Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been charged with felony tax fraud, for which he has decided to plead “not guilty.” Specifically, Hunter is facing nine charges (six misdemeanors, three felonies) that claim Hunter avoided paying $1.4 million in taxes, using much of the money to fund his luxurious, “extravagant lifestyle,” including purchases of exotic vehicles, escorts, and expensive hotels. This indictment even claims that he had the money to pay taxes on the income he made between 2016 and 2020 (an estimated $7,000,000) but simply decided not to. The trial is expected to take place on June 20, 2024, as scheduled by the Los Angeles judge presiding over this case. These charges could land Hunter in prison for up to 17 years.
When you enter politics [like Biden], for better or for worse you are entering your family into the public domain; as the president, you are exposing your whole family to the microscope. That cuts across all party lines, and, just as any US citizen is not above the law, that goes for the family members of the Commander-In-Chief.”
— Aaron Minkus, Social Studies teacher
Once again, Hunter has found himself on the wrong side of the law; indicted in September for an illegal purchase of a revolver in 2018, he is now facing charges on tax fraud he allegedly committed around the same time, showing even more how horrible and unhinged his life was during this time. This is not the first time Hunter has chosen to fight charges made against him. Regarding his revolver purchase indictment, he made the choice to fight the case, pleading “not guilty” after his plea deal (made to avoid jail time) spectacularly fell apart.
Both of these cases appear to be connected with his personal habits and behavior around 2018; during this time, Hunter spoke about being extremely dependent on drugs like cocaine, alcohol, and having a general lack of self care, such as neglecting his sleep. He once even admitted in a speech, “In the depths of my addiction, I was extremely irresponsible with my finances.” However, one thing for certain is true about these two cases: President Biden is being woven into his son’s actions through the mouths of his opponents.
While this trial does not directly affect the students or staff at Niles North/D219, those who keep up with the news do find interest and form opinions through trials and news stories like these. This includes social studies teachers like U.S. History teacher Pankaj Sharma, who was also interviewed for the story on Hunter’s revolver purchase trial.
People are interested in this because he is the son of the president. I think he is not likely to serve anywhere near that long [of a sentence, 17 years]. My understanding is that he failed to pay taxes at the time because he was going through a personal crisis involving drug use and other issues; Hunter says that’s why he didn’t pay the taxes on time. I believe eventually he fully paid back the taxes. I think [President] Biden was aware that his son was going through a personal crisis at the time and was abusing drugs. Critics of President Biden point to this as a possible reason to not vote for him in 2024.”
— Pankaj Sharma, U.S. History teacher
Unsurprisingly, some Republican politicians have made claims that President Biden had connections to or even assisted his son in these decisions, especially with any money Hunter had at the time. Upon hearing these claims, President Biden claimed that these accusations were lies, saying that he was unaware of his son’s illegal actions around the time of these charges, even if he was receiving monthly payments from Hunter’s business. Understandably, President Biden attempted to stay uninvolved in his son’s revolver purchase indictment and continues to do so with these new tax charges, leaving his nation’s justice system to figure out what to do with his son rather than taking a side. More extremely, as had been discussed in Hunter’s revolver purchase case, some House Republicans hope to hold a vote on whether President Biden should be impeached for connections to his son’s actions and/or business finances.
Some politicians, specifically Nancy Mace, believe that Hunter must be arrested immediately and that he should not be given positive exceptions for being rich, (white) privileged, and/or for being the president’s son. Many people, political or not, are quite certain that Hunter Biden will not serve incarceration; most likely, he will choose to pay some sort of fine or bail to keep him out of prison, and he will be able to do so easily considering the mass amount of wealth attached to him and his name.
“Hunter Biden is a tragic story, I really do feel bad for the guy,” Minkus said. “It’s unfortunate, but he’s a grown man and there’s no question he used his money to fund his lifestyle. I think he’s going to cop a plea and will be going to jail for a long time. Will his father pardon him? That’s a far more plausible and very likely outcome because there’s a history of it [with past US presidents]. The life lesson here is [dealing with] families with multi-generation trauma. Joe Biden suffered a horrific loss as a young father, losing his wife and his infant son in a car accident. I think families always need to make sure that trauma is addressed and parents of children who suffer with trauma are present. I really believe it’s a parent’s duty to step in and get that child the help that they need.”
Even to non-political people, there are things to take away from this trial and the revolver purchase trial, that includes rich privilege and that which comes from the Biden name. People often see the indictments but it is arguably more important to look at what Hunter Biden was doing around the time of the revolver purchase and the tax evasion. Hunter was taking hard, illegal drugs, possibly using his mass amount of wealth, gained in large part due to his connection to the Biden family, to fund his lavish lifestyle, showing off the wealth he gained. Assuming Hunter is proven guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, despite that, he will easily be able to avoid time in prison because of the wealth he owns. The case will continue and more information will rear its head regarding President Biden and his indicted son. One may learn of Hunter’s true actions, the court’s final decision, and whether President Biden was truly knowledgeable of his son’s illegal activity or whether he is denying claims against him simply to get out of trouble.
