Joe Biden's son Hunter may face criminal trial

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said shortly after promotion into that role on Friday.

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter

A potential trial raises the possibility of an unprecedented spectacle in U.S. history: The son of a sitting president facing criminal charges while his father campaigns for re-election, likely against Republican Donald Trump, who faces at least three upcoming criminal trials of his own.

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Republicans in the House of Representatives are also threatening an impeachment inquiry into unproven claims that President Biden benefited from his 54-year-old son’s business ventures.

Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, filed misdemeanour criminal tax and gun charges in June, but a federal judge refused to accept a proposed plea deal.

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Weiss said in a court filing on Friday that talks between the two sides have since broken down.

“The Government now believes that the case will not resolve short of a trial,” he wrote.

The filing came moments after U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated Weiss to special counsel status, giving him additional authority and independence to pursue the investigation.

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Hunter Biden in July pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000.

He did not enter a plea in a separate case where he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while using illegal drugs, which is a felony.