U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked directly whether the deal struck between President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on federal gun and tax charges displays a “different standard of justice” at a news conference in Sweden on Wednesday.
Hunter Biden will avoid jail time by pleading guilty to two tax misdemeanors and entering a probation agreement for a gun charge with the DOJ, prompting criticism that the legal treatment wasn’t as harsh as former President Donald Trump’s. When asked about the degree of punishment Hunter Biden received, Garland referred the reporter to the U.S. Attorney on the case for questions about the investigation’s conclusion.
“From the moment of my appointment as attorney general, I would leave this matter in the hands of the United States Attorney, who was appointed by the previous president, and assigned to this matter by the previous administration, that he would be given full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate, and that’s what he’s done,” Garland said, according to the video clip.
“Do [Pres. Trump’s and Hunter Biden’s cases] reflect a different standard of justice depending on political leanings?”
Biden AG Merrick Garland: “I would leave this matter in the hands of the United States Attorney.” pic.twitter.com/Lw2tXEwXzg
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 21, 2023
The charges brought against Hunter Biden follow a years-long investigation by the Federal District of Delaware into alleged failed tax payments and lying on a federal firearm application. Hunter Biden is also the subject of several other probes, including his highly-scrutinized business dealings when serving on the board of a Ukraine energy company.
Many Republican presidential candidates slammed the DOJ’s deal with Hunter Biden as a “sweetheart deal” and a “two-tiered system of justice,” including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative radio personality Larry Elder. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott argued Biden’s legal treatment was a “slap on the wrist,” and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said it poses more questions than answers.
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