Republican Criticism Mounts Over Hunter Biden’s Verdict Amid Claims of Justice Department Bias

Republicans are persisting with their claims of a two-tiered justice system following the guilty verdict of first son Hunter Biden, stating Tuesday’s conviction is merely an “illusion” of equality under the law.

Hunter Biden was convicted on three felony charges related to a 2018 gun purchase, marking a historic moment as the first time the son of a sitting president has been criminally convicted. This verdict follows the collapse of a plea deal last year that would have enabled him to plead guilty to tax misdemeanor charges and circumvent felony gun charges.

Democrats cited the conviction as proof that the Justice Department hasn’t been “weaponized” against former President Donald Trump, who faces federal charges over his handling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

However, Republicans highlighted what they termed the “sweetheart” plea deal Hunter Biden nearly secured, along with corruption allegations at the heart of the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into the president, to challenge this narrative.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) remarked that the plea deal was “smoked out” by a federal judge, and reiterated claims from the impeachment inquiry, which has recently stalled. The White House refutes all allegations of influence-peddling by the Biden family.

“Today’s verdict is a step toward accountability but until the Department of Justice investigates everyone involved in the Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling schemes that generated over $18 million in foreign payments to the Biden family, it will be clear department officials continue to cover for the Big Guy, Joe Biden,” Comer wrote.

“Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict is nothing more than the Left’s attempt to create the illusion of equal justice,” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) added in a post to X. “Don’t fall for it.”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who faces a competitive primary on Tuesday, emphasized “timing is everything” and criticized the verdict as a “veil of fairness in the Justice System” under Joe Biden.

Republicans had been preparing for the possibility of a guilty verdict even before it was announced. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) argued that the Justice Department pursued its prosecution of Hunter Biden because it was “backed into” a corner.

“Let’s remember, Hunter Biden would be enjoying his sweetheart deal right now, that the Justice Department negotiated with him, had the judge in the case not posed questions in open court,” Hawley said last week.

However, one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), appeared to disagree with the verdict in a statement to X.

“Hunter might deserve to be in jail for something, but purchasing a gun is not it,” Massie said. “There are millions of marijuana users who own guns in this country, and none of them should be in jail for purchasing or possessing a firearm against current laws.”

Conversely, Democrats believe Hunter Biden’s guilty verdict refutes GOP allegations that the Justice Department is politically biased.

“The MAGA GOP tried to tell us the Justice Department had been ‘weaponized’ against them,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) said. “The evidence says otherwise.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) posted that “unlike MTG and MAGA no Democrat will call for Civil War” following the verdict, referencing comments made by Trump and his allies after he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money trial last month.

Joe Biden previously stated he would not pardon his son. On Tuesday, he said in a statement that he would accept the outcome of the case and “respect the judicial process” as Hunter Biden considers an appeal.

“Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support,” the president said. “Nothing will ever change that.”