Republican Lawmakers Voice Anger Over Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal

Republican officials are angry about the plea deal that was reached between Hunter Biden and prosecutors on Tuesday. GOP lawmakers have already been taking aim at the Justice Department for its handling of Donald Trump’s classified documents case, and this deal is adding fuel to the fire.

After a five-year investigation, Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to failing to pay upwards of one million dollars in income taxes in 2017 and 2018. Hunter Biden will also enter a pretrial diversion program for possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of drugs, though he will most likely not be charged on this count.

For months, Republicans have been making claims that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment from the Internal Revenue Service. They have also pushed old claims about his involvement in business dealings with a Ukrainian energy company.

GOP senators have allegedly sent information about these accusations to the U.S. attorney, although they were not mentioned in the federal court filing on Tuesday.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) was very vocal about his disapproval of the plea deal.

“It continues to show the two-tier system in America,” McCarthy told reporters. “If you are the president’s leading political opponent, the Department of Justice tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. But if you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”

This comment is one of many that pushes the unfounded narrative of a “corrupt” Justice Department. GOP officials and party members, led by Trump, have been attempting to paint the department as unfair and politically motivated since Trump was indicted on 37 counts earlier in the month for willful retention of classified national security information.

Republicans are also urging for the Department of Justice to ramp up the investigation into President Joe Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, as he has been accused of taking classified files after his time in the Senate and in the Obama administration.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) voiced concerns about the entire Biden family.

“This doesn’t show equal justice,” said Scott. “It’s a mockery of our legal system by a family that has no respect for our laws.”

Democrats, on the other hand, argued that Hunter Biden’s plea deal was reflective of a fair Justice Department.

“Neither Hunter Biden nor Donald Trump is above the law,”  said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Illinois). “They’re both held responsible and are going to go through the process.”

Article by Ava Lombardi