Joe Biden's son Hunter pleaded guilty in a tax evasion trial on Thursday (Sept 5), without reaching the deal he had sought with prosecutors, in a case that has been an embarrassment for the US president.
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NewsTranscript
00:00U.S. President Joe Biden made no public statements upon returning to the White House just hours
00:07after his son, Hunter Biden, pleaded guilty to federal tax charges on Thursday in a move
00:14that avoids a potentially embarrassing trial just weeks before the presidential election.
00:20Biden had been set to stand trial in a Los Angeles federal courthouse on criminal charges
00:25of failing to pay $1.4 million U.S. in taxes while spending lavishly on drugs, sex workers,
00:33and luxury items.
00:34Instead, he pleaded guilty to all nine charges against him.
00:39Judge Mark Scarcey informed Biden that he faces up to 17 years in prison and fines of
00:46up to $450,000, with sentencing set for Dec. 16.
00:52Biden's attorney, Abby Lowell, stated that his client would plead guilty despite not
00:57having a prior agreement with prosecutors to reduce his sentence.
01:01There's no doubt this case was an extreme and unusual one for the government to bring.
01:09Like millions of Americans, Hunter was late in filing and paying his taxes.
01:15Unlike those millions of Americans, he was charged criminally for his failures that occurred
01:21during the depths of his addiction to drugs and alcohol, and which he has rectified by
01:29paying his overdue taxes in full with interest and penalties years before he was ever charged.
01:40The guilty plea averts what could have been a lengthy and high-profile trial during the
01:45peak of the election campaign, where voters will decide between Democratic Vice President
01:50Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump on Nov. 5.
01:56President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid in July under pressure from fellow Democrats.
02:01Hunter Biden, who has been open about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction,
02:05is accused of failing to pay taxes from 2016 to 2019 while spending large amounts on drugs,
02:12escorts, girlfriends, luxury hotels, exotic cars, and other personal expenses, according
02:18to the indictment.
02:20The White House has stated that President Biden has ruled out pardoning his son.