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Hunter Biden continues to get bad news. On Wednesday, the president’s son encountered a significant judicial hurdle when U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi dismissed arguments presented by Biden’s legal team aiming to put away the federal tax charges against him. This now signals a potential trial in the horizon if the charges proceed.
At the hearing in Los Angeles, Hunter’s lawyers sparred with the legal team led by special counsel David Weiss, who observed from the audience.
The defense argued that the felony tax indictment against Hunter, which accuses him of failing to file and pay taxes on time and engaging in illegal tax-evasion tactics, should be dismissed due to claims of “outrageous” partisan misconduct and alleged immunity from a previous plea deal.
However, Judge Scarsi pointed at the lack of factual evidence linking the charges to Republican political motivations or congressional investigations into the Biden family’s finances. “One of the big hurdles that this motion has it that it’s not filed with any evidence,” Scarsi said according to The Washington Post.
WATCH:
Judge Scarsi consistently challenged Hunter’s attorney, Abbe Lowell’s argument that the charges were brought against his client because Weiss succumbed to pressure from former President Donald Trump and House Republicans according to CNN.
Lowell claimed, “It’s a timeline,” adding, “but it’s a juicy timeline.” He further elaborated, “there is nothing regular with how this case was initiated and investigated,” claiming that the prosecutors were influenced by political pressure and that their investigation was partly based on “Russian disinformation” provided by a discredited FBI informant.
The defense’s claim of “selective and vindictive” prosecution particularly failed to resonate with Judge Scarsi, who pointed out the absence of concrete evidence supporting this argument. The discussion also touched on the immunity deal from a prior agreement to settle tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden, which Biden’s lawyers argue should still be in effect.
On the other side, prosecutor Leo Wise argued that the collapse of the initial plea deal did not bind the Justice Department to its terms, allowing for the pursuit of additional charges.
The looming possibility of Hunter Biden facing trial in June, amidst the 2024 presidential campaign, adds more and more political drama to the legal proceedings. His father has struggled to gain momentum going into the Spring of election year.
The defense’s attempt to link the charges to external pressures from former President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans did not significantly influence the judge’s perspective as well, reinforcing the challenge of proving such connections in court.
Hunter faces charges related to nine tax violations, accused of not submitting tax returns for a period of three years, exaggerating his business expenditures, and minimizing the reported amount of his income.
Judge Scarsi’s decision, expected by next month by April 17, will determine whether Hunter will stand trial, or if there is room for a negotiated resolution.
“We are just looking at the facts and law,” said Scarsi. “All of the aspersions cast off one another just roll off.”