From one coast to the other. The son of US President Joe Biden, Hunter, pleaded not guilty to tax evasion in Los Angeles on Thursday, in an embarrassing case for the tenant of the White House, who is preparing to face Donald Trump again. An appearance which comes the day after a parliamentary hearing which turned into a free-for-all in Washington.
Indicted in December for evading through a “scheme” the obligation to pay $1.4 million in taxes due for the tax period from 2016 to 2019, according to the prosecution, he pleaded not guilty Thursday to all nine counts during a brief hearing, according to American media.
Circus in Congress
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden unexpectedly invited himself to a parliamentary hearing in Congress to protest against the attitude of Republicans, who want to hear him behind closed doors as part of an impeachment investigation against Joe Biden, but refuse to let him testify in front of the cameras.
Republicans accuse Joe Biden, without having provided proof so far, of corruption and of having benefited from his son’s controversial affairs in Ukraine and China, when he was Barack Obama’s vice-president (2009-2017). ).
“Let me say this as clearly as possible, my father was never financially involved in my affairs,” Hunter Biden assured Congress on December 13, in a serious tone.
Charges punishable by 17 years in prison
On the tax front, the courts accuse him of having “spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle instead of paying his taxes”, according to the indictment, which mentions his drug use, as well as payments to afford the company of “escorts”, luxury cars and clothes.
Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison in this case. He is also charged in another case in Delaware for illegal possession of a firearm. He could therefore potentially be tried twice in 2024, while his father is campaigning for re-election.
He reached a guilty plea agreement in June covering both tax evasion and illegal firearm acquisition charges, which likely would have allowed him to avoid prison and an embarrassing trial for him and his father. But this agreement was canceled following doubts expressed in July by a judge about its validity.