Following word Hunter Biden had agreed to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts of tax evasion, Delaware’s two U.S. Senators issued nearly identical statements saying they were encouraged the president’s son was taking responsibility for his actions.
Their statements issued Tuesday also led with the reminder that the 5-year-long investigation into the matter had been conducted by a Trump-pointed U.S. Attorney.
“I am encouraged that this brings to an end what has been a very long-running federal investigation,” Sen. Chris Coons told Delaware Online/The News Journal in a phone call Tuesday afternoon. “And that this will allow Hunter Biden a chance to take responsibility for his actions around his taxes and to move forward with his life and his recovery.”
The office of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who Sen. Tom Carper has publicly encouraged to take his Senate seat, declined to comment on the matter when reached Tuesday.
More:Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware’s sole congresswoman, will run to fill Carper’s Senate seat
Both senators’ statements came after David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, issued a press release Tuesday morning saying the president’s son had agreed to enter a plea of guilty to the tax offenses and enter into a diversion program with regard to the firearm charge at a proceeding yet to be scheduled.
The 53-year-old Biden is facing up to 12 years in prison, but the Justice Department will recommend probation for tax charges, according to reporting from The Associated Press. The firearm diversion program could eventually lead to the dismissal of the gun charge.
More:Hunter Biden to plead guilty to two tax charges, resolve federal gun violation: DOJ
‘Sweetheart Deal’
While Delaware’s senators seemed ready to move on from the topic, congressional Republicans called out Biden’s deal and vowed to continue investigating it.
“If you are the president’s leading political opponent, the DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said. “If you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”
The California Republican added that the plea “should enhance” their investigations on the Biden family’s foreign business dealings “because the DOJ should not be able to withhold any information now.”
More:‘Slap on the wrist’: Donald Trump, congressional Republicans call out Hunter Biden plea deal
Coons said the GOP’s repeated efforts to spin “elaborate theories” of complicated criminal activity are false.
He pointed out the DOJ was able to do a thorough investigation because President Joe Biden left the Trump-appointed Weiss in his position and U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made sure Weiss had the independence, time and resources to investigate every relevant aspect of this matter.
Coons said there has been a “cottage industry of conspiracy theories” surrounding the younger Biden’s actions. He pointed out that the seeds of former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment were planted when the former president pressured Ukraine to gather dirt on Biden, then stonewalled the investigation after getting caught.
More:President Trump acquitted on both impeachment charges, avoids removal
“There will be some who will continue to insist that Hunter did something inappropriate and that it’s not been fully and properly handled,” Coons said. “I don’t think that’s the case and I frankly think that the longer this goes on, the clearer it will be to the general public that this matter is resolved and that it was handled properly.”Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
