Hunter Biden's attorney claims indictments would not have been brought if he was not related to the president

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Hunter Biden's attorney said Thursday that his client would not be facing charges out of Delaware and California if he was not President Biden's son, saying the charges would not be brought if his last name was "anything other than Biden."

Earlier Thursday, Hunter Biden was indicted in California on nine tax charges over $1.4 million in taxes he owed between 2016 and 2019. Special Counsel David Weiss has been using a federal grand jury in Los Angeles to gather evidence of possible criminal tax charges against Hunter Biden.

The charging documents filed in California accuse Hunter Biden of spending money on personal expenses including drugs, luxury hotels and exotic cars. "[I]n short, everything but his taxes," prosecutors wrote.

If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 17 years in prison.

HUNTER BIDEN FACES NEW INDICTMENT IN CALIFORNIA

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, walks with family members in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S, November 24, 2023. (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)

This comes after Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in connection with Weiss' years-long investigation.

"Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought," defense attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement. "First, U.S. Attorney Weiss bowed to Republican pressure to file unprecedented and unconstitutional gun charges to renege on a non-prosecution resolution. Now, after five years of investigating with no new evidence -- and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full -- the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors."

"I wrote U.S. Attorney Weiss days ago seeking a customary meeting to discuss this investigation," he continued. "The response was media leaks today that these charges were being filed. All these issues will now be addressed in various courts, the first to occur this Monday when the prosecutors knew our motions to dismiss their first set of questionable charges would be filed."

Lowell said all of Hunter Biden’s back taxes were paid in full more than two years ago and that he has since been up-to-date with his filings and taxes. Lowell also said his client was suffering from a serious drug addiction during the period of unpaid taxes.

HUNTER'S EX-BUSINESS ASSOCIATE BLASTS BIDEN'S NEW CLAIM ABOUT SON'S BUSINESS DEALINGS

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, walks with his wife, Melissa Cohen, in Nantucket, Massachusetts, U.S, November 24, 2023. (REUTERS/Tom Brenner)

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Additionally, Lowell pointed out that millions of Americans fail to file or pay their taxes on time each year and that it is uncommon for someone to be charged for not filing or paying their taxes on time. Lowell said it is especially rare for a person who paid the taxes, interest and penalty afterward to be charged.

Thursday's indictment comes ahead of an expected vote from House Republican leaders next week to formally initiate an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over possible ties to his son's overseas business dealings. The White House has maintained that President Biden had no knowledge of his son's business dealings.

House Republicans have also said they would move to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress if he does not appear for a closed-door deposition on Dec. 13. But Hunter Biden has said he would only testify before the House if it is in public because information from closed-door testimonies is selectively leaked and used to "manipulate, even history, the facts and misinform the American public."