The federal agents investigating Hunter Biden believe that they have unearthed enough evidence to charge President Joe Biden’s son with crimes related to tax fraud and lying during his purchase of a handgun, according to a new report.
The FBI agents handling the criminal inquiry concluded months ago that the facts supported federal charges against Hunter Biden, according to the Washington Post, but it is up to U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor overseeing the case, to decide whether to indict the president’s son.
The outlet said Thursday that the federal investigation into Hunter Biden initially centered on Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings and consultant work in places such as China and Ukraine, but that “over time, investigators with multiple agencies focused closely on whether he did not report all of his income, and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork in 2018, according to the people familiar with the situation.”
WRAY GRILLED ABOUT “POLITICAL INFECTION” IN FBI AFTER HUNTER BIDEN WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS
In February 2021, Joe Biden asked all Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys appointed by Trump for their resignations, with Weiss the exception. John Durham was asked to step down as the U.S. attorney for Connecticut but was kept on as special counsel.
Hunter Biden revealed he was under federal investigation for his taxes shortly after the 2020 election, saying, “I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
He was also reportedly being scrutinized for potential money laundering, as well as possible foreign lobbying violations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Hunter Biden controversially held a lucrative position on the board of Ukrainian energy giant Burisma when his father was vice president. He also pursued business deals in China and elsewhere during and after his father’s tenure. Hunter Biden raked in millions thanks to these associations.
Records show Hunter believed some of his Chinese business partners were connected to Chinese intelligence services and that he worried about the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) have demanded the Justice Department and FBI launch a full investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop, including the revelation unearthed by the Washington Examiner that Joe Biden apparently unwittingly financed his son’s participation in an escort ring tied to Russia.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, told the Washington Post that he wanted the Justice Department to conduct a leak investigation in response to the outlet’s story.
“It is a federal felony for a federal agent to leak information about a Grand Jury investigation such as this one,” Clark said. “Any agent you cite as a source in your article apparently has committed such a felony. We expect the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors.”
Clark also said that he has “had no contact whatsoever” with any federal investigative agent.
“Therefore, a rendition of the case from such an ‘agent’ is inherently biased, one-sided, and inaccurate,” Clark claimed. “It is regrettable that law enforcement agents appear to be violating the law to prejudice a case against a person who is a target simply because of his family name.”
Copies of Hunter Biden’s Firearms Transaction Record dated Oct. 12, 2018, reportedly show Hunter Biden responded “no” to a question on the transaction record that asked, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”
Lying on the firearms form is a potential felony. The Government Accountability Office reported that prosecutions for lying on a form are rare, but such prosecutions do happen.
Hunter Biden and his family have publicly discussed his history of drug abuse, and his memoir, Beautiful Things, discussed his illegal drug use before, during, and after that time frame. His laptop hard drive also contains extensive evidence of illegal drug use, such as crack cocaine. The president’s son’s gun purchase came five years after he was discharged from the Navy Reserve after testing positive for cocaine.
Hunter Biden’s .38 caliber revolver was thrown in the trash near a Delaware high school in October 2018 by his sister-in-law Hallie Biden, with whom he was in a romantic relationship. He berated Hallie Biden, the widow of his brother Beau, after police responded, and he accused her of ruining his life.
Investigators have likely also scrutinized Hunter Biden’s business partnership with former CEFC chairman Ye Jianming and his top lieutenant Patrick Ho during a time frame the Chinese company pursued business opportunities in the United States and around the world.
Ye has since disappeared in China after Chinese state media linked him to a corruption case in 2018, which led CEFC to go bankrupt.
Ho was sentenced to three years in prison in March 2019 for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The case against Ho revealed that some evidence had been obtained through the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The first call Ho made after his arrest in 2017 was to James Biden, who is Hunter’s uncle and Joe Biden’s brother. James has said he thought Ho’s call was intended for Hunter. Hunter struck a $1 million legal retainer agreement with Ho following his arrest.
Hunter Biden referred to Ho as the “f***ing spy chief of China” in a 47-minute audio recording dated May 11, 2018, found on a copy of his abandoned laptop.
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Dozens of Senate Republicans have said Weiss must be given special counsel protections and authorities, and dozens of House Republicans called upon Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel for the investigation.
“He is supervising the investigation,” Garland said of Weiss in April during a Senate hearing. “There will not be interference of any political or improper kind.”
Garland added, “I’m quite comfortable with the United States attorney for that district continuing in the role that he is playing,” when asked if a special counsel is needed.
