George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Thursday that despite a sudden change in plea, Hunter Biden would likely face prison time over tax charges if federal prosecutors pressed for a prison sentence.
Attorneys for Biden, who initially pled “not guilty,” said he would change his plea Thursday to accept a guilty verdict, averting a trial on charges scheduled to start this week. Turley said that Biden’s attorneys waited too long to make the deal, which hurt his chances of avoiding jail. (RELATED: Jonathan Turley Says It’s ‘Overwhelmingly Clear’ Hunter Biden Should Plead Guilty In Tax Case)
“Timing is important. You can get a better deal if you plead early rather than late. It’s sort of like waiting for the water to reach the deck on the Titanic before you ask about swimming lessons. I mean, it’s a little bit late for some of those options and so he really has succeeded in putting himself in the worst possible position in terms of a plea,” Turley said. “This is the penalty for a lawyer standing in federal court and telling prosecutors quote, ‘just rip it up.’”
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‘Legal Death Wish’: Jonathan Turley Says Hunter Biden Likely Headed To Jail pic.twitter.com/jmTV8mOdxb
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Biden pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge during a July 26, 2023, hearing after a plea bargain announced the previous June collapsed when U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned the initial plea deal reached between federal prosecutors and Biden.
“I think it would be very strange for the Department of Justice after all of this history not to seek some jail time, and if they seek jail time, they’ll get it, very likely, from this judge,” Turley said. “So that may ultimately prompt the president to pursue a pardon or commutation. We’ll have to see. The odds at this point favor jail time. They didn’t when the Justice Department was still in favor of a plea agreement after it collapsed.” (RELATED: Turley Says Judge May Jail Hunter Biden For ‘Putting Everyone Through A Trial’ With ‘Overwhelming Evidence Of Guilt’)
Biden faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted on all nine counts from another indictment secured by special counsel David Weiss over Biden’s alleged failure to pay over $1 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. Biden was also convicted on three felony counts in connection with the 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber revolver in June after jurors deliberated for slightly over three hours.
Turley added that Biden should have made his guilty plea shortly after the indictment was announced after “Outnumbered” co-host Kayleigh McEnany asked if Attorney General Merrick Garland would approve the deal.
“I would expect that he would likely get it. How that would play out in the politics of the moment is rather uncertain. As you’ve noted, I think you’re correct on this that most people really don’t see that nuance,” Turley said. “I’m not entirely convinced that if he reserved the right to appeal, he has anything to appeal on. His defenses were a series of Hail Mary plays that just missed by a mile, and I don’t see any real appellate issue. This tax case’s open and shut, which is why back in 2023, I said you truly have to have a legal death wish not to plead guilty to these charges because it’s easiest type of case to bring.”
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