Hunter Biden Trial Gets New Timeline

The Trump-appointed federal judge overseeing Hunter Biden's tax case has tentatively scheduled to begin the trial in the thick of the 2024 presidential election season.

Biden, son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty to nine felony and misdemeanor charges during an arraignment hearing in Los Angeles, California, on Thursday. The president's son is accused of attempting to evade payment of $1.4 million in personal taxes owed from 2016 to 2019.

U.S. District Judge Marc Scarsi, nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump multiple times before taking office in September 2020, announced a tentative trial date of June 20 during an approximately 30-minute hearing, according to the Associated Press.

Legal analyst Jonathan Turley, who testified in Trump's defense during the former president's first impeachment, wrote in a series of posts to X, formerly Twitter, that the trial date was "smack dab in the campaign season for President Biden."

Turley also pointed out that Scarsi previously sentenced a man to two years in prison for committing a crime similar to the allegations against Hunter Biden.

"The judge just set a trial date for June 2024 for Hunter Biden," wrote Turley. "That puts the trial smack dab in the campaign season for President Biden ... This is the best possible jurisdiction for any Biden to go to trial. However, this judge has previously sentenced someone who failed to pay roughly the same amount to two years in prison."

Turley went on to call Scarsi "a respected, no-nonsense judge who is likely to move the case along" and "a remarkably good fit for this tax case."

In February 2023, Scarsi sentenced a California man convicted of evading $1.6 million in taxes over a five-year period to 24 months behind bars.

Hunter Biden could face a maximum prison sentence of up to 17 years if convicted of all charges. He is also facing gun charges in Delaware, where he as also pleaded not guilty.

Newsweek reached out for comment to Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell via email on Thursday night.

Lowell previously told Newsweek in a statement that "if Hunter's last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought."

He also accused U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee whom Attorney General Merrick Garland chose in August as special counsel in the Biden case, of having "bowed to Republican pressure" by prosecuting the president's son.

Weiss was put on the case after a plea agreement that would have allowed Biden to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and face no gun charges was nixed by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, another Trump appointee.

Scarsi on Thursday allowed Biden to remain free pending trial, with conditions that include submitting to random drug tests, searching for a job and informing authorities of any international travel plans, according to Fox News. An initial pre-trial hearing is set to take place March 27.

Update 01/11/24, 6:55 p.m.: This article was updated with further information.