The DOJ is messing up the Hunter Biden probe: Make no mistake about it – Hunter Biden’s legal problems are a hot mess.
Political implications aside, no small amount of the muddle and chaos surrounding the cases the president’s son is facing is due to the bumbling of the team of federal prosecutors handling them.
“But in the last couple months we’ve seen a pattern here. We’ve now seen it play out two or three separate times. DOJ moves towards a very lenient disposition, they’re just about to lock in that lenient disposition, and then there arises pressure, either through whistleblower testimony or through public scrutiny, and then DOJ backs off and says, ‘Actually, we’re not gonna do that, now that it’s been called out, we’re gonna try to up it a little bit,’” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig told the news outlet recently.
Honig was referring to the botched plea deal that would have seen Hunter get immunity “for any federal crimes encompassed” in the deal, such as a gun charge when he was a drug user, as well as his failure to pay taxes on money he earned from his consulting business.
The deal fell apart though, after a judge questioned the scope of the deal and prosecutors and the defense failed to agree on the terms.
Prosecutors wanted to continue investigation on the younger Biden’s foreign business dealings, but the latter’s legal team wanted nothing less than complete immunity.
The CNN legal analyst also pointed out that newly appointed Special Counsel David Weiss was elevated to the position seemingly regardless of the missteps the prosecution took – all while Weiss helmed the operation for five years.
“(W)e basically had five years of behind-the-scenes investigation with no transparency, no action, and some questions being asked, ‘What’s taken so long?’” Honig stated, adding, “And then, they go all the way to appointing special counsel the same guy who’s been presiding over the case for five plus years already.”
“So I genuinely am perplexed by what DOJ is doing here. I think that they have made a real mess for themselves and now they’re gonna have to deal with the consequences of it.” Honig also told CNN.
Hunter Biden Scandal: Public perception isn’t great either
Another thing adding to the mess is the negative public perception of how the government is handling the investigation into Hunter Biden.
According to a recent ABC News and Ipsos poll, the majority of Americans – 77% – believe that Hunter Biden could be guilty of failing to pay taxes to conceal his true income. And the high percentage isn’t limited to just Republicans — 66% of Democrats, 88% of Republicans and 80% of independents believing in the possibility.
Around half of Americans also believe that the younger Biden is receiving preferential treatment because he is a presidential son – 75% of Republicans, 33% of Democrats, and 42% of independents.
A number of prominent members of the GOP have also blasted the way in which the Hunter Biden is being done.
“This action by Biden’s DOJ cannot be used to obstruct congressional investigations or whitewash the Biden family corruption. If Weiss negotiated the sweetheart deal that couldn’t get approved, how can he be trusted as a Special Counsel?” Speaker of the House and California Representative Kevin McCarthy tweeted.
Kentucky Representative James Comer said, “We are facing obstruction like has never been demonstrated in the history of congressional investigations.” He added, “Not only are we being obstructed by the Biden legal team, we’re being obstructed by the Department of Justice, we’re being obstructed by the FBI, by the Secret Service, by the IRS, by the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee. And the next question is, will we be obstructed by the new special counsel, David Weiss, investigating this?”
Tim Ramos has written for various publications, corporations, and organizations – covering everything from finance, politics, travel, entertainment, and sports – in Asia and the U.S. for more than 10 years.
