Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said he thinks Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son, will likely “have to do time in jail,” even if a plea agreement is made.
“He’s facing what he should have been facing from the beginning, which were felony tax charges. When you involve millions of dollars in tax evasion. That is a felony,” Christie said in an interview with NBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “And the same thing with the felony gun charges.”
“And, you know, he faces these charges because the government has evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these crimes,” he added. “And so he’s now going to have to decide how the best way is to resolve these matters.”
The younger Biden was charged with tax crimes in California earlier this week — his second indictment from special counsel David Weiss. He is facing three felony tax charges in relation to tax evasion and filing a false return, and six misdemeanor charges for failure to pay taxes between 2016 and 2019.
According to the indictment, Biden engaged in a four-year scheme where he failed to pay $1.4 million in federal taxes that he owed. Weiss said he withheld money from his own company and spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle.
Biden can face as many as 17 years in prison for the charges, if prosecuted. He and his attorney have claimed the charges are politically motivated.
Christie said that while the president’s son could negotiate a plea deal in the case, it likely wouldn’t keep him from serving time.
“I’m sure that he could negotiate a plea at this point, but it’s not going to be the kind of sweetheart deal he got before,” he told Mitchell. “And my guess is that with the combination of the gun charges and the tax charges that Hunter Biden is going to have to do time in jail.”
Earlier this year, Weiss and Biden reached a plea agreement where he was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges and enter a pretrial diversion program in exchange for a charge relating to unlawful possession of a weapon to be dropped. He would have faced two years probation.
The plan, however, was put on hold after the judge overseeing the case reportedly raised concerns about the scope of Biden’s immunity from any potential future charges.
Christie said he thinks the new tax charges won’t go to trial until the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025.
Mark Scarsi, a U.S. district court judge appointed by former President Trump, has been assigned to Biden’s case. He is based in the Central District of California and oversees Los Angeles.