As Hunter Biden case nears charging decision, does it matter?: The president’s son is facing possible charges related to his taxes and a possible weapons count. But amid all that, there’s little reason to think swing voters care.
Hunter Biden: What Happens Now?
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that prosecutors are nearing a decision on whether to charge Hunter Biden, the president’s son, with crimes.
The younger Biden has been under investigation for four years on charges related to his taxes, as well as the possibility that he lied on an application in order to purchase a gun.
Prosecutors met this week with Hunter Biden’s attorneys at the Justice Department offices, the Post said. Those types of meetings, according to the newspaper, tend to come at the end of an investigation.
David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for the state of Delaware and a Trump appointee who has remained in office under President Biden, has been granted “complete authority” by the attorney general to make a decision in the case.
“I stand by my testimony, and I refer you to the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware, who is in charge of this case and capable of making any decisions that he feels are appropriate,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said this week, the Post reported.
The case has reportedly been a source of tension between FBI agents who investigated it and prosecutors.
The case began as a probe into Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings, before pivoting to the presidential son’s taxes, and the possibility that he lied on a document while trying to purchase a gun.
At the same time, Republicans in Congress have made probing Hunter Biden the primary focus of their investigatory efforts of the Biden Administration, with the House Oversight Committee frequently issuing subpoenas for documents related to Hunter’s overseas business dealings.
So there remains a possibility that Hunter Biden could find himself facing criminal charges– all of which are completely separate from the child support case, involving a kid Hunter fathered in between his marriages.
At the same time, a question must be asked: Is there any persuadable swing voter, anywhere, who cares about what is happening with Hunter Biden?
The Trump campaign, and the GOP in general, leaned heavily on stories about Hunter Biden during the 2020 campaign, and it doesn’t appear that any significant number of voters were convinced.
Most voters seem aware that Hunter Biden’s problems – whether it’s years of drug addiction, his romantic entanglements, or the criminal charges he may be facing over his finances and the possible gun charge — do not necessarily reflect on his father, the president.
Joe Biden, by all accounts, has been supportive and loving towards his son, and that is something that many people across the political spectrum — many of whom, no doubt, have faced similar issues with their own children and other family members — find relatable.
Further, while the Oversight Committee and other Republicans have sought to uncover wrongdoing by the elder Biden in connection with his son’s business ties, their arguments tend to be convoluted and unpersuasive. Perhaps more will come to light at some point, so far the GOP has not successfully made that case.
Hunter Biden does not work in the government, and he never has. He is not a part of his father’s political operation, aside from occasionally appearing on stage at rallies along with other family members.
Donald Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, on the other hand, did work in the White House, with Jared Kushner later receiving billions in investments from the same Saudi crown prince he had dealt with in his previous role.
There’s little doubt that Hunter Biden traded on the family name in his past business deals. But there’s similarly little evidence that his father had anything to do with those deals.
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Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
