Congressional Republicans accused President Biden of promoting a lighter penalty for his son after Hunter Biden reached a plea deal with the Justice Department. They promised to ramp up investigations of the Biden family, reports the New York Times. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said the agreement, in which Hunter Biden said he would plead guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes on time and could avoid prosecution on a separate gun charge, “continues to show the two-tier system in America." He drew a contrast between the charges against Biden and the 37-count indictment the Justice Department unsealed against former President Trump. Trump is accused of far more serious crimes than the younger Biden.
Leading Democrats argued that bringing any charges at all against the president’s son reflected the independence of the Justice Department. “This development reflects the Justice Department’s continued institutional independence in following the evidence of actual crimes and enforcing the rule of law even in the face of constant criticism and heckling by my G.O.P. colleagues who think that the system of justice should only follow their partisan wishes,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. McCarthy said the deal should only “enhance” congressional Republicans’ investigation into the Bidens.