President Joe Biden was reportedly “stunned” and “plunged into sadness and frustration” after hearing that special counsel David Weiss intends to indict Hunter Biden.
A court document filed last week by Weiss revealed that he plans to indict Hunter Biden before the end of September.
The intention to indict the president’s son drew immediate criticism from legal experts and lawmakers, who viewed the filing of a potential indictment as another mechanism Weiss might use to shield Joe Biden’s son from justice.
Vice President Joe Biden and son Hunter Biden in Washington, DC. (Kris Connor/WireImage)
Hunter’s plea deal broke down in August upon scrutiny from a judge, throwing a wrench into the agreement Weiss and Hunter crafted.
The agreement afforded Hunter the ability to plead guilty for not paying taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018, receiving probation rather than jail time. In addition, Weiss devised a separate diversion agreement that gave Hunter Biden immunity from potential future charges, including a provision to essentially wipe a felony gun violation from his record.
After the irregular deal, the prosecutors said they expected the case to go to trial, indicating they wanted to try the case outside Delaware. On September 6, Weiss filed a status report indicating a potential indictment of Hunter.
“The possibility of a federal indictment of Hunter Biden stunned the president,” according to several people close to the president, the New York Times reported Sunday.
“He plunged into sadness and frustration,” the sources said of the court filing. “Since then, his tone in conversations about Hunter has been tinged with a resignation that was not there before, his confidants say.”
“The saga reflects the painful dynamics of the first family, shaped by intense ambition and deep loss, along with anger and guilt,” the report added.
Despite the senior Biden’s alleged “frustration,” legal experts criticized the timing of the potential indictment, noting Weiss’s unusual plea deal with Hunter.
“So here’s the question for Weiss: What the hell have you been doing for the last five years?” Andrew C. McCarthy, former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, questioned. “The answer, of course, is: burying the Biden investigation.”
Mike Davis, founder and president of the pro-Trump Article III Project and former chief counsel for nominations to Senate Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley, warned voters not to be fooled by potential charges.
“Don’t be fooled. Both Democrat senators picked Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss,” he posted on X, describing Weiss’s history. “Protected Bidens for years. Let statute of limitations expire on tax charges. Buried credible evidence of Bidens’ foreign bribery. Tried to give Hunter secret immunity.”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
