Joe Biden’s Son Hunter to Plead Guilty to Tax Offences in Court Hearing on Wednesday – News18

Hunter Biden, the troubled son of US President Joe Biden, is scheduled to appear in federal court on Wednesday where he is expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offences, as part of a deal to resolve a felony gun charge.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has agreed to recommend probation for failing to pay taxes in a timely manner for 2017 and 2018. Hunter Biden owed at least USD 100,000 in federal taxes for each of those years but failed to meet the IRS deadlines. The final sentence will be determined by a judge.

On Capitol Hill, the GOP chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Jason Smith of Missouri, filed court documents urging the judge in Hunter Biden’s case to consider testimony from IRS whistleblowers. According to Associated Press, the whistleblowers alleged that the US Justice Department interfered with investigations into Biden, a charge denied by the lead prosecutor in the case, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, also appointed by Trump, will review the plea agreement. While judges rarely reject plea bargains, the effort by Smith raised questions about the deal, which is expected to spare the president’s son from jail time.

Hours after the lawmakers filed their motion, a court clerk received a call requesting that sensitive information be kept under seal. The lawyer on the call, later identified as Jessica Bengels from the defense team, represented herself truthfully from the beginning, according to court documents. The judge agreed to keep the information sealed for a day to consider the issue.

The dustup occurred before Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, allowing him to avoid prosecution on a gun charge if certain conditions are met. Republicans have criticised the agreement, and two IRS agents claimed the investigation was “slow-walked” and the prosecutor was denied broader special counsel powers. Delaware US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, denied these allegations in a letter to Congress.

Meanwhile, in a recent filing, Hunter’s legal team denied lying to court officials and attributed the incident to an “unfortunate and unintentional miscommunication.” This response came after District Judge Maryellen Noreika threatened sanctions over allegations that a staff member misrepresented themselves while requesting the removal of a GOP filing from the public docket.

(With agency inputs)