Hunter Biden Allegations Could Be 'Serious Scandal,' Legal Analyst Warns

Attorney and legal scholar Jonathan Turley says allegations that federal agencies acted to hide or cover up Hunter Biden's tax affairs and other potential criminality "could prove a serious scandal in the making."

The son of President Joe Biden has been in the House GOP's crosshairs since they took over the chamber's majority in January, being the subject of multiple investigations into his and his father's business dealings—notably whether Hunter benefited from his father's political standing in attaining the high-powered role on the board of Ukraine-based private oil gas company, Burisma Holdings Ltd.

On Tuesday, Hunter's attorneys reached a plea deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on federal income tax and weapon possession charges. Per the deal, the president's son will reportedly plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses while avoiding prosecution on illegal gun charges by adhering to certain provisions based on his history of addiction and substance abuse.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said the "sweetheart deal" for the president's son will only "enhance" Republican investigations into potential criminalities by Hunter, his father and potential other members of the Biden family as conservatives previously alluded to with other accusations of financial impropriety.

On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee released testimony by two Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblowers who claim that Hunter received preferential treatment regarding his tax affairs. Gary Shapley, one of the whistleblowers, told the committee in a May 26 deposition that he has DOJ evidence of such treatment—adding that Hunter's attorneys had allegedly been tipped off about developments in the investigation.

Shapley testified that the investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Delaware was "handled differently than any investigation I've ever been a part of for the past 14 years." It has been noted that the U.S. attorney overseeing the case was David Weiss, a Donald Trump appointee.

However, Shapley claimed that Weiss said at an October 7, 2022, meeting that he was "not the deciding official on whether charges are filed" and "shocked us with the earth-shattering news" that the D.C. office "would not allow him to charge in his district."

"The report is full of very specific accounts of actions that warrant investigation," tweeted Turley on Friday, a law professor at George Washington University, following the release of the whistleblowers' testimony. "Allegations are not proof. However, even if half of these allegations are proven, the Hunter Biden investigation itself could prove a serious scandal in the making."

He added that Weiss' actual role in the case could be pivotal due to claims from both sides, tweeting that it "should be a simple matter to disprove and the whistleblower could be mistaken or misinformed."

Turley told Newsweek via email on Friday that skepticism also exists around the sending of a WhatsApp message on a July 30, 2017, from Hunter's iCloud account to Chinese businessman Henry Zhao, the president and CEO of Harvest Fund Management—in which Hunter says he is "sitting here with my father" and attempting "to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled."

"It reads like a scene out of a bad novel," Turley said, adding that the alleged discouragement of asking about the president's role or influence peddling "obviously raises particular concerns."

"If even half of these allegations are true, they would substantially undermine the credibility of the investigation," Turley said. "What is clear is that, given the statements made to congressional investigators under the threat of prosecution, the House has ample basis to issue subpoenas and demand answers."

He continued: "Congress should demand transparency on this matter. Polls show that a majority of the public view the Justice Department and FBI as politically compromised. That view is deeply corrosive for any legal system and needs to be addressed. Attorney General [Merrick] Garland has failed to do so. The distrust of his department is now worse than under his predecessor."