Several Republican 2024 presidential challengers weighed in Tuesday on the deal between President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) on federal gun and tax charges.
Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and enter a probation agreement with the DOJ for a felony gun possession charge; Biden has been under investigation in the Federal District of Delaware since 2018 over allegedly failing to pay taxes and lying on a federal firearm application. Many of the 2024 GOP contenders criticized the deal as letting Hunter Biden off easy, as the younger Biden was able to avoid jail time, contrasting the legal treatment with that of former President Donald Trump.
“Today proves there is a clear two-tiered system of justice—one for Democrats and one against President Trump,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told the DCNF. “As President Trump predicted earlier this month, Hunter was given a sweetheart deal that sweeps his crimes under the rug in a blatant attempt to interfere with the 2024 election. All the while, Joe Biden continues to be given a pass by his weak special counsel for his classified documents strewn all across his garage and in his Chinatown office building. The Biden Crime Family continues to show they are willing to sell out America to dangerous foreign actors in order to line their pockets with millions and millions of dollars.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also criticized the DOJ for giving Biden a “sweetheart deal.” (RELATED: NO JAIL TIME: Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty In Deal To Avoid Jail)
“Looks like Hunter received a sweetheart deal and is not facing any charges on the massive corruption allegations,” DeSantis wrote in a tweet. “If Hunter was not connected to the elite DC class he would have been put in jail a long time ago.”
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the plea deal in relation to the long list of Hunter Biden’s highly-scrutinized business dealings.
“The Hunter Biden plea deal is meant to induce a collective amnesia in the American public,” Ramaswamy’s campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF in a statement. “Forget the audio tapes of the alleged bribe for Hunter and Joe Biden from the Ukrainian executive of oligarch-owned Burisma. Forget the ’10 for the big guy.’ Nothing to see here. No jail time for Hunter. And now the Administrative state can justify what it did to Trump. ‘Equal’ justice.”
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley echoed the other candidates’ sentiment, and questioned Biden’s plea deal and the DOJ’s “double standard[s].”
“This plea deal only raises further questions about Hunter Biden’s crimes and the double standard of justice in our federal government. There is clearly a lot more the Biden family has to answer for,” Haley said in a statement.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott emphasized the importance of the investigations into the Biden family led by chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer and Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley, and the need for new leadership in 2024.
“This is another reason Americans have lost faith in Biden’s Justice Department,” Scott wrote in a tweet. “While the Biden family gets a slap on the wrist with kid gloves, DOJ throws the kitchen sink at political opponents, raids the homes of pro-life advocates, and targets parents as ‘domestic terrorists.'”
Conservative radio personality Larry Elder slammed the DOJ for displaying a “partisan justice system,” and promised to review the “bad actors” at the department if president, he told the DCNF.
“The DOJ’s agreement with Hunter Biden, which will see him serve no jail time after pleading guilty to three federal crimes, is yet another example of our two-tiered, partisan justice system,” said Elder. “From the politically motivated prosecutions of Donald Trump and Daniel Penny, to the George Soros-supported District Attorneys across the country refusing to enforce the laws on the books, to sweetheart deals with the Biden family, our criminal justice system is broken. The status quo of ‘rules for thee, but not for me’ is totally unacceptable, and patriotic Americans need to fight back.”
It’s no accident that the farcical Hunter Biden “plea deal” comes right after the Trump indictment: it’s the perfect fig leaf to pretend that “no one is above the law,” while absolutely putting certain people above the law. It’s an Orwellian gesture that gives the news media…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 20, 2023
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told the DCNF he’s looking forward to reaching a conclusion for the other allegations brought against Biden.
“The conclusion of Hunter Biden’s tax-related investigation by the admission of guilt is an important step in resolving at least a portion of the controversies over Hunter Biden’s business dealings,” said Hutchinson. “However, it is important for our country to have the whistle blower allegations answered and the U.S. Attorney and the Department of Justice should be transparent in stating clearly the status of the investigation; the reason for a 5 year delay in reaching today’s result; and how the investigation will continue and who is leading it?”
“If David Weiss, the Trump appointed U.S. Attorney has concluded the investigation, then the obvious question is whether a Special Prosecutor is needed to investigate the whistle blower allegations. There is a legitimate public interest in making sure all allegations are investigated and dealt with under the law,” said Hutchinson.
The newly-announced presidential candidate and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez questioned the case’s conclusion, and demanded answers from the DOJ.
“The resolution in this case once again raises more questions than answers. Being an addict is not an excuse for lining your pockets with cash from our country’s adversaries by using your fathers name and connections,” Suarez told the DCNF. “The American people deserve to know exactly who was paying Hunter et al, why they were paying him and his family and exactly what was used to induce these payments. We need answers!”
Former Vice President Mike Pence’s campaign referred the DCNF to his remarks from late March regarding Biden’s legal troubles.
“When I was vice president, my son wasn’t sitting on the board of foreign corporations. He was sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, serving the United States in the Marine Corps,” Pence told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo.
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