The Hunter Biden Investigation

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Fri Dec 16, 2022 11:11 am

We know it’s coming, might as well start the thread with a summary of what we know so far:

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Fri Dec 16, 2022 3:24 pm

I really hope whoever is subpoenaed delays and foot-drags for all they're worth.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Dec 16, 2022 4:15 pm

Alefroth wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 3:24 pm I really hope whoever is subpoenaed delays and foot-drags for all they're worth.

Ugh. That is what they do to abuse the system. There is no winning this game but a sure way to lose it - by rolling in the mud with them.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:28 am

Our long national nightmare is over

Hunter Biden has reached a deal with federal prosecutors to resolve a five-year federal investigation into his failure to pay about $1 million in federal taxes and his purchase of a handgun in 2018.

Under an agreement detailed Tuesday in a filing in federal court in Delaware, President Joe Biden’s son will plead guilty to a pair of misdemeanor tax charges. Prosecutors have also charged him with possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs — a felony — but have agreed to dismiss that charge if he completes a two-year period of probation.

Hunter Biden, 53, is unlikely to serve time in prison if he complies with release conditions. The deal calls for both sides to recommend that he be put on probation.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:38 am

Regarding the tax charges, I'm fine with the plea deal since not dragging this out saves the taxpayers at least $1M.

The weapons charge, not a fan of dropping the felony but again, resources. Free up the US Attorney to go after other things.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:42 am

what were the drugs involved?

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:46 am

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:42 am what were the drugs involved?

The crime is lying in the federal form 4473 when purchasing a firearm. It asks if you are a user of federally illegal substances.

He later said he was using crack cocaine at the time which is what they got him for. Not sure if there were other drugs.

The gun purchase that led to the criminal charge happened in late 2018, at a time when, by his own telling in his autobiography, Hunter Biden was regularly abusing crack cocaine. When he filled out paperwork to buy the gun, however, he denied using drugs or having a drug problem, exposing him to a potential charge of making a false statement on the document, as well as illegal gun possession once he acquired the weapon.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... plea-deal/

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:09 am

53! I thought he was in his twenties and living in his dad's basement.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:09 am

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 10:38 am Regarding the tax charges, I'm fine with the plea deal since not dragging this out saves the taxpayers at least $1M.

The weapons charge, not a fan of dropping the felony but again, resources. Free up the US Attorney to go after other things.

He paid all back taxes, interest and penalties, so I'm ok with that, though that itself raises questions as to there the money came from given his financial difficulties.

But he should have done some minimal time on the gun charges, I suspect a poorer, less well known defendant wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:10 am

During the investigation, Hunter Biden reportedly paid off his tax debts by tapping more than $2 million he was loaned by a Hollywood attorney and producer, Kevin Morris. Morris is also said to be funding a movie about Hunter Biden based in part on his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things.”
...
Lying on the gun-purchase form can be a felony, though prosecutions for it are rare. It’s unclear how many of those cases involve lying about being a drug user, but prosecutors and defense attorneys say they’re infrequent and are almost always brought in connection with some other set of alleged crimes.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:29 am

IE, as leverage.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:32 am

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:50 am

...he just went from obscure references to references that I've spent the last two decades trying to scour from my memory.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 12:10 pm

Grifman wrote: ↑Fri Dec 16, 2022 11:11 am We know it’s coming, might as well start the thread with a summary of what we know so far:

It's not a very good summary.

waitingtoconnect · Post by **waitingtoconnect** » Tue Jun 20, 2023 9:35 pm

My support for Hunters presidency has plummeted immensely. I might not even support him for a cabinet or other WH position at this point.

Seriously though looking forward to Republicans frantically complaining that someone is being insufficiently punished for having a gun and not paying taxes.

And as for impropriety…

It's customary for incoming Presidential administrations to fire US Attorneys. Biden did not fire the US Attorney for Delaware, due in part, to avoid the appearance of impropriety and favoritism since that US attorney was investigating Hunter Biden.

Meanwhile Trump has indicated he wants to pardon J6 insurrectionists and Ron Desantis wants to defund the FBI.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Jun 21, 2023 5:45 pm

Grifman wrote: ↑Tue Jun 20, 2023 11:09 am e paid all back taxes, interest and penalties, so I'm ok with that, though that itself raises questions as to there the money came from given his financial difficulties.

But he should have done some minimal time on the gun charges, I suspect a poorer, less well known defendant wouldn't have gotten off so easily.

Or perhaps not:

NBC: Legal experts say the charges against Hunter Biden are rarely brought

The federal statute making it unlawful for a drug addict to possess a gun faces court challenges. The misdemeanor tax charges also rarely result in jail time.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Wed Jun 21, 2023 10:36 pm

(I realize I'm speaking to perhaps no one in the below message, aside from people that don't read this forum)
I so don't give a rat's ass about Hunter Biden at all.

Take him.
Don't Take him.

It has nothing to do with the things I find important... and if that alarms ya'll Republicans - Take him. What the GOP don't get is that no one (spare Joe) gives a mother fucking rat shit about Hunter. Yeah, yeah... you may have sensed a little sympathy for the poor fuck that clearly has problems, but that is litterally all of it - just a Jesus level of sympathy. Not a single ounce of defense or offense on his position has really ever been embraced.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:16 pm

“They” don’t care whether or not you care about Hunter. They need something, anything that smells like corruption for the “both sides” of it all.

Also, they want it to hurt Joe Biden, either for shits and giggles, or for taking a few points off his polling.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:59 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:16 pm “They” don’t care whether or not you care about Hunter. They need something, anything that smells like corruption for the “both sides” of it all.

Also, they want it to hurt Joe Biden, either for shits and giggles, or for taking a few points off his polling.

They're also high on their own farts and have convinced themselves of Rudy's stories about The Laptop.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 9:33 am

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:16 pm “They” don’t care whether or not you care about Hunter. They need something, anything that smells like corruption for the “both sides” of it all.

Also, they want it to hurt Joe Biden, either for shits and giggles, or for taking a few points off his polling.

Exactly. They've expanded the conspiracy to include Garland and the Delaware AG and ...

"They" are not people acting in good faith. "They" aren't people we can reason with. People like Turley will always move onto another conspiracy so they can continue their grifts.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 1:38 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:59 pm
Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Fri Jun 23, 2023 3:16 pm “They” don’t care whether or not you care about Hunter. They need something, anything that smells like corruption for the “both sides” of it all.

Also, they want it to hurt Joe Biden, either for shits and giggles, or for taking a few points off his polling.
They're also high on their own farts and have convinced themselves of Rudy's stories about The Laptop.

I'm stealing "high on their own farts". And I can't believe it's taken me 50 years to come across it. Likewise "asshole casserole" has been stolen from a different source.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 1:48 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Sun Jun 25, 2023 1:38 pm I'm stealing "high on their own farts". And I can't believe it's taken me 50 years to come across it. Likewise "asshole casserole" has been stolen from a different source.

A search suggests it hasn't occurred on OO, but I definitely didn't make it up.

Do I get a point??

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Sun Jun 25, 2023 3:37 pm

Favorite insult run across on my USENET days: 'You couldn't find your own arsehole with both hands and a fart detector.'

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:30 am

I'm more familiar with the phrase "sniffing their own farts", but I suppose the end result of all that methane could be getting high.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jul 10, 2023 7:23 pm

You might want to sit down:

Gal Luft, a Dual U.S.-Israeli Citizen, Allegedly Evaded FARA Registration While Working to Advance the Interests of China in the United States and Sought to Broker the Illicit Sales of Chinese-Manufactured Weapons and Iranian Oil to China

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an eight-count Indictment charging GAL LUFT with offenses related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”), arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations, and making false statements to federal agents. LUFT, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was arrested on February 17, 2023, in the Republic of Cyprus based on the charges in the Indictment. LUFT subsequently fled after being released on bail while extradition proceedings were pending and remains a fugitive.

For those unfamiliar, here is an article all about Mr. Luft:

Luft has been the “missing witness” of House Republicans’ investigation into the Biden family’s business dealings for months, according to the Post. House investigators have been unable to locate him to request his testimony to Congress.

Luft, who spends most of his time in Israel, offered to meet with the DOJ in 2019 to hand over evidence and information from Hunter Biden’s dealings with CEFC. Luft advised the now-defunct Chinese energy company for roughly four years and during the time that Hunter and the company were working together.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 7:51 am

Obviously he was set up, so as to protect Hunter.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 10:08 am

That indictment is sorta of hilarious. The great hope of Republicans is probably a ... Chinese spy. You can't make this stuff up. When you read the indictment it almost reads like it had to be made up. It's pretty cartoonish. The guy probably tripped a half dozen national security trip wires.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 12:43 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Jul 11, 2023 7:51 am Obviously he was set up, so as to protect Hunter.

One could say it's "Biden's" Justice Department harassing a patriot now on the run for his protection ..

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 4:41 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Tue Jul 11, 2023 10:08 am That indictment is sorta of hilarious. The great hope of Republicans is probably a ... Chinese spy. You can't make this stuff up. When you read the indictment it almost reads like it had to be made up. It's pretty cartoonish. The guy probably tripped a half dozen national security trip wires.

Also an Israeli working actively with Iran. Not exactly a guy with morals or ethics...

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Jul 12, 2023 10:44 am

"Whistleblower" busted! And it's not trivial. Plus ties to a Florida Man.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Jul 12, 2023 12:16 pm

I'm sure Musk is all over exposing this conspiracy

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 7:59 am

Talk about hypocritical dogs with a bone

Republicans in Congress Seek to Block Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal

The chairman of the Ways and Means Committee filed a brief in federal court saying the plea agreement for the president’s son had been tainted by political interference.

---

On the eve of Hunter Biden’s court appearance to enter into a plea deal for misdemeanor tax crimes that would allow him to avoid prison time, House Republicans and conservative groups sought to intervene in the case, urging a judge to throw out the agreement he reached with prosecutors.

The highly unusual legal maneuvering — which experts said was unlikely to succeed — illustrated the lengths that House Republicans and their allied groups have been willing to go to as they have tried to use Mr. Biden’s legal and personal troubles to inflict political damage on his father, President Biden.

...

Another brief was filed by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative research group, which has started an operation dedicated to aiding the Republican investigations into President Biden.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers tried to stop Mr. Smith from filing his brief, saying that he had no standing and that the materials included in the filing should be filed under seal because they contain confidential taxpayer information.

The judge overseeing the case, Maryellen Noreika, agreed to seal the filing, but not before The New York Times was able to obtain a copy. The brief argued that the plea deal was “tainted,” citing the testimony of the two I.R.S. officials.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 9:54 am

I suggest getting the all of Hunter's victims in these crimes to testify against him.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 11:02 am

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 9:54 am I suggest getting the all of Hunter's victims in these crimes to testify against him.

Wouldn't that be every taxpayer in the country?

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:05 pm

And it looks like the deal has fallen through. This is crazy shit.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:15 pm

Considering the details we just learned today...this deal actually *stinks* of corruption. The judge didn't even address the Republican nonsense. She essentially asked straightforward questions that addressed some really damning facts about the deal.

Even if it isn't "corrupt" this is a major failure by DOJ. Garland's failure is complete in my mind. He under-reacted to major crimes to appear non-political only to step on multiple rakes with Hunter 'fucking' Biden and feed into the authoritarian propaganda. Garland is looking like a pretty big liability for Biden now.

Also we learned that Biden is still subject of a FARA investigation. That'll play nicely during Biden's impeachment hearings. Keep in mind they have been investigating Hunter for five years now. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous. It certainly does look like the belief that the US doesn't have a 2-tier justice system is taking big body blows right now.

From the start, the judge seemed highly skeptical of the unusual deal — which offered Hunter Biden broad immunity from prosecution in perpetuity, questioning why it had been filed under a provision that gave her no legal authority to reject it. When she asked Leo Wise, a prosecutor, if there was any precedent for the kind of deal being proposed, he replied, “No, your honor.”

I mean. WTF. The account is they were literally arguing about the shape of the deal in front of the judge. Hunter's team thought he had protection for unrelated charges. It's nuts. It is hard to understand how this even happened.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:28 pm

Note: Some people online are pointing out the judge was appointed by Trump. That's great and all but the account indicates she asked some straight forward questions and it led to DOJ and Hunter's lawyers arguing about the deal in open court. She didn't even rule against accepting the deal - it fell apart between the parties. It's a complete clusterfuck. DOJ just gifted the GOP with a corruption storyline that very well might stick to Biden.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:36 pm

Prosecutors and defense agree to revised plea deal for Hunter Biden
From CNN's Tierney Sneed, Marshall Cohen, Kara Scannell, Holmes Lybrand

The Hunter Biden plea proceedings have restarted and the president’s son has agreed to a limited agreement that covers 2014 to 2019 and only includes conduct related to tax offenses, drug use and gun possession.

President Joe Biden's son will still plead guilty to the tax misdemeanors for 2017 and 2018, but the agreement will also cover his tax-related conduct for the three years prior.

The two sides have agreed that this deal does not shield him from potential future charges.

The proceedings are ongoing.

So this sounds like what they had agreed to. I don't think anyone was expecting he was getting a get out of jail free card. Hunter is such a sack of shit though. We're going to get Trump back into office because he's a spoiled brat. Awesome.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:41 pm

It certainty sounded like Hunter's lawyers thought they had tied off all open legal jeopardy. Considering their weak hand they seem to have accepted they have a bird in hand for now and have now made two concessions after the judge found daylight between the two sides. Now we will see if the judge doesn't dig into the other issues with the plea that she pointed out and find other issues. In any case, so much fodder for the right-wing attack machine has been generated. Ugh.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Wed Jul 26, 2023 1:47 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 12:28 pm Note: Some people online are pointing out the judge was appointed by Trump. That's great and all but the account indicates she asked some straight forward questions and it led to DOJ and Hunter's lawyers arguing about the deal in open court. She didn't even rule against accepting the deal - it fell apart between the parties. It's a complete clusterfuck. DOJ just gifted the GOP with a corruption storyline that very well might stick to Biden.

Note: For three years or so, I worked every day with Judge Noreika when she was in private practice, and I've followed her career closely since she became a judge. She's no Trump hack. She was an excellent attorney and has an outstanding reputation as a judge.