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The indictment of Hunter Biden isn’t really about gun charges (www.vox.com)

submitted 9 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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Prosecutors are moving aggressively because the plea deal fell apart. But why did it fall apart?

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[-] flossdaily@lemmy.world 88 points 9 months ago

Seems like to a certain extent the media and the public are humoring the Republicans about Hunter, because there's a sense that allowing him to be treated extremely harshly in some way justifies throwing the book at Trump.

But that isn't the case.

TRUMP is actually being treated with kid gloves. He staged an insurrection (potentially a coup), and should have been behind bars ever since. Actually if he had been treated fairly he'd have been indicted for the obstruction of justice charges laid out in the Mueller report.

With zero evidence, Republicans have been digging into Hunter Biden for years and they found ZERO evidence to support the allegations that they were investigating.

They stumbled into minor tax issues, and Hunter lying about his drug addiction on a firearms permit.

And then, when Hunter got treated like any other person facing such minor charges, the Republicans flipped out decided that Hunter didn't deserves JUSTICE. No. These Republicans are out for some misplaced revenge.

Disgusting.

[-] Sho@lemmy.world 43 points 9 months ago

I also love that it's a GUN charge. They are all about ppl having guns just not THOSE ppl. 🤔🤣

[-] TurnItOff_OnAgain@lemmy.world 68 points 9 months ago

My in laws were railing about it. I reminded my FIL that he purchased multiple guns while an active user of weed, and therefore committed the same crime as Hunter, so he should be charged too. He said it's different and changed the subject.

[-] flossdaily@lemmy.world 37 points 9 months ago

You can't shame the shameless.

[-] BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 3 points 9 months ago

Kids need gun, adults need guns, everyone needs guns in case someone uses their gun.
No not him, we don't like his dad

[-] Sho@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

The mental gymnastics that's at play lately makes me nauseous

[-] tburkhol@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago

It's not that we're humoring the Republicans, it's that this is their one and only game, and we're bored. Right now, it's Hunter Biden's guns and fake jobs. It was Hillary's emails and Benghazi. Obama's birth certificate. John Kerry's swift boat. Bill Clinton's affair.

The amazing thing is that they've definitely tried it on Joe Biden, and the best the could come up with was smelling women's hair. That man has been in politics for 53 years, and they haven't been able to get even a hint of scandal to stick to him. The best the can do is Hunter.

[-] Case@unilem.org 2 points 9 months ago

At this point, the GOP is going out of their way to torture Hunter and ruin his life and image.

Deplorable behavior, I just wish the other half of this country would realize this is barbaric, uncouth, and not what this country stood for - because as it stands, we're teetering between a more socialist capitalism and fascism.

I talked to my grandfather, he isn't long for this world but he was clear headed when we talked - Asked him about fascism, as a WW2 vet. He has voted R most of his life, but thankfully he sees the writing on the wall at this point. It did take a little emotional damage though, his second great grandchild was just born - if things keep progressing in this fashion, what life will it have? Not the America he reminisces about, and not the good parts of the more modern times.

[-] tacosplease@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

Hunter is starting to punch back and will have his day in court. Someone hacked his cloud account and put that stuff on a laptop Hunter never owned. And the more we learn the more it seems like Giuliani knew that and may have had an active role in setting it up.

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I'm going to quibble with you about the public humoring Republicans as some sort of trade off, because I don't think that's it. I think the vast majority of the public just doesn't give a shit about Hunter or Joe Biden. Is Hunter being unfairly targeted for political prosecution? Who gives a shit? Probably, but I have my own bullshit to deal with. Hunter is well-connected and wealthy. He's not on my team. His troubles are not my troubles. If they find something and throw the book at him, OK. If they find nothing and he was put through hell because his dad was President, OK. Sucks to be that guy, I suppose.

Trump has done irreparable damage to America, and continues to attack our democracy and justice system. He is an existential threat to every American citizen. He belongs in prison, and I hope he dies behind bars while the world recovers from his reign of terror.

If that makes his buddies want to prosecute Hunter Biden as payback, that's what happens when assholes have power. I'm already not voting for those assholes. What else does anyone expect us to do? We're not storming the capitol building over the Bidens.

[-] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 6 points 9 months ago

Imagine how much shit would be found if any republican politician had their affairs laid bare and scrutinized as hard as they're scrutinizing Hunter. Or any Democrat, for that matter.

[-] mo_ztt@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago

But why did it fall apart?

[-] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

Vox is the fucking worst with questions they pose and never answer.

[-] nukeworker10@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

The answer is, they wouldn't immunize Hunter from future charges (if if Trump was elected) and Hunters lawyers were not going to accept a deal that didn't include that, because why the hell would they.

[-] steebo_jack@kbin.social 22 points 9 months ago

Well definitely not voting for Hunter...ANYWAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYs...whats everyone having for dinner?

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

YOU DONT SAY?

[-] Can_you_change_your_username@kbin.social 10 points 9 months ago

For anyone wondering, the plea deal fell apart because the judge asked if the plea deal meant that Hunter couldn't be charged for related past crimes and the prosecutor said no while Hunter's attorney said yes. The judge didn't accept it because they had different understandings of the plea deal and they were not successful in renegotiating the deal.

[-] noride@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

It was the other way around. Hunter's team believed it would prevent future charges and the prosecution did not.

[-] Fal@yiffit.net 10 points 9 months ago

You said the same the as who you responded to

[-] June@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago

No it was the other way around. The prosecution believed it would not prevent future charges and Hunter’s team did.

[-] Pratai@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago

In related news: DUH.

[-] autotldr@lemmings.world 4 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

And congressional Republicans have been hoping to connect Hunter’s money to corrupt conduct from Joe Biden, though they haven’t succeeded in proving any such thing yet.

In July, Weiss’s team presented their plea deal with Hunter before a judge — who refused to accept it, telling both sides to clarify some of its provisions after a dramatic public hearing.

Hunter had a messy divorce from his wife, who would later accuse him in a court filing of “spending extravagantly” on “drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, strip clubs, and gifts for women with whom he has sexual relations.” He began dating Beau’s widow Hallie, in what proved to be a tumultuous and ultimately short-lived relationship.

Many long probes into purported corruption end this way, with a false statement on a federal form — with something clear and written down, rather than something murky and hard to establish.

If the main reason is simply that, due to political pressure from Republicans and embarrassment over the IRS officials’ claims, Weiss’s team got cold feet on a deal they’d agreed to — that wouldn’t make them look so great.

If the main reason is instead that, due to confusion or incompetence on his team, he belatedly concluded the initial deal with Hunter had been far too generous — well, that wouldn’t make him look so great either.

The original article contains 906 words, the summary contains 221 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[-] June@lemm.ee 2 points 9 months ago

Willing to bet they’re hoping to use Hunter to find something on Biden that they can impeach for that’s completely unrelated to the case, a la Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton.

[-] tburkhol@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

You know those scenes in a spy movie where the bad guys start torturing the hero, but he just takes it? Then they threaten the hero's family and he immediately concedes. "Joe, just announce that you won't seek a second term, and I'm sure we can find a pre-trial diversion program for Hunter."

[-] tacosplease@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Prosecution should have kept the plea deal. They probably won't be able to secure an actual conviction because they don't have shit on Hunter Biden.

He used drugs and owned a gun? Ok...

He didn't pay $100k in taxes but then actually did go back and pay it? Ok...

Who the fuck goes to jail for that? Nobody.

On the other hand. Broadly gestures toward Trump family and associates

[-] randon31415@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

|Who the fuck goes to jail for that?

Black people, unless they get shot first.

[+] Mellow12@sh.itjust.works -14 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

He is being charged with a federal felony in the United States District court of Delaware for lying on a Federal form.

I’m more interested in them following the money from Ukraine and China, but I guess it’s easier to hit him with a charge that us poors could just as easily fall foul of.

The President can grant a pardon to a person who was convicted in a United States District Court, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, or a military court-martial. Generally, a pardon is an expression of forgiveness. A pardon can help eliminate some of the consequences of a conviction.

There is a less than zero chance that he will be held accountable anyway.

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 14 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

How many times did Jared lie on his SF-86 before his father-in-law said "fuck it, give him a clearance anyway"? And talk about following the money... oh boy.

[-] Mellow12@sh.itjust.works -2 points 9 months ago

You seem to misunderstand me. I don’t give a shit about which side you cheer for. Corruption is corruption. Prosecute them both if they are guilty, but this article is about the Biden family, and that’s what I am leaving a comment about.

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The article is about Hunter being prosecuted for guns and drugs, an entirely personal matter. You decided to complain that it's not bringing Joe down for some other nonsense that never happened and speculation about pardons. That doesn't exactly scream good faith discussion.

[-] FabioTheNewOrder@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

As far as the republican lead investigation has shown Hunter has received no money or bribe form anyone and, since I don't think ALL republicans are complete morons, expecially in cases where they do have vast interests at stake, I tend to think that this should be the case.

Would they have found definitive proofs of bribery or of foreign agents paying dues to Hunter for any kind of return I think we would have seen them in the open but, since this has not been the case, I think I can fairly certainly ascertain that Hunter has received nothing in return for nothing.

But if you want to cling to the idea that he has sold anything to a foreign government while not holding any office in the USA government hey, you do you. Keep wearing your tinfoil hat and have a great life 👍🏻👍🏻

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

If Hunter gets a pardon, it's the last thing Biden does as president.

this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2023

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