U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi denied several motions seeking to dismiss the tax evasion charges against President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. Biden is facing three felony and six misdemeanor tax-related charges, for which he has pleaded not guilty. Scarsi rejected all eight motions Biden’s legal team filed in an 82-page order.
Last week, Biden’s defense attorneys presented numerous legal arguments for dismissing the charges entirely or at least in part. One of the claims made by the defense team contended that the sweetheart plea deal — which fell apart late last year after several of its provisions were revoked by another federal judge — remained valid. They argued that if the deal’s conditions were met, the charges against Biden should be dropped. Biden’s attorneys also pushed arguments that special counsel David Weiss was improperly appointed and thus could not prosecute the case, as well as insisting that President Joe Biden‘s Department of Justice selectively targeted his son.
Judge Scarsi, however, found all these arguments unconvincing. Regarding the claim of selective prosecution, he stated the defense team “fails to present a reasonable inference, let alone clear evidence, of discriminatory effect and discriminatory purpose.” Scarsi also disregarded an additional claim that comments made by Congressional Republicans affected the integrity of the prosecution.
Responding to the judge’s ruling, Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, said: “We strongly disagree with the Court’s decision and will continue to vigorously pursue Mr. Biden’s challenges to the abnormal way the Special Counsel handled this investigation and charged this case.”
In addition to the tax charges, Hunter Biden is facing federal charges relating to firearm possession while using narcotics, with a trial date set for June. Biden continues to plead not guilty to all charges.
show less
