newYou can listen to the Fox News article!
“GUILFO.” The words Hunter Biden repeated nine times in federal court in California symbolized something he had escaped for most of his life: accountability.
Five years ago, Biden had to explain this rule to ABC News reporter Amy Robach, who had the audacity to ask him about his record. Instructed He asked the TV journalist to “say it better.”
The president's son spent his adult life working with his father, his family, his political allies, his reporters, enabling all sorts of corrupt dealings and human depravity.Sugar Brother“Kevin Morris has supported a lavish lifestyle for years.”
Hunter Biden says he pleaded guilty to 'protect' family from 'humiliation' of trial after battling drug addiction
On the eve of his criminal trial this week, Biden even called on prosecutors to “speak softer.” He created confusion at the start of jury selection by announcing he would plead guilty but then asking for an “Alford plea,” which allows a defendant to not admit guilt but acknowledge there is enough evidence to convict.
About 17 percent of state cases and about 5 percent of federal cases end in an Alford or not guilty plea. But as a criminal defense lawyer, I have never heard of a defendant seeking an Alford plea without first consulting with the prosecutor. These pleas typically require the prosecutor's approval, which Department of Justice rules require approval from a senior official or the Attorney General himself.
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, attends the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Monday, August 19, 2024. The race for the White House is reaching a climax this week, with Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump vying for momentum and attention for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Getty Images)
Prosecutors were stunned by Biden's sudden announcement and told the judge they had not been consulted about the request. Naturally, prosecutors were outraged and quickly opposed such a petition.
For those of us who have watched the chaos of Hunter Biden's defense, the outcome was all too familiar: After all the mayhem, the defense faltered, leaving Biden to stand in court and repeat his banal guilty plea nine times.
This is a continuation of a legal strategy that has been described as controlled chaos. In 2023, Biden, along with his lawyers, publicly defied congressional subpoenas and testified outside of Congress. He asked House committees to comply with his request to appear as a witness. Ultimately, this effort failed. Facing criminal contempt sanctions, he appeared in court at the request of Congress and was later charged with perjury.
It's the same pattern that emerged when Biden secured a sweet plea deal that spared him prison time, avoided numerous federal charges and gave him blanket immunity for unnamed crimes. The deal fell apart in court when the judge asked prosecutors if they had seen such a deal offered to other defendants. Prosecutors acknowledged they hadn't.
Hunter Biden's 'big drama' day in court ends with shocking guilty plea
The Biden campaign's response was similarly privileged: One lawyer told prosecutors to “just throw it out.” Justice Department lawyers then said they tried to work out a new plea deal but Biden played hardball.
The result? Total failure. Biden was convicted of all firearms charges before a sympathetic jury in the Biden family's hometown.
The blazing train then continued down the tracks to California, where the defense argued the same drug dependency defense that had failed in Delaware, and then surprised again with an Alford plea bargain request.
From start to finish, it's a series of utter failures born of sheer arrogance. Written In 2023, Biden was ultimately destroyed by his own sense of entitlement and greed. He expects everyone from reporters to lawmakers to prosecutors to “say it better.”
Click here to read more FOX News Opinion
At every step, his bravado and defiance led to disaster. Ironically, he had a prosecutor, David Weiss, who fought to keep him from indictment and incarceration. Weiss, for now-explainable reasons, allowed the statute of limitations for felony crimes to expire and refused to prosecute Biden for being an unregistered foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Yet somehow, Biden managed to get Weiss to prosecute against all apparent inclinations to the contrary.
In a statement after pleading guilty, Biden continued to seek an excuse for his actions, insisting he did so only to protect his loved ones, just hours after pleading guilty to a federal felony: “I have no intention of subjecting my family to any further pain, invasion of privacy or unnecessary humiliation.”
It was shockingly late. Biden could have avoided more than a year of this “unnecessary embarrassment” by pleading guilty last year. Pleading guilty then likely would have actually been in his favor in terms of sentencing recommendations. Instead, he waited until the trial had literally begun and then pleaded guilty at the last possible moment, when it was least beneficial for him or his family.
Click here to get the FOX News app
But the long road to a guilty verdict has brought clarity to Biden and others.I've done nothing wrongOr as legal experts struggle to justify his actions, he now faces more than a dozen convictions, including nine related to millions of dollars he made through a massive Biden family influence operation.
There is no way to say “better.”
To read more articles by Jonathan Turley click here
