It remains unclear whether he can be charged.  However, the jury’s activity underscores that a federal tax investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, which began in 2018, remains active as prosecutors continue to look at overseas payments and other aspects of his finances.
A Hunter Biden lawyer did not send a phone message or email asking for comment Friday.  A Justice Department spokesman has requested a comment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware, which is handling the investigation.  A spokesman for the office did not respond to a request for comment.
People familiar with the investigation were unable to discuss the details of the ongoing investigation in public and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
No matter how the investigation is resolved, it has already presented a political headache for the Biden government and could lead to an even bigger one, especially if the Republicans who have taken the inquiry to attack the president take control of Parliament in the by-elections. later this year.  Republicans will then oversee congressional committees and set the stage for any inquiries.
A White House that tried to divert questions about law enforcement to the Justice Department was asked this week if it stood by the president in a 2020 debate that his son did not have an immoral business deal with Ukraine or China.  White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said yes.
The investigation could also impose a delicate decision on the Ministry of Justice, which has sought to reaffirm its independence and has publicly emphasized its willingness to let facts and evidence, not political decisions, guide its investigative decisions. and categories.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has not shed any public light on the investigation.  But the Justice Department has indeed left Delaware’s top federal prosecutor – David Weiss, a holder of the Trump administration – apparently as a way to ensure continuity.
Hunter Biden confirmed the existence of an investigation into his taxes in December 2020, a month after the presidential election.  In a statement at the time, he said he was “confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I have handled my case lawfully and properly, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers.”
The Associated Press reported later that month that a summons to Biden Jr. was seeking information from more than two dozen entities.  One was Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company he had joined on the board when his father was vice president.  The move sparked concerns about a possible conflict of interest, as Senior Biden was deeply involved in US policy toward Ukraine during the Obama administration.
The scope of the summons underscored the wide range of inquiries into Hunter Biden, although there is no indication that the inquiry involves the control of the president himself.  Biden said he did not discuss his son’s international business relations with him and denied ever taking money from a foreign country.
Witnesses in recent months have been questioned about the payments Hunter Biden received while serving on Burisma’s board, people familiar with the investigation said.
Republicans have sought to make Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine a major issue in the 2020 presidential election.
A year earlier, then-President Donald Trump had tried to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to launch an investigation into the Bidens at the same time that Zelensky was seeking US military assistance.
Trump was later referred to Parliament by telephone, but was acquitted by the Senate.