President Joe Biden’s son could go from traipsing about the White House to dwelling in a jailhouse if he is convicted on all the charges against him and gets the maximum sentence allowed on all charges.
The indictment against Hunter Biden, which was unveiled Thursday, charges Hunter Biden with three crimes and claims Hunter Biden knowingly lied when he indicated on a form to buy a gun that he was not using an illegal drug at the time.
On the charge of False Statement in Purchase of a Firearm, the maximum sentence is 10 years behind bars, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and an added $100 called a special assessment.
On the charge of False Statement Related to Information Required to be Kept By Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer, Hunter Biden could face five years of imprisonment; a fine of $250,000, three years of supervised release and the $100 assessment.
On the charge of Possession of a Firearm by a Person who is an Unlawful User of or Addicted to a Controlled Substance, the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison; a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and the $100 assessment. Overall, if hit with the maximum sentence on all charges, Hunter Biden would serve 25 years in prison and pay more than $750,000 in fines.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, called the charges politically motivated, according to NBC.
“As expected, prosecutors filed charges today that they deemed were not warranted just six weeks ago following a five-year investigation into this case,” he said in a statement.
“The evidence in this matter has not changed in the last six weeks, but the law has and so has MAGA Republicans’ improper and partisan interference in this process. Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 [days] was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice,” Lowell said.
“We believe these charges are barred by the agreement the prosecutors made with Mr. Biden, the recent rulings by several federal courts that this statute is unconstitutional, and the facts that he did not violate that law, and we plan to demonstrate all of that in court,” he said.
Some Republicans were less than triumphant over the charges filed by U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who had negotiated a plea deal that fell apart in July when a judge refused to accept it.
Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa offered a skeptical take on the charges in a social media post, saying he had “real concerns” about Weiss “taking this across the finish line.”
Hunter Biden indictments r starting point 4 justice Now what abt FARA money laundering& bribery? Where’s the follow up on 1023? All facts need 2 be pursued Remember Weiss negotiated initial sweetheart deal so I’ve got real concerns about him taking this across the finish line
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 14, 2023
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia wrote, “where are the indictments for tax fraud, FARA abuse, money laundering, and sex trafficking???” in a social media post, while House Oversight Committee chair James Comer called the indictment “a very small start” in his post.
?STATEMENT?
Today’s charges against Hunter Biden are a very small start, but unless U.S. Attorney Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud schemes and influence peddling, it will be clear President Biden’s DOJ is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy.
Read? pic.twitter.com/XA7IbQFtyy
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) September 14, 2023
“Today’s indictment of Hunter Biden is a smokescreen. Don’t fall for it,” Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said in his post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This is a fig leaf designed to deflect attention away from the real problem: the Biden family is selling out U.S. foreign policy for their own family’s private financial gain. That’s really what’s wrong, and we must hold politicians in both major political parties when they use our foreign policy to enrich their family members,” he wrote.
Today’s indictment of Hunter Biden is a smokescreen. Don’t fall for it. This is a fig leaf designed to deflect attention away from the real problem: the Biden family is selling out U.S. foreign policy for their own family’s private financial gain. That’s really what’s wrong, and… https://t.co/8TvIUM9Mgd
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 14, 2023
Warning that “the public shouldn’t fall for the trick of diverting attention away from the true problem,” Ramaswamy added, “It’s also no accident that today’s indictment comes at a moment when President Biden’s own popularity within the Democratic Party is cratering.
“I predict this is the first step for the Democrat Party managerial class to pressure Joe Biden out of the race. Biden will become a sacrificial pawn in service to the deep state that wants to keep power at all costs,” he wrote.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.