US: Ahead Of Presidential Elections, Justice Department Appoints Special Counsel To Probe Hunter Biden's Alleged Misconduct

Washington: US President Joe Biden faces an uneasy time ahead of the presidential elections with the Justice Department naming a special counsel to investigate alleged misdemeanour by his son, Hunter Biden.

The sudden and new twist in the investigation, which would put Hunter Biden’s life under scrutiny, is likely to cast a shadow over the White House and the President’s re-election bid.

The case against Hunter

The cases pertain to Hunter Biden’s tax deals and violation of gun laws. On June 20, Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanour counts of failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes on time and accepted terms that would allow him to avoid prosecution on a felony charge alleging that he falsely asserted that he was sober when he bought a handgun in 2018.

However, a federal judge in Delaware, Maryellen Noreika, later put on hold the proposed plea deal that would have settled Biden’s tax and gun charges, saying she did not want to be “a rubber stamp”.

Then came the elevation of David Weiss, the prosecutor investigating the President's son, to special counsel status which granted him extra powers to broaden his inquiries — potentially into other states beyond his current patch as US attorney in Delaware.

In a recent court filing, Weiss said that negotiations to restructure the deal have now reached an “impasse” and that a trial was likely.

Here is what analysts say:

Analysts say that the prospect of the President’s son going on trial, under glaring media spotlight, would be a nightmare distraction for the White House during a re-election campaign. It would also prolong the personal toll on the President and his family of an investigation into his only surviving son, a recovering addict, which has already lasted five years.

“The risk (of a trial) is potentially much greater for Hunter Biden, it’s also bad for his father … does the son really want to put the President through a trial in the middle of a campaign?” former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was quoted in the media as saying.

Hunter Biden, 53, has acknowledged a decades-long addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine, and his foreign business dealings have led to questions about President Biden’s influence.

The case has given the Republicans a handle to complain about what they call a “two-tier justice system”. Many Republicans believe the President’s son got preferential treatment in the plea deal. Trump has promised to go after Hunter Biden if he wins the 2024 elections.