Staff Reports
On Tuesday night, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) criticized the recent plea deal agreed upon by Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, on two counts of tax evasion and a pretrial diversion program for a gun offense. Cruz, renowned for his conservative views and his fight against political corruption, declared that the plea deal is an example of cronyism, camouflage, and corruption.
WATCH: Ted Cruz ERUPTS over Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal, says its “CORRUPTION” at its finest.
“This does NOT happen if Hunter’s last name is anything other than Biden.”https://t.co/ooJ9z8QgQY
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) June 21, 2023
The leniency of the plea deal, which is expected to involve probation rather than jail time, is the result of the younger Biden’s connections, Cruz posited. “This does not happen if Hunter’s last name is anything other than Biden. If he’s Hunter Smith, he’s doing hard time,” Cruz claimed.
Cruz also accused Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice of using the plea deal as “camouflage” to feign impartiality. By prosecuting Hunter Biden on minor charges, Garland can present himself as even-handed, having indicted both a Biden and a Trump, Cruz suggested.
The senator criticized the plea deal as an act of “corruption,” arguing that it serves to distract from more serious allegations of corruption involving the president himself. These allegations, which President Biden has dismissed as “malarkey,” include claims that he personally profited from his son’s business deals while in office.
The plea deal has also been criticized by Republicans, including House Representative James Comer (R-KY), who has pledged to continue investigating corruption allegations involving the Biden family. Hunter Biden’s legal troubles began with a five-year investigation led by attorney David Weiss, appointed by former President Trump. The charges relate to Biden’s evasion of taxes totalling $200,000 in 2017 and 2018, and a 2018 incident where he purchased a firearm while addicted to drugs, a violation of federal law.
Despite these accusations made against Hunter Biden, the president has publicly defended his son, stating that he is “very proud” of him. However, for many Republicans, the allegations of corruption are not going away. The plea deal offered to Hunter Biden, which includes pleading guilty to two tax misdemeanors and a weapons charge that can be classified as a felony, is a cause of concern for Republicans, who perceive it to be a “sweetheart deal”.
The Biden family’s links to corruption will be scrutinized in the coming months, and it remains to be seen whether the Department of Justice and the Attorney General will be seen as impartial following their handling of the Hunter Biden case.
