GOP Biden Family Probes Unaffected by Hunter Plea Deal: Republican Lawmakers

GOP Biden Family Probes Unaffected by Hunter Plea Deal: Republican Lawmakers
From left to right: U.S. President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, and Ashley Biden attend an event at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on May 15, 2023. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Savannah Hulsey Pointer
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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that a plea agreement on tax charges for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, won’t impede the investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings by House Republicans.

Hunter Biden has reached an agreement with the Justice Department (DOJ) regarding charges of neglecting to pay federal income tax and illegally possessing a firearm, according to the letter (pdf) filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

The deal “continues to show the two-tier system in America,” McCarthy told reporters Tuesday. “If you are the President’s leading political opponent, the DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. If you are the President’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.

“Now, this does nothing to our investigation. It actually should enhance our investigation because the DOJ should not be able to withhold any information now, saying that[’s] because [of] a pending investigation, they should be able to provide [Oversight Committee] Chairman [James] Comer with any information that he requires.”

McCarthy went on to say that Republicans would continue to follow leads and gather information in their investigation. The lawmaker told reporters that the Biden family does not build anything or have offices but somehow still has money flowing to those in the first family, and he believes the FBI is attempting to conceal information about why they were paid.

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who chairs the House Oversight Committee, posted to Twitter about the deal, reiterating his committee’s investigation saying, “Hunter Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery.”

He also shared his committee’s official statement on the charges: “Let’s be clear: the Department of Justice’s charges against President Biden’s son Hunter reveal a two-tiered system of justice.”

“These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on the Oversight Committee’s investigation. We will not rest until the full extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s schemes are revealed,” it continued.

GOP House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik weighed in on Twitter, saying, “This is the epitome of the politicization and Weaponization of Joe Biden’s Department of Justice as they give a slap on the wrist to President Biden’s son - a tax fraud and corrupt pay-to-play criminal.
“It’s never been more clear that we have a two-tiered system of justice when you have the son of the sitting President of the United States selling our country out to the highest bidder, laundering money, committing tax fraud, accepting bribes, illegally obtaining a firearm, and shamefully avoiding child support. House Republicans will not rest until the full illegal corruption of the Biden Crime Family is exposed. Joe Biden must and will be held accountable.”

More Republican Reactions

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) spoke to the indictment on Twitter, saying, “When Democrats are investigated, everything is slow-walked, and it ends with a slap on the wrist. Don’t believe me? Just look at Hunter Biden.”

Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) told Epoch Times’s sister media, NTD, that while he was waiting to see more details on the case he would “hope it includes prison time … for an appropriate length of time, that would include comparisons to people that commit those type of crimes across America.

“What I’m really anxious to see, though, is, are there going to be charges in regards to the Biden family and what they’ve done exchanging their name and position in our United States Government for money that may have come in from foreign interests? Are there going to be charges for that?”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) pointed out the suspicious timing of the announcement saying, “Hunter Biden was given a sweetheart deal to try to justify both the DOJ’s lack of interest in the Biden family’s corruption and the political prosecution of President Donald J. Trump.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at the Biden administration on Twitter, saying, “Hunter Biden pleading guilty to a gun charge and misdemeanor tax charges with no jail time is a stunt to make him look like he is just cooperating with the DOJ.

“Meanwhile the pathetic and weaponized DOJ who protects their puppet President and refuses to prosecute Joe Biden and Hunter for taking bribes from Ukrainian oligarchs and raking in tens of millions of dollars from foreign countries bc the Big Guy makes policy decisions to be help his customers are the real crimes the Biden’s should be charged with!

She ended her comments, saying “We are controlled by COMMUNISTS!!”

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) had harsh words for all the attention going to the Hunter Biden deal saying, “Don’t let the Hunter Biden plea deal news today distract you from Special Counsel John Durhams’s testimony on the FBI’s corruption today and tomorrow on Capitol Hill. 
“The release of this plea deal this morning is part of a bigger deflection scheme.”

From the Trump Camp

Former President Donald Trump spoke out on Truth Social, saying, “The Hunter/Joe Biden settlement is a massive coverup & full-scale election interference ’scam‘ the likes of which has never been seen in our country before. A ’traffic ticket,’ & Joe is all cleaned up & ready to go into the 2024 presidential election - and this as crooked DOJ, state, & city prosecutors, Marxists & communists all, hit me from all sides & angels [sic] with bull...! Make America Great Again!!!”
Stephen Miller, Senior Adviser to former President Donald Trump responded to the news, saying, “The fix is in. Get ready for a sweetheart deal designed to shield Joe Biden and the Biden family influence scheme.

“A distraction to play. Just like the feds never went after the Clinton Global Initiative & Hillary’s real motive for the private server and destruction of evidence.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’s request for comment.

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.