WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Bidens lawyers say prosecutors are improperly trying to weave “politically charged” allegations about his foreign business dealings into the case Upcoming Federal Tax Litigation against the president’s son.
Special counsel David Weiss’s team told the judge last week that they plan to call a business associate of Hunter Biden as a witness to testify about a meeting with a Romanian businessman. who tried to “influence US government policy” during Joe Biden’s term as vice president.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers responded in court papers filed Sunday that such matters are irrelevant in the case that goes to trial next month in Los Angeles more than at least $1.4 million in taxes he owed between 2016 and 2019.
Moreover, defense attorneys who allow such testimony would confuse jurors, and they criticized prosecutors for “raising these issues on the eve of Biden’s trial when there is no mention of political influence in the 56-page indictment.”
“The Special Counsel’s unnecessary change of tactics merely echoes the baseless and false allegations of foreign misconduct advanced by Republicans in the House of Representatives to use Mr. Biden’s legitimate business dealings in Romania and elsewhere to attack him and his father,” the defense wrote.
Prosecutors said they want to introduce evidence of the meeting with the Romanian businessman to counter defense arguments that Hunter Biden’s drug use during the years he is accused of failing to pay his taxes affected his decision-making and judgment.
The evidence shows that his actions “do not paint a picture of someone with diminished capacity, as he agreed to attempt to influence U.S. public policy and receive millions of dollars” as part of the scheme, prosecutors wrote.
The Romanian businessman, Gabriel Popoviciuwanted U.S. government agencies to investigate bribery charges he faced in his home country in the hopes that would resolve his legal problems, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors say Hunter Biden arranged with his business partner to help Popoviciu fight the criminal charges against him. But prosecutors say they were concerned that “lobbying work could have political ramifications” for Joe Biden, so the arrangement was structured to “obscure the true nature of the work” from Popoviciu, prosecutors allege.
Hunter Biden’s business partner and Popoviciu signed an agreement to make it appear that Popoviciu’s payments were for “real estate wealth management services in Romania.”
Popoviciu and Hunter’s business partner even agreed to be paid for their work to “attempt to influence U.S. government agencies to look into the Romania investigation,” prosecutors said. Hunter Biden’s business partner was paid more than $3 million, which was split with Hunter and another business partner, prosecutors said.
Tax trial takes place months after Hunter Biden was convicted of three felonies involving firearm possession about purchasing a gun in 2018. He was found guilty of lying on a mandatory gun purchase form by saying he did not use illegal drugs or have a drug addiction.
