Los Angeles, California – Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty to nine felony and misdemeanor tax charges during his initial appearance in a California courtroom on Thursday. The arraignment took place at the Edward R. Roybal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, where Hunter Biden entered the plea himself. This follows his surprise appearance on Capitol Hill the day before, where he attended a hearing on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress.
According to the December indictment, Hunter Biden is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. The charges allege that he earned millions of dollars from foreign entities in Ukraine, Romania, and China, while choosing not to pay his taxes and instead leading an extravagant lifestyle. The back taxes were eventually paid in 2020 by a third party, identified as Hunter Biden’s attorney Kevin Morris.
This is not the first time Hunter Biden has faced legal troubles. In July of last year, an initial plea deal fell apart in a Delaware federal courtroom due to concerns raised by the judge over the terms of the agreement. Later, in October, he pleaded not guilty to three felony gun charges as part of a separate indictment in Delaware. However, he has since moved to have those charges dismissed.
The tax charges were brought by special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by former President Trump and has been investigating Hunter Biden. The younger Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, criticized the indictment, claiming it included no new evidence and suggesting that if Hunter’s last name were different, these charges would not have been brought.
Hunter Biden’s appearance in court in California comes on the heels of his surprise appearance on Capitol Hill. During the House Oversight committee hearing, he expressed his willingness to testify in a public forum but refused to testify in a closed-door session as part of a GOP-led probe into his family’s business affairs. His attorney accused Republicans of using him to attack his father and disregarding the truth.
It is important to note that the White House has distanced President Biden from his son’s business dealings, with a spokesperson stating that the president was never in business with Hunter Biden and that they have never discussed his overseas business affairs.
In conclusion, Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to tax charges during his court appearance in Los Angeles. This follows his surprise appearance on Capitol Hill, where he refused to testify in a closed-door session. The younger Biden’s attorney has criticized the charges, claiming no new evidence has been presented. President Biden has maintained that he has had no involvement in his son’s business dealings. The case will now proceed in court.