Here’s a new one: First son Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, claimed Monday that her client was charged because of his proximity to power, not despite it.
“It’s because he’s the president’s son whose name is Biden,” Lowell told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in response to last week’s indictment against the 53-year-old by a Southern California grand jury convened by special prosecutor David Weiss. “Republicans… have tried and tried to say that President Biden has done something wrong. “They can’t find even the slightest bit of evidence.”
“What they’ve done successfully… is basically saying, ‘Okay, I can’t get the president, so I’m going to smear his son in a way that suggests there’s something going on between the two of them,'” Lowell added. .
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they go back to a time when Hunter was in a stationery store when he was 11 and picked up a piece of gum and saw if they could charge him,” Lowell complained about the charges.
The indictment filed Thursday charges Hunter Biden with nine tax-related charges, including three felonies, in connection with evading $1.4 million in payments owed to Uncle Sam between 2016 and 2019.
The first son also faces three charges in Delaware related to allegedly illegally possessing a firearm while addicted to crack cocaine and two misdemeanor tax offenses that were previously contained in a plea deal that imploded in July.
Republicans have argued, based on testimony from two IRS whistleblowers, that the Justice Department showed favoritism toward the first family by shutting down lines of investigation and ignoring evidence that could have implicated the president.
Abbe Lowell believes Hunter Biden is not getting a fair deal because of his relationship with Joe Biden.
Lowell argued Monday that Weiss had increased the charges against his client “not [because of] a change in the facts, not a change in the law, but the enormous pressure exerted by the Republicans by the former president [Donald] Trump to the House committee chairmen to demand that more be done.
“That’s not the way it’s supposed to work.”
Lowell insisted that the first son was simply behind on his taxes and suffered from drug addiction, catalyzed by the death of his brother, Beau, in 2015 from brain cancer.
Hunter Biden has attributed many of his misdeeds to his struggle with addiction. REUTERS
“As everybody knows, [he was] “He is at the bottom of the barrel of his crack addiction, which explains much of his misconduct and also addresses whether he was on what they call a ‘plan,'” Lowell said.
Weiss was promoted to special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Aug. 11, shortly after a plea deal for Hunter fell apart in federal court in Delaware.
Even some Democrats like Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have suggested they believe Hunter Biden’s behavior warranted prosecution.
The White House has downplayed the possibility of the president pardoning his son. AFP via Getty Images
Lowell further complained Monday that prosecutors did not inform the defense in advance that new charges were coming.
“They didn’t say anything. In fact, this was a complete surprise to us, even though we had been in contact with them,” Lowell said before insisting that his client had already suffered enough.
“He has an extraordinary responsibility,” said the lawyer. “Well, first of all, he almost died.”
Rep. James Comer is leading the House GOP impeachment inquiry. AP
“If the U.S. attorney had gone ahead with what was supposed to happen in June, there would have been accountability,” he said. “It’s not on. [Hunter] that something bad happened after that day.”
House Republicans opened an impeachment inquiry into the president on Sept. 12 to examine whether he improperly benefited from his family’s overseas businesses.
Investigators have summoned Hunter and his first brother, James Biden, for closed-door interviews this month, but have not yet agreed on a date for the meetings.
Abbe Lowell is a famous defense attorney who has worked for figures such as Jared Kushner and Bob Menendez. Saquan Stimpson – CNP
Lowell has offered his client to testify publicly, but Republicans have insisted that a statement be made first.
“We’ll see how it goes because we want Hunter to do it since he’s raised all the pertinent and relevant questions,” the lawyer said, “but he should do it in a forum where people can hear the Republicans’ tactics.”
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