George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley commented on Thursday that, despite Hunter Biden’s sudden change in plea, he would likely face prison time for tax charges if federal prosecutors push for a prison sentence.
Biden, who initially pled “not guilty,” indicated through his attorneys that he would change his plea to “guilty” on Thursday, thus avoiding ahttps://dailycaller.com/2024/09/05/jonathan-turley-hunter-biden-headed-to-jail/ trial that was set to begin this week.
Turley remarked that Biden’s legal team delayed too long in negotiating the deal, diminishing his chances of avoiding jail time.
“Timing is important. You can get a better deal if you plead early rather than late. It’s sort of like waiting for the water to reach the deck on the Titanic before you ask about swimming lessons. I mean, it’s a little bit late for some of those options and so he really has succeeded in putting himself in the worst possible position in terms of a plea,” Turley said. “This is the penalty for a lawyer standing in federal court and telling prosecutors quote, ‘just rip it up.’”
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge during a July 26, 2023, hearing. This came after a plea bargain, initially announced in June, fell apart when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika raised concerns about the terms of the deal between federal prosecutors and Biden.
The judge’s questions led to the collapse of the agreement, prompting Biden to change his plea.
“I think it would be very strange for the Department of Justice after all of this history not to seek some jail time, and if they seek jail time, they’ll get it, very likely, from this judge,” Turley said. “So that may ultimately prompt the president to pursue a pardon or commutation. We’ll have to see. The odds at this point favor jail time. They didn’t when the Justice Department was still in favor of a plea agreement after it collapsed.”
'Legal Death Wish': Jonathan Turley Says Hunter Biden Likely Headed To Jail pic.twitter.com/jmTV8mOdxb
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 5, 2024
Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on all nine counts from another indictment secured by special counsel David Weiss, which alleges his failure to pay over $1 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019.
Additionally, Biden was convicted on three felony counts related to the 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber revolver, with jurors reaching their decision after just over three hours of deliberation in June.
Turley remarked that Biden should have entered his guilty plea soon after the indictment was announced. In response to “Outnumbered” co-host Kayleigh McEnany’s inquiry about whether Attorney General Merrick Garland would approve the deal, Turley noted that the delay in making the plea hurt Biden’s chances of avoiding a harsher outcome.
“I would expect that he would likely get it. How that would play out in the politics of the moment is rather uncertain. As you’ve noted, I think you’re correct on this that most people really don’t see that nuance,” Turley said. “I’m not entirely convinced that if he reserved the right to appeal, he has anything to appeal on. His defenses were a series of Hail Mary plays that just missed by a mile, and I don’t see any real appellate issue. This tax case’s open and shut, which is why back in 2023, I said you truly have to have a legal death wish not to plead guilty to these charges because it’s easiest type of case to bring.”
