🇺🇸 The President's Son

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POTUS

The President’s Son

On Tuesday, word broke that Hunter Biden will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, and resolve a federal gun violation, under an agreement with federal prosecutors. This follows an over five year long investigation into President Biden’s son, and seemingly means Hunter will avoid jail time.

Reporting from The Left: Hunter Biden Plea Deal Will Have Reverberations in 2024 Race Scannell, et al., CNN

Reporting from The Right: GOP rips Hunter's 'sweetheart' plea deal on tax and gun crimes, zero in on Joe Biden Jessica Chasmar, Fox News

From The Flag: President Biden responded to the plea deal by saying he’s proud of Hunter, while a statement noted he and the First Lady “love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.” But former President Trump, Congressional Republicans, and others have called it a sweetheart deal that shows there are two tiers of justice. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Biden’s Political Baggage Also Neutralizes Trump Argument

• Hunter Biden’s plea agreement puts him in the cross-hairs of President Biden’s adversaries once again.

• This torpedoes one of former President Trump’s leading arguments, as the DOJ pursued and reached a plea deal with Hunter Biden.

• The deal displeases partisans on both sides of the aisle, which is an indication it was a fair and suitable resolution.

For Biden, the Personal and Politically Painful Troubles of His Son Peter Baker, New York Times: "On the one hand, Hunter Biden’s agreement... capped a five-year investigation without allegations of wrongdoing by the president or, presumably, prison time for his youngest son. But on the other hand, it put Hunter once again in the cross-hairs of Mr. Biden’s adversaries who instantly complained that the wayward son got off too easy. The saga of the 53-year-old presidential progeny who has struggled with a crack cocaine addiction has become a fixation of the political right, which sees him, or at least has cast him, as a walking, talking exemplar of the pay-to-play culture of the Washington swamp who profited off proximity to power. The phrase 'Hunter Biden’s laptop' has taken on totemic meaning for opponents of the president, even if they cannot describe what was actually found on the computer that turned up at a repair shop in 2020."

‘What about Hunter Biden’ has a different ring now Julian Zelizer, CNN Op-ed: "The GOP has argued that the Justice Department has two standards for justice – and that it holds Republicans, particularly Trump, President Joe Biden’s main political rival, to a different standard than it does Democrats. To prove their point, they have cited Hunter Biden’s alleged misconduct and claimed the Justice Department has not been nearly as aggressive in its pursuit of justice regarding him. But this is clearly not true. The Justice Department investigated and reached a plea deal with the president’s son, a decision that will surely be politically explosive for President Biden as he heads into the 2024 election cycle. And David Weiss, the leading US attorney and Trump appointee on the case, has said the investigation is 'ongoing,' so there may yet be more to come. The White House said the president hasn’t had any interference in the probe."

One more opinion piece from the Left: Why the Hunter Biden deal is no slap on the wrist Harry Litman, LA Times

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Hunter Gets a Sweetheart Deal While His Shady Money Streams Go Ignored

• Hunter Biden is admitting he failed to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018, around the time he was being paid big money by foreign entities.

• After denying the existence of Hunter’s laptop in 2020 as “Russian disinformation,” a “controlled demolition” is now underway.

• The investigation’s timeline is something Republicans have zeroed in on: why did it take five years for this?

Hunter Biden's Messy Path to a Plea Deal Tau, et al. Wall Street Journal: "According to a government charging document filed in Delaware federal court, Biden had more than $1.5 million in annual income and a tax liability greater than $100,000 in 2017 and 2018. Biden failed to make the required tax payments to the Internal Revenue Service in those years. As the investigation unfolded, Biden paid around $1 million that he had owed in back taxes and penalties... Hunter Biden ramped up business activities with European and Chinese tycoons as his father exited the vice presidency, based on documents and communications reviewed by the Journal in 2020. (He) received a discounted stake in a private-equity firm in China and consulting arrangements with a Romanian property magnate, and his dealings overall allowed him to maintain a globe-trotting lifestyle, the Journal found. He also had a seat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma while his father was vice president."

The Hunter Biden ‘controlled demolition’ is complete Jonathan Turley, The Hill Op-ed: "About a year ago, I wrote a column describing what I saw as evidence of a 'controlled demolition' in progress in the Hunter Biden scandal. The media and political establishment had reached the point where they could no longer bury the influence peddling scandal by claiming that Hunter’s laptop was Russian disinformation. That worked for defusing the scandal in 2020, but now another election was fast approaching, which called for a 'controlled demolition' to protect political and media figures from any public backlash. ... The key was to get Hunter to plead to a couple of minor offenses with little or no jail time. The White House and the media could then declare the scandal over and insist that there is nothing more to discuss. ... For critics, the plea agreement looks like rushing to the scene of a bank robbery and giving the getaway driver a ticket for double parking."

One more opinion piece from the Right: Hunter Biden plea: Byron York says Republicans view deal as 'slap on the wrist' Washington Examiner

FLAG THIS

Oh Yeah, the Election: Bruised Biden vs. Troubled Trump

Things are sticky for the leading candidates heading into 2024. President Biden is fending off allegations of bribery, as well as claims his son got off easy, while former President Trump is facing criminal charges in New York City and a federal indictment concerning classified documents.

Given that messy reality, here’s a column from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that caught out eye: Trump, Hunter, feeble Joe Biden: Can we please just start over for the 2024 election?

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