Hunter Biden’s legal team accused federal prosecutors on Wednesday of attempting to turn his forthcoming tax evasion trial into a public spectacle aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
During a hearing in Los Angeles, attorneys for President Joe Biden’s son criticized special counsel David Weiss and his team, who successfully prosecuted Hunter Biden on gun charges earlier this year and are now pushing for another victory in his upcoming tax trial.
“They are trying to smear him,” said Mark Geragos, Hunter Biden’s lawyer, arguing that Weiss is pursuing an “independent counsel-style, sensational prosecution” designed to make Biden look bad by selectively presenting facts to sway the jury toward a conviction.
“This is essentially character assassination,” Geragos added.
The confrontation occurred as District Judge Mark Scarsi issued rulings on critical evidentiary matters, largely favoring the prosecution and creating challenges for Biden’s defense. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including three tax-related felonies.
Judge Scarsi ruled that Biden’s defense team is not permitted to inform the jury that the president’s son eventually paid his $2 million tax debt. The judge also barred an expert witness from testifying on how Biden’s addiction may have impacted his decision-making, which the defense viewed as a central component of their argument.
Geragos emphasized that the addiction issue was "the centerpiece of the defense," hoping to show how a traumatic childhood car accident that killed Biden’s mother, along with the subsequent death of his brother from brain cancer, contributed to his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction.
The defense aims to convince the jury that "there is a connection between the depths of addiction and the alleged tax non-compliance," Geragos said.
However, prosecutors dismissed the relevance of Biden’s addiction history.
“No matter how many drugs you take, you don’t suddenly forget that when you make $11 million, you have to pay taxes,” said special counsel prosecutor Leo Wise.
Prosecutors have accused Biden of orchestrating a years-long scheme to evade paying $1.4 million in taxes while indulging in extravagant spending on strippers, luxury cars, and high-end hotels.
Wise argued that the jury must be exposed to these lurid details to demonstrate that Biden falsely claimed these expenses as business deductions to reduce his tax burden. For instance, Wise said a witness would testify that she met Biden at a strip club and was later paid $1,400 for “artwork,” despite not selling him any art.
“You can spend $30,000 on a pornography website if you want – it’s not illegal,” Wise said regarding Biden’s alleged spending, “But you can’t claim it as a business expense.”
Geragos added, “They are painting a picture for the jury of someone who just landed in West Hollywood, decided to do cocaine, and neglected to pay his taxes, as if he didn’t have a care in the world… this is actually a form of character assassination.”
