Hunter Biden pleads not guilty in federal tax case

Hunter Biden on Thursday pleaded not guilty to felony tax charges in a federal court in California, The Associated Press reported.

The nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses allege Biden, the son of President Biden, failed to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019 and tried to evade the assessment of taxes in 2018 by filing false returns. Prosecutors allege Biden instead used the money to fund an indulgent lifestyle that included drugs and alcohol.

The plea came during his arraignment Thursday afternoon at a federal court in downtown Los Angeles. This was Biden’s first appearance in the federal case brought by Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, who was appointed by the Justice Department last year to serve as special counsel in the investigation into Biden’s alleged tax and illegal gun charges. The appointment allowed Weiss additional investigatory powers and ability to pursue cases outside of Delaware.

Biden faces three gun-related charges in Delaware, accused of lying in 2018 on a firearm purchasing form on which he claimed he wasn’t using or addicted to illegal drugs when he was. He is also accused of purchasing the gun illegally while addicted to a controlled substance.

The charges were filed in September after a plea deal fell apart amid criticism, notably from the right, that the deal was too lenient to Biden. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in October.

Biden is also under scrutiny by House Republicans, who are pursuing an impeachment inquiry into his father over allegations the president engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son. No evidence has surfaced to prove the allegations, in either his current role or as vice president.

In a surprise appearance Wednesday, Hunter Biden briefly showed up at a House Oversight Committee hearing over holding him in contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena asking him to testify behind closed doors. Biden has offered to testify publicly to the ire of GOP lawmakers who argue it is standard to first sit for a closed-door deposition before public testimony.

In a pair of hours-long fiery hearings Wednesday, the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees advanced a resolution to hold Biden in contempt of Congress, teeing up a full House vote and the possibility for criminal charges by the Justice Department, which ultimately will decide whether to pursue such charges.