By Spencer Brown | Townhall.com
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File
Hunter Biden was indicted by Special Counsel David Weiss on three federal felony counts related to his purchase of a firearm in 2018, two counts being related to his attestation of being drug-free on a purchase form and one count related to his possession of the firearm while using narcotics.
The first count explains that the son of President Joe Biden “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement” when he certified he was “not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious," charges similar to those in the second count.
The third count alleges that Hunter Biden "knowing that he was an unlawful user of and addicted to any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance...did knowingly possess a firearm."
The indictment comes after a previously negotiated sweetheart plea deal fell apart under scrutiny from a judge in Delaware. Under that now-defunct plea bargain, Hunter Biden would have entered into a "diversion program" to spare him from actual punishment for purchasing and possessing a firearm while, by his own admission, he was addicted to drugs.
Now, however, Hunter will have to face more accountability for his alleged actions than the First Kid or Biden administration expected earlier this summer.
As Guy warned earlier this month, there's still reason to be skeptical of the seriousness with which Weiss pursues charges against Hunter Biden:
Hunter Biden should obviously face consequences for any number of crimes he's committed, including an apparent felony that undermines background checks for gun purchases -- a system his father routinely harps on, demanding stricter provisions. But it's the tax and financial crimes and misconduct that strike closer to the heart of the Biden family enrichment scheme, which is the more meaningful and growing scandal. Some razzle-dazzle of a gun charge, absent any serious pursuit of illegal activity related to financial dealings and foreign agent non-disclosures, could easily be interpreted as a deliberate distraction. A diversion, if you will. The DOJ's ability to spare Hunter Biden any serious charges, while also protecting his father's political and legal standing, fell apart with the defunct plea deal. Hunter Biden may now get his wrist slapped quite a bit harder than everyone involved would have liked (defense and prosecution alike) because, essentially, they got caught.
But the real smoke would engulf the Biden family 'business,' and that related financial paper trail. If Weiss stops at a new gun charge -- look, a bright shiny object -- plus the tax misdemeanors already listed in the previous compact, that would strike me as yet another face-saving political exercise.
Throughout the investigation of Hunter Biden for firearm and tax crimes — a sideshow which has become a significant issue for the president — Joe Biden has insisted that "my son has done nothing wrong" and said "I trust him" and "have faith in him."
