “Elkan Abramowitz, a long-time Manhattan criminal defense attorney, said Trump himself could have gotten a similar deal if he had fully cooperated with investigators scrutinizing his retention of classified documents. ‘I think that if Trump wanted to work out a deal for the documents case, he would have gotten a misdemeanor as well under similar arrangements,’ he said. ‘So I don’t think there’s anything extraordinary.’” [Politico, 6/21/23]
NONE OF THIS THOUGH WILL STOP REPUBLICANS FROM CRYING “WOLF” AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT
HEADLINE: “The Hunter Biden Plea Deal Leaves House Republicans in a Pickle” [New Yorker, 6/21/23]
HEADLINE: “Analysis Republicans Crying Wolf Over Hunter Biden Have Hurt Their Own Cause” [The Guardian, 6/20/23]
HEADLINE: “Republicans Rage Over Hunter Biden — With Some Notable Exceptions” [The Hill, 6/21/23]
HEADLINE: “Hunter Biden’s Plea Bargain Will Not Stop Republicans Chasing Him” [Economist, 6/22/23]
HEADLINE: “House Republicans Outraged By Hunter Biden Plea Deal” [Axios, 6/20/23]