Former President Donald Trump is responding to the news Hunter Biden plans to plead guilty to multiple federal charges.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere ‘traffic ticket.’ Our system is BROKEN!”
Donald Trump reacts to the Hunter Biden Plea Deal on his TRUTH Social Platform.
— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) June 20, 2023
Stay with Salem News Channel for Reactions and Updates…. pic.twitter.com/4nyYv63uy9
In a separate post, he wrote, “People are going wild over the Hunter Biden Scam with the DOJ!”
A court filing on Tuesday showed Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, will plead guilty to two counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax.
The younger Biden will also plead guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
CNN’s Kara Scannell noted the firearm charge is “diverted,” which she explained means the charge will “go away” if he meets a specific set of conditions.
BREAKING: "Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to multiple criminal charges," CNN reports. pic.twitter.com/sR9vpfByQk
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 20, 2023
According to The Hill, if a judge accepts the plea deal, Hunter Biden would likely avoid prison time.
White House Counsel Office spokesman Ian Sams told reporters about the news, “The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life.”
Conservatives blasted the news on Twitter:
Lying on a federal firearm background check form carries up to 10 years in prison and is a felony. Not for Hunter Biden.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) June 20, 2023
Remember folks, you — a law abiding citizen owning a gun — are a danger to the republic. Hunter Biden, a crack addict who lied on gun forms, and whose then-girlfriend threw his gun in a dumpster across from a high school, barely did anything wrong.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 20, 2023
Hunter gets “diverted” charge on felony gun crime. Two misdemeanors on failing to file taxes. He won’t spend a day in prison.
— Buck Sexton (@BuckSexton) June 20, 2023
Totally special treatment. The fix is in. https://t.co/D5wihGLhjI
The gun charge stems from a 2018 gun purchase when Hunter Biden reportedly answered “no” in response to a question on a form to buy a gun that asked, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”
He has spoken about his history of drug use and was discharged from the Navy Reserve five years before his gun purchase after he tested positive for cocaine. And lying on that form is a felony.
In the U.S. there should be equal treatment under the law. And there are few prosecutions for the crime of lying that form because the person who lies is usually denied after a background check uncovers a disqualifier in the background.
However, Hunter Biden allegedly lied on the form and still acquired a gun which was later reportedly tossed in a trash can across from a high school.
And if the plea deal is approved and he gets away without any jail time, the comparison of former President Donald Trump facing the possibility of a decades-long prison sentence for his alleged mishandling of classified documents will be stark.
On the one hand, you have the son of the president who is running for re-election avoiding a trial and jail time. And on the other, you have the current front-runner for the opposition potentially facing serious jail time.
The circumstances and alleged violations of the law and their repercussions are very different. And it was reported Trump rejected an effort by one of his lawyers to try to strike a deal and avoid charges in the document case.
It is also worth pointing out that prosecutions for mishandling classified documents are not rare, as opposed to lying on federal forms for gun purchases.
Still, the nuance of the cases will not be the Justice Department’s friend here. And if Hunter Biden skates without jail time, many Americans will see it as an example of a two-tiered system of justice that favors Democrats and punishes Republicans and conservatives.