(NewsNation) — Federal authorities investigating President Joe Biden’s son Hunter have gathered what they believe is enough evidence to charge with him tax crimes, according to the Washington Post.
The FBI has sent the evidence to a federal prosecutor in Delaware who will ultimately make any charging decisions, the Post reported.
Hunter Biden has been under investigation since 2018 over taxes, and the probe has zeroed in on whether he failed to report income and whether he lied on gun purchase paperwork, according to the Post.
Biden became a central focus for former President Donald Trump during his reelection campaign. Trump and other Republicans have pointed to the probe as evidence the Department of Justice has been “weaponized” against him while turning a blind eye to alleged crimes by Democrats.
David C. Weiss is the U.S. attorney in Delaware who is supervising the case and will make a decision about whether to prosecute. Weiss, who was nominated by Trump in 2017, declined to comment, the Post reported.
Jay Town, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama, said Thursday on “Dan Abrams Live” there’s likely pressure on Weiss to decline prosecution.
“That’s the path of least resistance,” Town said. “Hunter Biden … is going to have a tremendous defense team with lots of resources and the full weight of whatever they can bring to bear.”
While conventional wisdom might be that an attorney should file charges if agents present enough evidence, Town said other factors must be taken into account.
“I understand that logic, but you still have to prove it in court and it still has to be a case you would typically bring,” Town said. “I know it’s important to David Weiss to use his resources wisely and to prosecute Hunter Biden for a crime that he believes should be proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Biden’s attorney, Chris Clark, accused investigators of leaking information in a statement to the Post.
“As is proper and legally required, we believe the prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense,” Clark said in a statement. “That is the job of the prosecutors. They should not be pressured, rushed, or criticized for doing their job.”
Biden confirmed the existence of the tax investigation in December 2020, one month after the presidential election. He said in a statement at the time that he was “confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors.”
He also said in an April 2021 interview with CBS that he wasn’t sure if a laptop — one he allegedly left at a Delaware repair shop and that reportedly had information about his business dealings in Ukraine — was his. He told CBS reporter Tracy Smith that the laptop could have been his or it “could be I was hacked. It could be that it was Russian intelligence.”
Prosecutors have sought information related to the income Biden received from Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings Ltd. From 2014 to 2019, Hunter Biden served on Burisma’s board and was paid about $50,000 a month. That prompted Trump to urge Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to open an investigation into Biden’s father, who was Trump’s electoral opponent at that time.