One sentence summary – Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been indicted for illegal firearm possession, following an investigation into his tax affairs; however, President Biden has expressed support for his son and clarified that he would not pardon him if convicted, while Republicans have used controversies surrounding Hunter to attack the Biden family.
At a glance
- Hunter Biden indicted for illegal firearm possession
- US Attorney David Weiss appointed as special counsel
- Hunter Biden under investigation for tax affairs
- Plea deal fell apart after judge refused to agree
- President Joe Biden supports his son but won’t pardon him
The details
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been indicted by federal prosecutors in Delaware for illegal firearm possession.
This indictment follows the appointment of US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump nominee, by US Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation as a special counsel.
Hunter Biden has been under investigation for his tax affairs.
A plea deal to close the case fell apart after a Trump-appointed judge refused to agree to it.
President Joe Biden has expressed support for his son.
However, the White House press secretary clarified that the president would not pardon Hunter in the event of a conviction.
Hunter Biden has faced controversies related to his overseas dealings and struggles with addiction.
These controversies have been exploited by ex-President Trump and his allies to attack the Biden family.
Hunter Biden’s consulting work for MBNA Corporation during Joe Biden’s Senate tenure sparked backlash.
The Obama-Biden campaign denied any improper action.
Hunter joined the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, leading to baseless claims of wrongdoing by House Republicans and Donald Trump.
In 2013, Hunter was discharged from the US Navy Reserve after testing positive for cocaine.
Federal prosecutors initiated an investigation into Hunter’s finances and business dealings in China in 2018.
This included allegations of tax evasion and deals with Chinese executives.
The investigation paused temporarily leading up to the presidential election but was confirmed by Hunter in December 2020.
He subsequently paid back the taxes he owed and returned to art, selling one of his paintings to a Democratic donor appointed by President Biden.
In April 2023, an anonymous IRS whistleblower sent a letter to Congress alleging mishandling of the investigation into Hunter’s finances.
The investigation continued, and in June 2023, Hunter was expected to plead guilty to tax misdemeanors.
However, the plea deal fell apart due to a disagreement between the prosecution and his legal team.
In June 2023, Hunter settled a child support lawsuit by agreeing to pay a monthly sum and turning over several paintings.
In July 2023, IRS agents testified that the US attorney overseeing Hunter’s investigation was limited and marginalized by DOJ officials.
Hunter pleaded not guilty to tax misdemeanor charges that same month after a judge raised questions about the plea deal and diversion agreement.
In August 2023, Joe Biden acknowledged his granddaughter, the daughter of Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, for the first time.
President Joe Biden’s bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure law has funded numerous projects across the country, including several in Maine.
Rhiannon Hampson, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top rural development official in Maine, has observed a significant increase in road paving and bridge rebuilding projects over the past year.
Notable projects include the replacement of Maine’s Ticonic Bridge and upgrades to the Presque Isle airport.
Despite these infrastructure improvements, many rural residents remain unaware of these developments.
Biden aims to win back rural America, a demographic that heavily supported Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections.
Rural areas have experienced industrial decline, job losses, and neglect, leading to frustrations among older, predominantly white voters.
Biden’s campaign plans to aggressively reach out to rural voters, especially in swing states like North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Maine.
However, Trump’s support among rural voters has been steadily increasing.
Republicans have capitalized on rural Americans’ resentment towards urban “elites” and their perceived influence on education, guns, and gender identity.
Rural voters prioritize pocketbook issues like high gasoline prices over long-term government investments that may take time to boost the local economy.
Democrats plan to emphasize the billions of dollars in federal funding allocated to rural areas under Biden’s administration.
This includes investments in rural health systems, clean-energy agriculture projects, rural electrification, and rural clean energy projects.
Some political veterans and even some Biden supporters remain skeptical about whether these investments will be enough to change voting patterns in rural America.
In the 2022 midterm elections, young voters in rural areas predominantly supported Republican candidates.
While rural Americans overwhelmingly support specific Biden policies, they may not be giving him credit for these policies.
The rural-urban divide, characterized by lower levels of educational attainment in rural areas, contributes to these voting patterns.
Democrats may find more success by targeting voters on the fringes of suburbia rather than rural areas.
In Maine specifically, the state has received significant COVID relief funds and funding for infrastructure projects, which could benefit veterans and the state’s economy.
However, some rural Democrats in Maine feel frustrated by a lack of attention and support from the national Democratic Party.
Efforts are being made to strengthen coordination with rural counties through organizations like RuralOrganizing.org, which focuses on Senate races and swing states.
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| theguardian.com |
|---|
| – Hunter Biden has been indicted by federal prosecutors for illegally possessing a firearm in Delaware. – |
| The indictment comes after US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed US Attorney David Weiss, a Trump nominee, to oversee the investigation as special counsel. – Hunter Biden has been under investigation for his tax affairs and was set to close the case with a guilty plea, but the plea deal fell apart after a Trump-appointed judge refused to agree to it. |
| – President Joe Biden has expressed support for his son, but the White House press secretary has stated that the president would not pardon Hunter in the event of a conviction. – Hunter Biden has faced controversies related to his overseas dealings and struggles with addiction, which have been used by ex-President Trump and his allies to attack the Biden family. – Hunter Biden’s consulting work for MBNA Corporation during Joe Biden’s Senate tenure sparked backlash, but the Obama-Biden campaign denied any improper action. – Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, in 2014, leading to baseless claims of wrongdoing by House Republicans and Donald Trump. – Hunter Biden was discharged from the US navy reserve in 2013 after testing positive for cocaine. – |
| After his brother Beau Biden’s death in 2015, Hunter struggled with addiction and began an affair with his late brother’s wife. – Federal prosecutors launched an investigation into Hunter’s finances and business dealings in China in 2018, including allegations of tax evasion and deals with Chinese executives. – Hunter Biden married Melissa Cohen in 2019, shortly after meeting her. – |
| An Arkansas woman filed a lawsuit in 2019 asking Hunter Biden for child support, claiming he fathered her child. – |
| During Trump’s impeachment, he sought to divert attention to Hunter’s business dealings in China and Ukraine. |
| – In December 2020, Hunter confirmed that he was under investigation for his tax affairs, which had been temporarily paused leading up to the presidential election. |
| – Hunter paid back the taxes he owed and returned to art, selling one of his paintings to a Democratic donor appointed by President Biden. – |
| An anonymous IRS whistleblower sent a letter to Congress in April 2023, alleging mishandling of the investigation into Hunter’s finances. |
| – Hunter was expected to plead guilty to tax misdemeanors in June 2023, but the plea deal fell apart after a disagreement between the prosecution and his legal team. – Hunter settled the child support lawsuit in June 2023 and agreed to pay a monthly sum and turn over several paintings. |
| – IRS agents testified in July 2023 that the US attorney overseeing Hunter’s investigation was limited and marginalized by DOJ officials. – Hunter pleaded not guilty to tax misdemeanor charges in July 2023 after a judge raised questions about the plea deal and diversion agreement. |
| – Joe Biden acknowledged his granddaughter, the daughter of Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, for the first time in August 2023. – Hunter Biden sued the IRS in September 2023, alleging privacy violations after investigators released confidential information about his taxes. |
| theguardian.com |
|---|
| – Rhiannon Hampson, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s top rural development official in Maine, has observed a significant increase in road paving and bridge rebuilding projects in the state over the past year. |
| – President Joe Biden’s bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure law has funded thousands of projects across the country, including the replacement of Maine’s Ticonic Bridge and upgrades to the Presque Isle airport. |
| – However, many people in rural areas are unaware of these infrastructure improvements, leading to a disconnect between the funding and its visibility. |
| – Biden aims to win back rural America, which heavily supported Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections. |
| – Rural areas have experienced industrial decline, job losses, and neglect, leading to frustrations among older, predominantly white voters. |
| – Biden’s campaign plans to aggressively reach out to rural voters, who make up a significant portion of the electorate in swing states like North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Maine. |
| – Trump’s support among rural voters increased from 59% in 2016 to 65% in 2020, and Republican candidates received 69% of the rural vote in the 2022 midterm elections. – Maine’s rural second district, which previously supported Barack Obama but embraced Trump, exemplifies the challenges Biden faces in rural areas nationwide. |
| – Urban counties have seen 94% of the nation’s job growth since 2000, contributing to the rural-urban divide. – Republicans have capitalized on rural Americans’ resentment towards urban “elites” and their perceived influence on education, guns, and gender identity. – Rural voters prioritize pocketbook issues like high gasoline prices over long-term government investments that may take time to boost the local economy. |
| – Democratic officials plan to emphasize the billions of dollars in federal funding that have been allocated to rural areas under Biden’s administration. – |
| The White House calculates that rural areas have received funding for rural health systems, clean-energy agriculture projects, rural electrification, and rural clean energy projects. |
| – However, political veterans and even some Biden supporters remain skeptical about whether these investments will change voting patterns in rural America. |
| – In the 2022 midterm elections, young voters in rural areas supported Republican candidates by a margin of 64% to 33%. – Rural Americans overwhelmingly support specific Biden policies, such as expanding healthcare and veterans benefits, but they are not giving Biden credit for these policies. – Rural areas have lower levels of educational attainment compared to urban areas, and voters with a college degree or more education tend to support Democratic candidates. – Democrats may have more success targeting voters on the fringes of suburbia rather than rural areas. |
| – Maine has received significant COVID relief funds and funding for infrastructure projects, which could benefit veterans and the state’s economy. – Some rural Democrats in Maine feel frustrated by a lack of attention and support from the national Democratic Party. – RuralOrganizing.org, a national group focused on Senate races and swing states, has found that many rural counties lack Democratic county chairs, making coordination with the Democratic Party challenging. |
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