The president’s son, Hunter Biden, wants to ask questions about political pressure that may have influenced his legal case.
Hunter Biden is facing charges for possessing a firearm while allegedly using illegal drugs. This comes after an investigation that began while Donald Trump was in the presidency and Joe Biden was his presumed opponent (though not yet the nominee).
Now he’s asking a judge to approve a subpoena of Trump and his attorney general at the time, Bill Barr.
Trump and Barr would likely be asked to address the allegation that the investigation was less about any actual wrongdoing than about smearing his likely opponent in order to retain power.
This all takes place alongside the mishandling of a laptop allegedly belonging to Biden. Hunter has also sued over the laptop after nude photos of him were shared online — and on the House floor by legislators.
Last year, Biden had reached a tentative deal with prosecutors in which he would plead guilty to separate (tax-related) charges, and go through an intervention program for the gun charge, but that deal was suddenly aborted amidst complaints from the right.
The question is whether similar pressure affected the initial investigation. CNBC reports:
“The information that Hunter is seeking could answer ‘whether this investigation or prosecution arose’ because of any executive branch official, such as Trump or Justice Department officials, ‘placing undue pressure on government officials’ to probe Hunter, the filing said.”
Trump was also impeached over pressuring Ukrainian officials to help smear the Bidens.
He was accused of opening a sham investigation that would provide support for unfounded claims of corruption and wrongdoing by the current president back when he was serving as vice president to Barack Obama.
Hunter isn’t bringing his request and allegations without evidence to back them up, either. According to WoodTV:
“The court filing cites public comments made by Trump, information from the House panel that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and details from Barr’s book in which he described bubbling tension after Trump tried to pressure him over the status of the Hunter Biden probe.”
If the subpoena is granted, it will be one more appearance for Trump to squeeze in, between his criminal and civil cases and campaign events.
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
