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Hunter Biden on Tuesday was charged with two counts of failing to pay federal taxes and one count of possessing a gun while addicted to drugs. He has reached a tentative agreement with the Department of Justice to plead guilty to the two tax crimes and avoid being prosecuted for the firearm charge.
The charges against Biden come just days after federal prosecutors charged former president Donald Trump with 37 counts related to the classified documents probe.
Here’s how lawmakers are reacting to Biden’s charges and the plea deal.
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Donald Trump Jr.
The former president’s son slammed Attorney General Merrick Garland and said the plea deal with Hunter Biden “reeks of favoritism.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)
She tweeted that Hunter Biden’s plea deal “is a stunt to make him look like he is just cooperating with the DOJ” and that Trump was wrongfully accused of keeping classified documents with him.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.)
Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that Biden has gotten away with “a slap on the wrist” and vowed to determine if President Joe Biden was involved in “the family’s schemes.”
The statement said: “Let’s be clear: the Department of Justice’s charges against President Biden’s son Hunter reveal a two-tiered system of justice. Hunter Biden is getting away with a slap on the wrist when growing evidence uncovered by the House Oversight Committee reveals the Bidens engaged in a pattern of corruption, influence peddling, and possibly bribery...We will not rest until the full extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s schemes are revealed.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)
Raskin, the ranking Democrat member on the House oversight committee, slammed Republicans for promoting “debunked conspiracy theories” about the president.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-De.)
A Biden ally from the president’s home state, Sen. Chris Coons said he is “encouraged” that Hunter Biden is accepting responsibility.
“From press accounts, I am encouraged that Hunter is taking responsibility for his actions, paying the taxes that he owes, and preparing to move on with his life.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
The chair of House Republicans was unhappy about Biden’s tentative plea agreement and accused Democrats of weaponizing the justice system.
“It’s never been more clear that we have a two-tiered system of justice when you have the son of the sitting President of the United States selling our country out to the highest bidder, laundering money, committing tax fraud, accepting bribes, illegally obtaining a firearm, and shamefully avoiding child support,” she said.
Gov. Nikki Haley (R-S.C.)
“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,” the former South Carolina governor and 2024 GOP candidate said in a statement to Semafor.
Speaker Kevin McCarty (R-Ca.)
McCarthy called Biden’s plea agreement a “sweetheart deal.”
“It continues to show the two-tier system in America,” McCarthy said of the plea deal. “f you are the president’s leading political opponent, the DOJ tries to literally put you in jail and give you prison time. But if you are the president’s son, you get a sweetheart deal.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.)
The Florida governor and 2024 GOP candidate also described the agreement as a “sweetheart deal.”
Vivek Ramaswamy
The entrepreneur and 2024 GOP candidate said the plea deal was a “joke.”
“It’s a feigned retreat & reveals they’re even more scared than ever of scrutiny for the real crimes,” he tweeted.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)
Donalds described the agreement as a “slap on the wrist.”