US President Biden's son Hunter pleads not guilty to tax charges
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, departs federal court after a plea hearing on two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes in Wilmington, Delaware, US July 26.
US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax and gun charges on Wednesday, after a federal judge in Delaware said she needed more time to review his earlier plea deal with prosecutors to avoid a felony gun charge.
Hunter Biden was accused of failing to pay taxes on more than US$1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than US$100,000, prosecutors allege.
He is charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony.
Republicans have for years accused Hunter Biden of leveraging his father's political power for personal gain in his dealings in Ukraine and China, though the probe by US Attorney David Weiss of Delaware, a Trump appointee, has not turned up any evidence to support those claims.
News of the plea deal in June sparked accusations of favorable treatment for the president's son from Trump and his Republican allies, who have for years accused the younger Biden of influence-peddling abroad, among other things.
Those allegations spurred the criminal investigation by Weiss, who in a departure from typical practice was allowed to remain in office to continue the probe after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.
