{"id":2328758,"date":"2024-08-21T19:41:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T23:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-unsympathetic-to-hunter-biden-ahead-of-tax-trial-report-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-21T19:45:07","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T23:45:07","slug":"judge-unsympathetic-to-hunter-biden-ahead-of-tax-trial-report-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-unsympathetic-to-hunter-biden-ahead-of-tax-trial-report-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge unsympathetic to Hunter Biden ahead of tax trial: Report &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-unsympathetic-to-hunter-biden-ahead-of-tax-trial-report-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2328758&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent court hearing in California \u200dregarding Hunter \u2062Biden&#8217;s upcoming tax trial revealed that his legal team\u2062 faced \u200bsignificant challenges, as Judge Mark Scarsi appeared to favor the prosecution. Biden is charged with\u2063 nine counts related to taxes, including failing\u2064 to pay and filing false returns, with the trial set for September 9. Biden&#8217;s \u2064attorney, Mark Geragos,\u2064 accused prosecutors of attempting to tarnish Biden&#8217;s character. \u200bDuring the hearing, the judge ruled against allowing references to Biden&#8217;s repayment of taxes and prohibited the use\u200c of an expert witness to \u2063discuss his past struggles with addiction, \u200darguing \u2063that mental state does not\u200c absolve one from tax obligations. The prosecution \u200dcontends that Biden&#8217;s luxurious\u2064 lifestyle and extravagant spending are relevant to the case, alleging he failed to pay\u200b over \u200b$1.4 million in taxes during the years\u200d in question.\u2062 Biden&#8217;s defense \u2063also sought to\u200b limit any mentions of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-plea-comer-to-praise-irs-whistleblowers-in-oversight-hearing-while-raskin-targets-trump\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden plea: Comer lauds IRS whistleblowers, Raskin takes aim at Trump in Oversight hearing.\">foreign business \u200cdealings<\/a>, which are under scrutiny for potentially \u2063<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-limits-contact-with-white-house-to-prevent-political-interference\/\" title=\"DOJ Limits Contact With White House To Prevent Political Interference\">improper political influence<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Judge unsympathetic to Hunter Biden ahead of tax trial: Report<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1735596\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Hunter Biden&rsquo;s attorneys had a difficult Wednesday in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a> federal court, where they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/first-female-supreme-court-justice-sandra-day-oconnor-dies\/\" title=\"Sandra Day O&#039;Connor, first female Supreme Court Justice, passes away\">faced numerous rejections<\/a> to requests they made regarding the first son&rsquo;s upcoming tax trial.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s lead defense attorney in the case, Mark Geragos, argued to Judge Mark Scarsi that prosecutors for special counsel David Weiss wanted to &ldquo;slime&rdquo; Biden, according to a courtroom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/08\/21\/politics\/hunter-biden-los-angeles-tax-hearing\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> from CNN.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s actually a form of character assassination,&rdquo; Geragos said.<\/p>\n<p>Parties in the case had filed a slate of motions in preparation for the trial, which is set for Sept. 9. Biden is facing nine tax charges, including failure to pay taxes and filing false returns. The purpose of the hearing was to sort through pretrial motions, which primarily centered on what could and could not be introduced as evidence at trial.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the hearing, Scarsi was &ldquo;largely siding with prosecutors,&rdquo; CNN reported.<\/p>\n<p>Scarsi reportedly ruled during the hearing that the first son could not reference at trial how he later repaid his taxes. He also reportedly prohibited Biden from using an expert witness to testify about his prior addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol. Biden&rsquo;s attorneys had wanted to use the witness to highlight that Biden was not of sound mind from 2015 to 2019, the tax years cited on his indictment, despite the first son conducting multimillion-dollar foreign business deals during those years.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No matter how many drugs you can take, you don&rsquo;t suddenly forget that when you make $11 million, you have to pay taxes,&rdquo; government prosecutor Leo Wise said during the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>The status of other pretrial motions is unclear.<\/p>\n<p>According to court papers, Biden&rsquo;s defense team had also urged Scarsi to exclude from trial any evidence or mentions of Biden&rsquo;s &ldquo;extravagant lifestyle,&rdquo; including references to strip clubs and pornography, which prosecutors have said the first son spent thousands of dollars on during the tax years in question. Prosecutors have said Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes during those years and that evidence of the first son&rsquo;s frivolous expenses is material to the case.<\/p>\n<p>Biden&rsquo;s defense team also asked to exclude allegations of &ldquo;improper political influence,&rdquo; a reference to prosecutors revealing in a recent court document that Biden&rsquo;s lucrative foreign business dealings included a Romanian deal that was structured to avoid complying with the Foreign Agents Registration Act.<\/p>\n<p>FARA provides a public record of people in the United States who are doing business on behalf of foreign entities, which is intended to help avoid covert foreign influence in the U.S. Weiss said he would not accuse Biden of violating FARA at the trial but that the first son&rsquo;s activity abroad, avoiding FARA registration while communicating with the State Department while his father was vice president, helped showcase Biden&rsquo;s &ldquo;state of mind&rdquo; during the tax years referenced in his indictment.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3124249\/hunter-biden-legal-strategy-takes-shape-tax-trial-looms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> it would be in Biden&rsquo;s best interest to plead guilty ahead of the trial, where he will face a mountain of evidence that is unfavorable to him. A plea agreement would allow Biden to avoid a weekslong event focused on one of the darkest periods in his life, after his brother died from cancer and he was in the throes of addiction.<\/p>\n<p>A plea agreement would, however, likely require Biden to plead guilty to felonies and potentially even serve jail time after the first son rejected a plea offer last summer with far milder terms.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1735596\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1735596\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A report indicates that a judge showed little sympathy for Hunter Biden as he prepares for his tax trial. On Wednesday, Biden&#8217;s legal team encountered several setbacks in California federal court, with many of their requests being denied. Mark Geragos, the lead attorney representing Biden, contended to Judge Mark Scarsi that the prosecutors under special counsel David Weiss aimed to &#8220;smear&#8221; Biden&#8217;s character. Geragos described this approach as a form of character assassination.<\/p>\n<p>The hearing was focused on pretrial motions ahead of the trial scheduled for September 9, where Biden faces nine tax-related charges, including failure to pay taxes and filing false returns. During the proceedings, Judge Scarsi appeared to favor the prosecution&#8217;s stance. He ruled that Biden could not mention his later repayment of taxes during the trial and also barred him from using an expert witness who would testify about his past struggles with addiction. The defense had intended to use this testimony to argue that Biden was not in a sound state of mind during 2015-2019\u2014the years relevant to his indictment\u2014despite engaging in significant foreign business transactions.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutor Leo Wise remarked that no amount of drug use would excuse failing to pay taxes on substantial income earned during those years. The status of other pretrial motions remains uncertain; however, it is known that Biden\u2019s defense sought to exclude evidence related to his lavish lifestyle and allegations regarding &#8220;improper political influence.&#8221; This included references to extravagant spending on strip clubs and pornography during the tax years in question.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors claim that Hunter failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes and argue that evidence concerning his excessive expenditures is pertinent to their case. Additionally, they noted concerns about how some foreign business dealings were structured without complying with regulations meant for transparency regarding foreign influence.<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts suggest it may be wise for Hunter Biden to consider pleading guilty before going into trial due to overwhelming evidence against him. A plea deal could help him avoid a lengthy court process centered around challenging personal circumstances following family tragedies and addiction struggles; however, such an agreement might require admitting guilt on felony charges and possibly facing jail time after he previously turned down a more lenient plea offer last summer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2328759,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24160590365438.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32528,5387,38519,38883,32076],"class_list":["post-2328758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-hunter-biden","tag-judge","tag-tax-trial","tag-unsympathetic","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/AP24160590365438.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2328758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2328758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2328759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2328758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2328758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2328758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}