Below is my column in the New York Post on the increasing use of Hunter Biden’s history of addiction as a defense or excuse for his conduct as possible charges are reportedly under consideration in Delaware. The use of the addiction defense omits a few salient points in the record of influence peddling by Hunter Biden. His cocaine addiction is now the “seven-percent solution” to avoid any public airing of the corrupt multimillion dollar enterprise connected to the Biden family.
Here is the column:
For years, President Biden repeated the same mantra when asked about Hunter Biden’s influence peddling and alleged crimes: “My son did nothing wrong.” It was always implausible — as was his denial of any knowledge of these dealings despite emails and pictures to the contrary.
So the president and the press have been shifting to a new defense. As the father recently insisted of his son, “He fought an addiction problem. He overcame it. He wrote about it.”
The family and the media have been cultivating the angle for months as they anticipated possible criminal charges. Such charges would not only be an embarrassment for the president but also many in the media, which have been actively complicit in covering up the multimillion-dollar influence-peddling schemes of the Biden family, including Hunter and his uncle James. With possible criminal conduct exposed, all that’s left is the addiction defense.
Hunter Biden’s autobiographical book laid the foundations for this final line of defense. While the book did not do particularly well in sales with the public, the media offered fawning interviews about his account of addiction. The narrative was ramped up by many of the same media outlets that buried the scandal, including articles on how the family fought “to keep him alive.”
Now The Post reports prosecutors are second-guessing charges in light of the addiction and how it might undermine any criminal case. While there’s no question the defense would likely use such an addiction, it’s usually more of a concern for sentencing than charging. Addiction can be cited as a mitigating factor to the court in determining the defendant’s level of culpability.
The most obvious problem for the addiction defense is that Hunter did not appear to have any chemical-based challenge in maintaining a global, multimillion-dollar influence-peddling scheme. The image of a crackhead holed up in high-end hotels with call girls is undermined by thousands of emails on international money transfers and complex deals stretching from Moscow to Kyiv to Beijing.
The fact is you can be an addict or alcoholic and still be a criminal. Addiction did not appear to inhibit prosecutors in cases like the murder trial involving Lillo Brancato, the actor from “The Sopranos” series and the movie “A Bronx Tale.” Brancato was a drug addict when he participated in a burglary that ended in a shooting. He was convicted and given 10 years.
Indeed, in some cases, prosecutors use addiction is as a motive for committing crimes, particularly in paying for or acquiring more crimes.
Not only is this possible prosecution not based on a drug offense, it would feature a high-functioning defendant who earned millions in influence peddling. Indeed, the now-sober Hunter has repeatedly acknowledged that while his family name may have led to some of his past positions, he is a lawyer with experience that was useful in work like serving on the board of Ukrainian energy conglomerate Burisma Holdings.
It will be difficult for Hunter to switch from the privileged-but-capable defense to the hopeless-addict defense. Most hopeless addicts are trying to hock property or score a few bucks for their next hit. Hunter was flying around the world, arranging meetings with his father and coordinating multiple global accounts.
Moreover, using the addiction to defeat the gun and tax charges will only heighten questions about the influencing-peddling allegations. If Hunter was a hopeless addict incapable of criminal intent or sound decision-making, why were foreign interests clamoring at his door to give him millions of dollars as a board member, lawyer or consultant? Without skill or capabilities to sell, you are left with raw and open corruption to gain access to or influence with his father.
For President Biden, the hopeless-addict defense will also fall short with most people outside the mainstream media. During this period, Joe had some of his own bills paid for by Hunter, including with accounts tied to his foreign dealings.
Of course, the defense may be more effective as an excuse for the Justice Department agreeing to a generous plea deal than it would be in an actual trial. Attorney General Merrick Garland has already protected both Joe and Hunter Biden by refusing to appoint a special counsel despite the obvious need for such an appointment under the governing rules. Democrats in Congress have continued to block any investigation into the Biden family’s influence-peddling schemes.
The best-case scenario is a plea bargain that does not involve charges under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Indeed, the reported emphasis on gun and tax charges is strikingly similar to what I described weeks ago as as the ideal “controlled demolition” of the Hunter Biden scandal.
The Justice Department has used FARA aggressively in past prosecutions like that of Paul Manafort. However, such a charge would likely reveal details on past foreign dealings by Hunter Biden and possibly his uncle James. A plea bargain on a gun-registration count and tax counts would allow political and media allies to declare the matter closed.
That’s why raising the addiction is both predictable and telling. By suggesting it would make a trial difficult, the family and its allies can portray a plea deal as a good deal for the public. But there has never been a lack of evidence of criminality, just a lack of interest in covering and prosecuting Hunter Biden’s corrupt practices.
.Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
Ogkvk k k ukiikk zkikl ilzk zi iiu l uioutuiuuiuouuuuo iliu l l ioio. U. Uou iuou iu iu iu ou olimiotou otuoiuliuill ou zll iuou iu ulouuoioiilozuloltoluiuulu. Uuiu oouozu. Oui uluk luul ou ull ol. Ul ouliuululul iuioi o uu u uuu ou uuou. Ou ou uloilutzlti ulou ou zi. Oltu ou. Loiliti zou o iloul. Uiu o u oo ou uoti ilti ti uti. Outiul oul ilou. Iltu to ulozitutitziito t ilot t uotii t. Ou i tu i t i uo ittttizitiizitutiti t i i itiiiim iu it. T ti tti ti t7utuitizttitziu7r
Tiutziuzzoioittit
T
I
T
Tt
Ttti
Toti
Tti
Tiu
Tt
T
Ttti
Tt
Ii iti
Tt
Ti
Ti
Tt
Tti
Tti izi uiiti ti u ou i ti. Ti. Oz uzi ti ou il. Ou it i. I ou tu iuutit i. Tuuiti i i it utuu zo iii uil u zll ull l liiu u ziuitituu uiutiuiiiuuuiiuiuuzuuiii iiiuu uiiiuiziik l l l ilit l umk ik. L k l ulill ik ilk iu l il iu l il k k k l k l k to. L l zll l ikk i o. I. Iu z il k l l ll l ililik l ill l l ull uui zzu i i uiui
The Kabuki that the false Duopoly which keeps you entangled and idiotic with uses these types of issues for EVERY one of the tainted, lying buttholes who you see on TV. NO ONE in the National spotlight is free from their control, be it drug usage or pedophilia or whatever control method they have. If you see them on TV, then they are tainted.
If you finally understand that, and take those stupid duopolistic glasses off of your blind eyes, maybe we could make decent change.
But as I figured out 20 years ago, you are all too far gone.
Never an R or D Again!
White Punks on Dope – The Tubes (circa 1975)
…
We’re white punks on dope
Mom & dad moved to Hollywood
(or Washington D.C .in this case)
Hang myself when I get enough rope
Can’t clean up, though I know I should
White punks on dope …
Ahhh, the old “C17H21NO4” defense. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry name is: [1R-(exo,exo)] -3-(benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester.
Of course, Hunter never took chemistry classes, and would have flunked if he did, even with the Biden name to buoy him up. Here’s where Hunter learned his chemistry lessons. . . on the streets.
He might not be good in chemistry class yet still could do well in bringing home “Thebacon”.
JT is making allegations without evidence. Hunter may be a low life dirt bag but to suggest that Hunter illegally made himself and his father rich because of some suggestive emails found on Hunter’s laptop is great for the tabloids. I’m for further investigations but if that doesn’t happen I won’t lose sleep and it certainly doesn’t make Trump look any more appealing.
Yea, just a few emails – a few hundred thousand.
There is already plenty available to investigate yourself if you want to.
If a person wants to get a feel for the stunning hubris of many of our politicians and many of the über elites then read “Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win.” It is a very well researched book and one of its chapters is devoted to the Biden Family businesses. The reader will also find many other elites with their hands in the till.
Then there are Hunter’s ex business partners. Bevan Cooney is in prison for fraud. He released his gmail account to writer Peter Schweizer and there are 26,000 more emails, many of them correspondence with Hunter Biden that augment the many thousands found on the laptop.
Then Devon Archer, also an ex business partner with the Biden Family. He is serving time in prison for fraud to the level of 60 million dollars.
Tony Bobulinski was the C.E.O of a Biden Family business and turned over his phones, emails and spent 5 hours in an interview with the FBI two years ago. While in the interview, Frank Biden called him. Then what happened? Nothing. News blackout. No investigation. Recently the FBI agent in charge of this data “retired” and there is not apparent further examination or investigation. Tony has not been called back in. The FBI did not follow up with President.
Then there is the phone message of the sitting President to Hunter telling him that he thinks he is in the clear. Wait. I though he had no knowledge of any of Hunter’s activities selling influence around the world for millions and millions of dollars.
Then there is the new blackout. Why are reporters told to sit on their hands? They must be some very frustrated individuals. If they want to work in big media they had better toe the line or they will be canceled. So, every day, they dutifully sit in their seat and pretend that nothing has happened. This is just like the Emperor’s New Clothes, that is until someone wake up and call bovine excrement on this whole spectacle.
These people are dangerous and they are weirdos. They are bizarre and they attack and cancel anyone who dares to expose them. I hope every single fact comes out in the open. This is not some grandfatherly person, “Ol’ Joe from Scranton.” This is a person who loves money and power. He lives in a mansion and has a lavish lifestyle on a senator’s salary in one of the most expensive towns in the world? A dedicated, skilled forensic auditor could uncover a lot of facts in a matte of a few weeks. But it won’t happen. There are too many power players involved in this effort to cripple the United States of America for their own gain.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”
There is a dangerous cabal who do not hold this nation in the highest regard. Quite the opposite. It is time for people to see the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Who are the handlers who feed the words into the teleprompter? What are their eventual plans beyond pure unbridled power? The truth will come out sooner or later, at least some of it.
I hit send before catching a few typos. 🙂
1. For some, a search “Patrick Ho Biden” could help to sharpen knowledge.
2. For some, a search “Timothy Thibault Biden” could help to sharpen knowledge
3. For some, a search “Brian Auten Durham” could help to sharpen knowledge.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/durham-probe-fbi-offered-christopher-steele-1-million-corroborate-trump-allegations-dossier
ADDICTION DEFENSE – Hunter seems to be Addicted to $$$$, WOMEN, along with his other problems. He is going to get a Slap on the Wrist. Most likely after the elections and before the Republicans take over.
“The biggest problem that republicans would have going after Biden is that no one wants to criminally prosecute doddering old fools who probably can not remember what they did wrong.”
Their biggest problem is they don’t have evidence. Just allegations. Just as they did with Hillary and Benghazi.
Manafort WAS laundering money. His problems were much worse than Hunter.
“The new charges, contained in a 32-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Virginia, allege that Manafort and Gates doctored financial documents, lied to tax preparers and defrauded banks — using money they cycled through offshore accounts to spend lavishly, including on real estate, interior decorating and other luxury goods.
…The new indictment increases the amount of money Manafort, with the assistance of Gates, is accused of laundering to $30 million. It also charges Manafort and Gates with filing false tax returns from 2010 through 2014 and in most of those years concealing their foreign bank accounts from the IRS.”
What exactly was illegal about Hunter Biden’s business dealings? Nobody has been able to articulate exactly what is illegal about them?
Did Hunter Biden steal top secret documents, lie about it or have direct involvement in Jan 6th?
I bet Trump is indicted before Hunter Biden.
Fractured Shoulder sez:
Did Hunter Biden steal top secret documents, lie about it or have direct involvement in Jan 6th?
Hunter Biden stole the 2020 election, lied about inhaling crack (he’s more of a booty bump type), and had direct involvement with Russia and China bombing the smithereens of Ukraine
Get that fracture fixed. It will likely lead to necrotic joint if left unchecked, and your paid handlers will not pay to put Humpty Dumpty together again
“FARA claims regarding manafort are complete nonsense.”
Nope. Manafort was deliberately hiding his contracts and contacts with the Ukrainians and their political parties. Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with his failure to register under FARA as an agent of the government of Ukraine; that country’s Party of Regions; former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych; and the Opposition Bloc, a successor to Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. In the same count, Manafort also pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with FARA-related false statements and misrepresentations to the Department of Justice in violation of both FARA and the general false-statements statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1001. This was no “small potatoes.”
“Hunter Biden was directly representing foreign countries and foreign actors with US politicians – LOBBYING in the most traditional sense of the word. The biggest, but not only target of his lobbying was the vice president of the united states.”
He was asked to arrange contacts he wasn’t actively soliciting lobbying on their behalf. He was there as a member of the board. Making money as a board member is NOT illegal nor corrupt.
“This actually gets worse – because we now know VP Biden was part of Hunters Deals – then this is no longer lobbying, but actual political corruption on Joe Biden’s part.”
Big problem there. The majority of Hunter Biden’s deals never materialized most fell thru and Joe Biden was never part of those deals. Their is no evidence, even on his IRS tax returns. What exactly is this corruption you keep mentioning\? Turley mentions it without ever being specific on what exactly is corrupt about what he supposedly did? Nobody articulates this, can you?
In order to be charged for violating FARA there is a particular requirement that makes it a harder for the DOJ to charge him for nor registering. FARA’s requirement for registering is about people working WITHIN the U.S. Obviously while being at Burisma he did not meet that criteria. The Chinese deals never occurred they fell thru, obviously violating FARA can’t be used in that instance.
“Manafort hired Tony Podesta to do that.”
You don’t get it. Manafort WAS representing foreign governments and political parties. He was arranging access to government officials and using Podesta who WAS a U.S. official is exactly what FARA talks about. That still required Manafort to register and notify the DOJ. That doesn’t account for the additional fact that he was hiding his contacts with the Ukrainians and made false statements to the FBI. Manafort WAS lobbying for foreign governments. To didn’t matter who he hired. He was still the person who foreign governments had contracts to lobby on their behalf.