The special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe expects to file charges against the president’s son later this month, according to a recent court document. The potential charges may not only mean jail time for the defendant but also a significant political headache for his father, President Joe Biden.
Weiss wrote that under the Speedy Trial Act, the federal government must receive an indictment from a grand jury by Friday, Sept. 29, 2023 “at the earliest.”
Hunter Biden faces possible charges in connection to tax and firearms violations. He has been under investigation for the last several years, including in a failed plea deal earlier this year. Had the plea bargain proceeded, it would have been likely that the president’s son would have avoided jail time.
The House Republicans’ probe into the Biden family’s business dealings expanded after the testimony of former IRS agent Gary Shapley. Shapley’s whistleblower testimony was reportedly one of the significant factors that caused the breakdown of Hunter Biden’s original plea deal.
Shapley testified that Weiss sought charges against the president’s son on two separate occasions but was rebuked by U.S. Attorneys in California and Washington D.C.
In addition, the House Oversight Committee has found a number of records related to millions of dollars in payments to companies tied to the Biden family, including Romania, Russia, China and Ukraine.
CNN poll: 61% say Joe Biden was involved in son Hunter's business dealings, contrary to the elder Biden's claims. 42% say Joe Biden engaged in illegal acts. https://t.co/f1SNA6GzSS pic.twitter.com/l7VN4WnPNJ
— Byron York (@ByronYork) September 7, 2023
The younger Biden served on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. According to the testimony of a former FBI informant Mykola Zlochevsky, the company’s cofounder, discussed paying both Joe and Hunter Biden $5 million in bribes each.
The Biden family’s business dealings are at the center of a controversy. House Republicans are currently weighing the possibility of starting an impeachment inquiry into the president. Included in their concern is whether or not the Department of Justice intervened in the potential prosecution of Hunter Biden.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has strongly denied that the Justice Department played an untoward role in the investigation.
