Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, paid off a significant tax liability a year after he disclosed a federal investigation into his “tax affairs” in late 2020.
While investigators continued to investigate into his international business transactions, people familiar with the situation told The New York Times.
According to the Times:
“President Biden’s son has recently told associates he paid off more than $1 million in tax liability with a loan as the Justice Department was investigating the matter.”
The fact that Biden paid his tax bill does not mean that he is no longer facing criminal charges, but it may make it more difficult for prosecutors to prove their case against him on tax-related charges.
An investigation into Hunter Biden for tax crimes began in 2018, sources told the outlet and expanded to include potential violations of foreign lobbying and money laundering rules.
Biden, a Yale-educated lawyer, has worked in Europe and Asia, including in Ukraine, where his activities with the oil business Burisma Holdings were a focal point of the 2020 presidential campaign and helped set in motion events that led to former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Prosecutors are investigating whether Biden violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act on purpose (FARA).
Hunter Biden’s professional life has intertwined with his father’s political career. He has worked as a lobbyist and endeavored to secure deals in Asia and Europe while his father was vice president.
In December, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware was investigating Hunter Biden’s “tax affairs,” Hunter Biden confirmed at the time, saying he is taking the matter “very seriously” and is “confident” he handled his affairs “legally and appropriately.”
Hunter Biden said in a Dec. 9 statement, “I learned yesterday for the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs,”
“I take this matter very seriously, but 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.”
The case against Biden is being prosecuted by David Weiss, the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware. Prosecutors might develop a case around FARA as a civil matter, according to people familiar with the situation.
Sources: Westernjournal, Nypost, Politicalwire