Hunter Biden's tax evasion charges not the worst part of controversy: Carney

Hunter Biden's leveraging of his father's name to attract clients — and the president's acceptance of this practice — is troubling. — Image credit: AP Images

On Dec. 7, Hunter Biden was indicted on nine tax charges in California, relating to over $1.4 million in taxes owed between 2016 and 2019. While the back taxes have been settled, a potential conviction could result in a maximum 17-year prison sentence for the president’s son. On Dec. 13, House Republicans voted to formalize their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, moving forward a process that had been promised by Republican leaders since they regained control of the House in 2022.

Straight Arrow News contributor Tim Carney is more focused on how Hunter earned the money in the first place. Carney is particularly troubled by Hunter’s leveraging of his father’s name to attract international clients and is deeply concerned about the apparent acceptance of this practice by the president.

Hunter Biden now faces felony charges for tax evasion. The federal indictment details what sort of things Hunter spent his money on, and it looks like it was largely prostitutes and drugs. Because Hunter is the son of the president of the United States, this gets a lot more attention than with the average story of millionaire debauchery and legal trouble.

Democrats say that Hunter’s immoral and possibly illegal behavior in no way reflects on President Biden. It is true that Hunter is not in public office and so maybe how he spent his money isn’t entirely our business. His drug use and infidelity are matters between him and his family and God. Also, his alleged tax evasion is a matter between him, federal prosecutors and the IRS. But how Hunter earned his money is our business, because it has to do directly with Joe Biden’s power as a senator or vice president and a presidential candidate.

Hunter Biden spent decades as an influence-peddling, revolving-door lobbyist who blatantly banked on his father’s name. Hunter, at least, seemed to be selling access to his father both as a registered lobbyist for U.S. companies and as an unregistered consultant for foreign companies.

President Biden knows this. He’s known this all along. And the president has repeatedly said that he was perfectly fine with what Hunter was doing.

Hunter Biden now faces felony charges for tax evasion. The federal indictment details what sort of things Hunter spent his money on, and it looks like it was largely prostitutes and drugs. Because Hunter is the son of the President of the United States. This gets a lot more attention than with the average story of millionaire debauchery and legal trouble. Democrats say that hunter’s immoral and possibly illegal behavior in no way reflects on President Biden. It is true that Hunter is not in public office and so maybe how he spent his money isn’t entirely our business. his drug use and infidelity are matters between him and his family and God. Also, his alleged tax evasion is a matter between him federal prosecutors and the IRS. But how Hunter earned his money is our business because it has to do directly with Joe Biden’s power as a senator of vice president and a presidential candidate. Hunter Biden spent decades as an influence peddling revolving door lobbyists, who blatantly banked on his father’s name, Hunter at least seemed to be selling access to his father both as a registered lobbyist for US companies and as an unregistered consultant for foreign companies. President Biden knows this. He’s known this all along. And the President has repeatedly said that he was perfectly fine with what Hunter was doing. When Hunter Biden cashed out of the Clinton administration in 2001, he launched a lobbying firm named Biden and oldaker. His partner William oldaker, was well known as one of Joe Biden’s premier fundraisers. Naming your lobbying firm Biden and oldaker was a clear signal to potential clients that hiring this firm granted special access to powerful Senator Joe Biden. Sure enough, some of the firm’s clients included Joe Biden donors. Also, in order to get federal earmarks. The University of Delaware hired a second firm that Biden oldaker controlled. Later, when Joe Biden became vice president Hunter moved on to international clients for whom he never registered as a lobbyist or as a foreign agent. But these clients from China, Ukraine and elsewhere, paid Hunter millions, while his dad was vice president, and later a presidential candidate. Did Joe Biden ever do a favor for hunters clients? That hasn’t been proven? In fact, Democrats say Hunter was selling the, quote, illusion of access. So this is a democratic defense of hunters actions. He tricked us and foreign companies into believing he would deliver them policy favors from his dad. That is, the best case picture of Hunter’s career is that he was a lifelong fraudster a ripoff artists openly trading on his father’s name. And Joe Biden says this is fine. It’s not fine, it’s corrupt. And we should all be bothered that our president believes insider corruption is perfectly okay.