Hunter Biden asks judge to dismiss tax charges, saying they’re politically motivated

Hunter Biden’s attorneys argued Wednesday that the federal tax costs the president’s son is going through in California ought to be dismissed as a result of they had been a part of a prosecution fueled by politics.

Abbe Lowell, lead counsel for Biden, argued the case was the “least strange prosecution an individual might think about”, claiming irregularities in the way it was initiated and investigated.

However federal prosecutors have rebuffed the claims. In authorized filings made in latest weeks, particular counsel David Weiss’ workplace mentioned politics had no bearing on the case and dismissed claims that the fees had been pursued to appease Republicans, calling the assertion “conspiratorial” and “nothing greater than a home of playing cards.”

U.S District Decide Mark Scarsi appeared uncertain of the argument in the course of the listening to, pointing to an absence of proof to assist the assertion that politics had any affect on the fees.

Biden didn’t seem for the listening to Wednesday, however he pleaded not responsible to 9 federal tax costs within the Central District of California in January, after federal prosecutors alleged he engaged in “a four-year scheme” to keep away from paying at the very least $1.4 million in federal taxes and charged him with failure to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and submitting a false tax return.

Biden’s attorneys additionally argued that the tax costs violated a diversion settlement between federal prosecutors and the president’s son final 12 months.

A plea settlement on two misdemeanor tax costs and a diversion settlement stemming from a firearms cost unraveled in courtroom in July 2023, when the decide questioned whether or not the settlement would permit Biden to keep away from potential future costs. Biden’s attorneys maintained the settlement was nonetheless legally binding. Federal prosecutors mentioned the “proposed settlement” had not been accepted the U.S. Workplace of Probation and Pretrial Providers and had not but gone into impact.

Decide Scarsi will problem a call on April 17.

The movement to dismiss listening to comes as Republican-led congressional committees are winding down an impeachment inquiry into President Biden that centered partially on whether or not the president profited from Hunter Biden’s enterprise ventures and whether or not senior officers within the Biden administration took steps to impede legal probes into the president’s son.  

In a closed-door deposition earlier than lawmakers in February, Hunter Biden dismissed the inquiry as a “baseless and harmful political charade,” contending his father had no involvement in his enterprise dealings.

Rep. James Comer, Republican of Kentucky and chair of the Home Committee on Oversight and Accountability, signaled he’ll put together legal referrals on the conclusion of the investigation. Critics of the inquiry say the GOP-led congressional committees haven’t but produced any proof of wrongdoing by Mr. Biden. 

Elli Fitzgerald contributed reporting.