Some words from Post re: Hunter Biden's alleged crimes . . .

[CousinIT]

https://post.news/@/headdoc35/2ZGJN36hN76D0Efmf61nbCsLv5T

There’s a Republican who is very close to TFG named Roger Stone. He did worse than Hunter. Stone evaded paying $2 million in taxes. Guess what happened? He was allowed to settle and wasn’t criminally charged. Stone leads an extravagant lifestyle almost bankrupting himself. But, Stone practically skates free and goes on grifting.

Rudy owes $550k in unpaid taxes. He wasn’t dragged into court, criminally charged and threatened with jail time. The IRS placed a lien on his home. Rudy lost a great deal of his estimated $100 million fortune due to extravagant spending, legal bills, and 2 divorces. Rudy practically skates free, and goes on begging for money.

Weiss was appointed by TFG. And this case has TFG’s allies all over it: Bill Barr, Rosen, and Donoghue.

The only thing Hunter is guilty of is being a Democrat, and the son of our President.

And a link to this: https://www.emptywheel.net/2023/12/05/principal-senior-assistant-special-counsel-leo-wise-insinuates-david-weiss-lied-to-congress/

[brewens]

1. Just Hunter just this time is what they want. They just tried to make a big cut to IRS enforcement.

Democrats and pundits should be calling them out on that one.

It shows we need even more IRS investigation and enforcement. Tougher income reporting and banking regulations. Hunter is far from the big fish. He's not masterminding some international crime wave. If he cheated on taxes nail his ass. If republicans want him locked up, lock all big time tax cheats up.

[Tickle]

3. I'm good on the IRS number of workers

Just saying.

[Maraya1969]

4. I believe the addition of IRS workers is to go after these billion and maga millionaires

because they are not paying their share -= at all. They have fancy tax lawyers, like trump that allow them to pay less taxes than me.

[Lovie777]

2. K & R........................

those that throw the first stone, mirrors are available.

[triron]

5. So much for the great American justice system.

[Walleye]

6. I'm sure the plea deal fell apart because they caved to Republican pressure

Or should I say Trump pressure to vent his spleen. Remember if you don’t go along with Trump your family get to death threats

[SunSeeker]

15. Hunter did not ask for immunity from "any and all crimes that could be committed."

He just wanted to settle any potential charges stemming from the incidents Weiss was investigating. Hardly an overreach.

[SunSeeker]

31. You don't know how to use Google?

Last edited Sat Dec 9, 2023, 12:31 AM - Edit history (1)

Weiss did not say the scope of his investigation was unlimited. Please stop making shit up. That's Fox News' job.

It appears the scope of Weiss' investigation when assigned by Bill Barr was to look into financial crimes, particularly involving Joe Biden. Having found none, he settled for tax and gun crimes by Hunter when he was an addict, which were discovered in the course of Weiss' investigation into financial crimes. Weiss basically continued that when he was appointed Special Counsel.

Every Special Counsel who is appointed is given a "scope memo" that lays out the scope of his appointment. Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped David Weiss to review whether Hunter Biden violated federal tax and gun laws. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-special-counsels-work-with-independence-spotlight-2023-08-14/

[SunSeeker]

35. Did you read your own excerpt? Prosecutors were threatening FARA charges.

The plea deal was for immunity for any crimes unconvered from what Weiss was investigating. Weiss was refusing to do that. He only was offering narrow immunity to certain tax and gun crimes.

[SunSeeker]

46. Hunter wanted immunity from crimes discovered in the course of Weiss' investigation.

Even though the scope of the investigation was limited, Weiss' right to charge was not. So if he discovered facts during his financial crimes investigation related to other crimes, he could still charge for those crimes. That's how we got the gun charges. Barr did not tap Weiss to find gun crimes but rather financial crimes, preferably involving Joe Biden. Having found none, but stumbling upon the gun crimes and tax crimes, that is what Weiss charged. It's like when Ken Starr was appointed to investigate Whitewater, and having found nothing, he went after Bill Clinton for lying about an affair, which was discovered in the course of investigating Whitewater.

It was not unreasonable for Hunter to want immunity from crimes Weiss may have had up his sleeve arising from facts discovered in the course of Weiss' investigation.

Your suggestion that the plea deal fell apart because Hunter was being unreasonable by wanting immunity from "any and all crimes" is not only factually incorrect, but a right wing talking point.

[Tickle]

22. He wanted immunity

when that broke down he pleaded not guilty

[SunSeeker]

32. No, Tickle, Hunter was not asking for total immunity for any and all crimes.

Hunter was trying to settle the financial, tax and gun crimes that were the subject of Weiss' investigation, not piecemeal it. It is very normal to have that expectation when you make a plea deal with a prosecutor.

Where do you get your information? Seriously. Where? You are repeating right wing talking points.

The deal fell through because prosecutors “didn’t like what people were saying about the deal they approved.” That is — they made an offer, and later changed their minds due to criticism from Republicans. https://www.vox.com/2023/8/17/23828938/hunter-biden-plea-deal-special-counsel-weiss

The deal remained out of public view until Trump appointee Judge Maryellen Noreika’s hearing on it in Delaware on July 26, 2023. Both sides had hoped Noreika would accept the deal, but it turned out she had quite a few questions about it, and proceeded to rip it apart. In public. Then, once Republicans knew what the deal was, they ripped into Weiss, claiming the deal was too easy on Hunter. And that is what killed it.

[SunSeeker]

33. Yup, Weiss got scared by the Republican blowback when the Trumper judge on the case ripped the plea deal.

https://www.vox.com/2023/8/17/23828938/hunter-biden-plea-deal-special-counsel-weiss

As the New York Times reported on August 19, 2023, Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, repeatedly informed the two sides that she would be no “rubber stamp.” She proceeded to pick apart the deal, particularly the immunity provisions. Republicans took her cue and swarmed Weiss like sharks on a bloody fish carcass.

[womanofthehills]

45. Hunter's lawyers requested immunity from future prosecution

Judge Maryellen Noreika refused to give Hunter immunity from other possible crimes he could be prosecuted for in the future- so Hunter’s lawyers rejected the plea.

She also asked him if he was currently doing drugs and he said yes.

I don’t know what to think about Hunter - most people on drugs would would want to be drug free when they go in front of a judge & comment on a program they are in.

[SunSeeker]

47. That is not true. Hunter was not asking for immunity from crimes he committed in the future.

He was asking for immunity from criminal charges arising from facts discovered in the course of Weiss' investigation. That was not unreasonable.

I don't know where you got that claim that the judge "asked him if he was currently doing drugs and he said yes." Can you please post a link?

At a court hearing this past summer, Hunter Biden said he hasn't used drugs or alcohol since June 2019. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/hunter-biden-indictment-alleges-post-addiction-fraud-c165346c

[2naSalit]

7. K&R

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Well stated.

[Historic NY]

9. Hunter paid the back taxes with penalities assessed..

isn't this like retroactive, perhaps the IRS should refund him

[riversedge]

10. k

[Ziggysmom]

11. Fecking Paul Manafort owed the IRS over 3 MILLION dollars, but got a pardon from trumpty dumpty.

Makes me sick!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

13. These comparisons should be on every news outlet, daily.

[SunSeeker]

14. It's fucking infuriating. Hunter has paid the money back, with interest.

This is horrible overcharging.

[llmart]

17. I may be misremembering this but...

Didn't Trump's tax returns show that he paid something like less than a thousand dollars in taxes for several years? How was that even possible?

[bucolic_frolic]

18. Hunter Biden is facing a Witch Trial. First his laptop, now taxes. Recall Billy Beer.

Republican operatives always do it to Democrats.

[canetoad]

19. They're trying to make Joe pull out of 2024

To make the persecution of his son stop.

They know what a decent man and father he is. This is the lowest of the low.

[twodogsbarking]

20. Did he say his home was worth $ 80 million? Just wondering.

[liberal N proud]

21. If Hunters last name was anything other than Biden

There would not have been any charges.
The republicans cry witch hunt all while they carry out one.

[uponit7771]

23. Buh ... Buh, the DOJ isn't hyper partisan !!!!

[Skittles]

24. it's ridiculous

I hope all voters with critical thinking skills realize what a sham it all is.

[bdamomma]

25. Such BS

so infuriating. What about freaking Jared Kushner who got a pay out from Saudi Arabia's MBS? Why isn't that being discussed? And what about Donald Jr. ???????? He's not squeaky clean either.

Anyway of smearing Joe and his family. Really sucks.

And that POS thug dic....tator walking around free.

[NowISeetheLight]

26. Can Garland

Can Garland name the same Prosecutor as a Special Prosecutor to investigate Stone and Rudy?

[NowISeetheLight]

27. Property Tax Fraud?

Wouldn't Trumps overstating the value of his property as compared to what he valued them for property taxes be fraud too?

[SunSeeker]

36. Trump overstated property value to get loans, understated propety value for taxes.

I'm pretty sure that is what the poster meant to say.

[SunSeeker]

48. The poster asked it Trump committed property tax fraud. Trump clearly did.

All facts available indicate Trump did commit property tax fraud, as well as numerous other types of tax fraud. And never paid it back. Yet Trump never got charged. That is the point. It's the Republicans' hypocrisy of going after Hunter for tax fraud he paid back, with penalties and interest, while folks like Trump and Manafort skate free. That is the point of the OP and this whole thread.

[NowISeetheLight]

50. Yes

What I meant is TFG overvalued property for loans (fraud) and undervalued for taxes (also fraud).

[former9thward]

58. The government assesses propery for tax purposes.

Do you own any property where you have to pay property taxes? Do you assess your own property value?

[SunSeeker]

59. OFFS, former9thward, we're talking about commercial properties, which are assessed differently.

Trump doesn't hold title to his properties as an individual like you and I. They're commercial properties, and commercial properties are assessed quite differently from the homes of individuals. For example, in New York City, the government assesses commercial properties based on their income, which is different from how single-family homes are assessed based on potential sale values. New York State requires the city value properties in Tax Class 4 according to their current use, rather than their highest and best use. While this method of calculation is intended to avoid speculative valuation, it also can lead to lower assessed values than what the market implies, and relies on information the owner/entity of the property submits.

I don't submit anything to my local county assessor's office, they assess based on my address and recent home sales in my area. Trump came up with much of the numbers and info New York used to assess his property. Big difference.

For example, on Oct. 16, 2019, ProPublica published a story that revealed a series of “stark” inconsistencies between what the Trump Organization had reported to property tax authorities about the financial health of his landmark skyscraper at 40 Wall St. and what the company told lenders. The discrepancies made the building appear more profitable to the lenders, and less so to city tax officials. A real estate and finance professor told ProPublica at the time that the discrepancies were “versions of fraud.” https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-never-before-seen-trump-tax-documents-show-major-inconsistencies

Interesting how, of all the thousands of posts on DU, you found my reply to another poster's reply (which he subsequently deleted) in this days old subthread, and then jumped in to attack me and defend Trump with misleading assertions, suggesting "the government" assessed Trump's properties and Trump's fraud played no part.

[former9thward]

60. Commercial properties set their own taxes in NYC?

The county/city/state is just a bystander in the process? I do not believe that. And I don't defend lenders either. If they believe what some borrower tells them that is THEIR problem. They are huge corporations. They have the means and ability to do due diligence.

[SunSeeker]

61. No, former9thward, fraud is not just the victim's problem. Please stop repeating Trump's talking points here.

Trump’s fraud is not just the essesssor's problem, Trump's tax fraud steals from all of us. When Trump is not paying his fair share of taxes, he is forcing us lower net worth taxpayers to carry a greater share of the tax burden. That is horribly unfair.

Tax assessors have limited resources and can only do so much "due diligence." That is why tax fraud penalties have such steep penalties. A strong deterence is needed because our tax collection system would fall apart if everyone lied like Trump.

Same with loan fraud. Misrepresentations in Trump company financial statements shortchanged banks by millions of dollars. In relying on Trump's exaggerations, Deutsche Bank lost out on $168 million in interest payments they would have otherwise charged him between 2014 and 2023. Deutsch Bank did do their due diligence, but they expect "clients’ provided information to be accurate.” It’s not an industry standard that these statements be audited.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4336186-trump-defense-bankers-business-dealings-victim/

But it is not just "THEIR problem" as you and Trump assert. As Letitia James explained to reporters, Trump's banks crimes are not victimless. "When the well-connected and powerful break the law to get more money than they are entitled to, it reduces resources available to working people, small businesses, and taxpayers." https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-rages-outside-fraud-trial-factcheck-2023-12

That is why bank fraud is a felony.

It really is stunning to see you continue to defend Trump with his own incorrect talking points.

[former9thward]

62. It really is stunning to see the defense of corporations like Deutsch Bank.

Sorry, but Deutsch Bank DOES have the resources to do due diligence. And they DO NOT make ANY recourses available to "working people, small businesses, and taxpayers." They lend to huge borrowers. I would like to see anybody on this site try and get a loan from them. They would be laughed out of the building. Yet we are supposed to feel sorry for them. No, I don't. Not for a minute.

[SunSeeker]

63. Nobody is defending Deutsche Bank. But you are defending Trump. Why?

You found this days old subthread to stake your stand that Trump’s fraud is the banks' and government's problem. You blame it on the victims instead of the perpetrator.

You came here to falsely suggest commercial properties are not assessed by anything the owner provides, and that banks are responsible for all of fraudsters' lies, so this is not our problem, it's "THEIR problem."

The fact is, fraud hurts all of us. Banks and assessors don't catch it all, so it spills over to affecting the rest of us. That is why these crimes are felonies. It is not just "THEIR problem." Trump is not just hurting the banks and government with his fraud, he is hurting US consumers by leaving us with less resources. Certainly you can understand that, yet you're insisting on deflecting blame from Trump with continued false statements. Why?

[former9thward]

64. Well at least you have backed off the claim they don't have the resources to do due diligence.

You can't explain and you haven't explained how Deutsche Bank not charging the maximum interest rate leaves "us" with less resources. The lack of maximum profit for a greedy corporation like Deutsche Bank does not give "us" a penny in more resources. They don't care about you or me or anyone here. They are not in business to give us a loan or ANYTHING else.

[SunSeeker]

65. So you won't answer why you're deflecting blame from Trump, you just offer more false statements.

I never said banks don't have the resources to do due diligence, I said they don't catch all fraud.

Banks don't have infinite money. When Trump steals from a bank, that leaves less to lend to us and causes interest rates to rise. That hurts all of us trying to get home loans and car loans. Of course banks don't care about us. That's why they pass those losses and costs along to us consumers in the form of higher interest rates and fees. Trump knows that, he knows he's hurting the people he claims to be championing. And I did explain that to you. As has Leticia James.

Just like when Trump steals from the government by cheating on his taxes. That leaves less money to be spent on us regular taxpayers for infrastructure, security and social services, and forces us to carry a larger share of the tax burden than we should. You know that.

Yet you keep deflecting blame from Trump by falsely suggesting his fraud doesn't hurt us.

[OverBurn]

28. He was charged with buying a gun illegally. Isn't that their wet dream, no rules for buying guns.

[TexasDem69]

51. I would think folks here who want to repeal the 2d Amendment

Would be all for enforcing existing gun laws.

[OverBurn]

55. How did you come up with that reply? I'm Pointing out the irony of the Repukes going after him for it.

[Zeitghost]

56. There is also irony

In a group that is very pro gun-control trying to excuse the actions of a person who lied on a federal form to obtain a gun illegally and then ended up losing that gun in a parking lot across from a high school.

[dalton99a]

29. Kick

[calimary]

39. Yep. They seem to regard Hunter Biden as the low-hanging fruit.

Low enough that at least they can reach him, even though they'd rather it be his dad. But they can't reach far enough or effectively enough to pull Joe Biden down. So they're settling for his one surviving son.

[Shermann]

40. Unfortunately for Hunter, judges look at the reasons for taxes not being paid

Here's a legal teardown of the charges, and it doesn't look good from that perspective. There's also a sober prediction of what the penalty will be.

[Jacson6]

41. Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent

The average professional in this country wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes home, eats dinner, and then goes to sleep, unaware that he or she has likely committed several federal crimes that day. Why? The answer lies in the very nature of modern federal criminal laws, which have exploded in number but also become impossibly broad and vague.

In Three Felonies a Day, Harvey A. Silverglate reveals how federal criminal laws have become dangerously disconnected from the English common law tradition and how prosecutors can pin arguable federal crimes on any one of us, for even the most seemingly innocuous behavior. The volume of federal crimes in recent decades has increased well beyond the statute books and into the morass of the Code of Federal Regulations, handing federal prosecutors an additional trove of vague and exceedingly complex and technical prohibitions to stick on their hapless targets. The dangers spelled out in Three Felonies a Day do not apply solely to "white collar criminals," state and local politicians, and professionals. No social class or profession is safe from this troubling form of social control by the executive branch, and nothing less than the integrity of our constitutional democracy hangs in the balance.

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-audiobook/dp/B07J488Q3B/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2CLC0KD46VYJX&keywords=three+felonies+a+day&qid=1702131743&sprefix=three+felonies+a+day%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1

[pansypoo53219]

42. welfare kings ronny raygun ignored.

[pansypoo53219]

43. red hunter. as in herring. ignore fat gollum.

[Kingofalldems]

44. Interesting thread.

[SunSeeker]

49. Indeed.

[Kingofalldems]

52. And very interesting self deletions.

[SunSeeker]

53. LOL Yup.

[bullimiami]

54. You know who cheated the fuck out of their taxes? Trump. And fucking nothing.

IRS? Not shit.
Investigations for tax evasion and cheating? None.

[bullimiami]

57. I've got an idea. Appoint Weiss as special prosecutor to investigate Trump and kids taxes.

He’s such a fucking stickler for the letter if the law apparently.