A sudden new twist in the investigation into Hunter Biden means his legal tribulations will likely stretch on for months, creating an unwelcome new drag on his father’s White House and reelection bid.
Just weeks ago, the shadow of criminal suspicion over Hunter Biden seemed about to lift. But the elevation of David Weiss, the prosecutor investigating President Joe Biden’s son, to special counsel status on Friday was as important for symbolic and political reasons as it was for legal ones. The new status grants him extra powers to broaden his inquiries – potentially into other states beyond his current patch as US attorney in Delaware.
The change of status followed the collapse of a deal last month that likely would have seen Hunter Biden get sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges. The deal would have also included an arrangement that would have resolved a felony gun charge. Weiss said in a court filing on Friday that negotiations to restructure the deal – which a judge had worried was unconstitutional – have now reached an “impasse” and that a trial was likely.
The prospect of the president’s son going on trial, under a glaring media spotlight, would be a nightmare distraction for any White House, let alone – potentially – during a reelection 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.
Such a spectacle could be so damaging to Joe Biden, that former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” Friday that a fresh plea agreement could not be ruled out.
“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…
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