Hunter Biden, the US president's son, pleaded not guilty to tax evasion charges in Los Angeles on Thursday, in a subtle move for Democrats as they prepare to face Donald Trump again in the race for the White House.
In December, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to charges of evading $1.4 million (€1.28 million at current exchange rates) in taxes related to the fiscal year 2016 to 2019 through a scheme, according to an indictment. During a brief trial, nine were charged, several US media reported.
The 53-year-old businessman, who now focuses on painting and is, according to himself, addicted to drugs and alcohol, is one of the main targets of Republicans against Joe Biden, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. )
Republicans who launched the impeachment inquiry in September were protested when the president's son made an unexpected appearance in Los Angeles, California, one day after a hearing in the US Congress. Joe Biden.
Republicans accuse Joe Biden of benefiting from his son's controversial business dealings in Ukraine and China while he was Barack Obama's vice president (2009-2017), without presenting evidence of corruption.
“Let me make this as clear as possible: My father was never financially involved in my affairs,” Hunter Biden assured Congress on December 13.
This Wednesday, two congressional committees dominated by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress) recommended that Hunter be found guilty of obstructing congressional investigative powers by refusing to participate in closed-door hearings. Hunter is demanding a public hearing.
During a hearing, one Republican congressman called Hunter Biden a coward, showed lewd photos of the president's son, and another congressman characterized him as “the personification of white privilege.”
“What they're doing to Hunter is horrible,” Jill Biden, wife of the President of the United States, said in an interview with MSNBC this Thursday.
A US court has accused Hunter Biden of “spending millions of dollars on a lavish lifestyle instead of paying taxes”, citing his drug use and payments for escort services, luxury cars and clothes.
Hunter Biden could face up to 17 years in prison in this case.
He was charged with illegal possession of a firearm in another case in Delaware (East), and could be tried twice at the limit in 2024 when his father campaigns for re-election for Democrats.
In June, Hunter Biden reached a plea deal that included charges of tax evasion and illegal possession of firearms that would have spared him a prison sentence and an embarrassing trial for the head of state.
But the deal was struck down in July after a judge expressed doubts about its validity.
“Hardcore explorer. Extreme communicator. Professional writer. General music practitioner. Prone to fits of apathy.”