Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, managed to indefinitely delay a court hearing in California using a well-known Trump tactic in Florida in recent months. The first to report the news was Politico’s Josh Gerstein on X, formerly known as Twitter. California federal Judge Marc Scarsi confirmed the delay of the motions hearings, originally scheduled for Wednesday this week in California. Hunter Biden has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of not paying $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2019. Previously, Judge Scarsi had postponed the trial from its original date of June 20 to September 5.
The reason
Hunter Biden also has a trial in Delaware, scheduled to start on June 3. Biden’s attorneys successfully argued for a delay in the California tax case, citing the need for additional time to prepare for the Delaware trial where Hunter faces gun charges. This tactic was also employed by Trump’s legal team in Florida on several occasions in the last couple of months, where he successfully postponed court hearings, citing the need to prepare for the cases in New York.
Trump’s guilty verdict
The intense atmosphere in the last few weeks during Trump’s New York hush-money case further escalated on Thursday, when the jury found Trump guilty in a unanimous decision. The decision sent shockwaves through the country because it came at a very sensitive time during presidential election campaigns. Although it remains unclear how the conviction would affect Trump’s chances of winning the November general election, it already had a huge impact on his campaign cash, as Trump’s campaign confirmed raising more than $50 million in 24 hours after the guilty verdict announcement.
Why does it matter
President Joe Biden faces criticism from millions of Americans who accuse him of “weaponizing the justice system” in legal cases against Trump. Additionally, the legal challenges involving his son, Hunter Biden, pose further concern for the president as he contemplates the implications for his re-election campaign. Public and legal scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s cases is expected to intensify, adding pressure on Biden, who is also pursuing another presidential term.
Collin Rugg X (@CollinRugg)
Read also: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott rips DA Alvin Bragg: ‘He is the only guilty in the courtroom’
Calls for Biden to pardon Trump and Hunter
Political commentator Bill O’Reilly spoke with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo following Trump’s guilty verdict, revisiting a previous suggestion for President Biden to pardon Trump. During the discussion, O’Reilly proposed that Biden should also pardon his own son, Hunter, to neutralize partisanship across the political spectrum. O’Reilly refrained from drawing direct comparisons between Hunter’s and Trump’s legal situations, noting a lack of equivalence and fairness between the two. He supported his recommendations by stating what he believes would be best for the country at this moment.
“We have bitterness, acrimony. We will have violence,” O’Reilly said.
Inability to pardon Trump in state-led cases
President Biden does not have the authority to pardon former President Trump for the hush money case since it is under New York state’s jurisdiction—only Governor Hochul can grant a pardon in this instance. However, Biden does hold the power to pardon Trump in relation to the events of January 6 and the Mar-a-Lago documents case, as well as any other potential federal legal issues that may arise.
“President Biden should pardon Donald Trump of any and all crimes and suggest publicly that (New York) Gov. Hochul do the same thing. And then … President Biden should pardon his son Hunter. That would throw the whole acrimonious system into absolute chaos.”
Trump is currently involved in two federal legal battles; one concerns the classified documents found at his residence in Florida, and the other pertains to allegations of his attempts to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Trump is facing a trial in Georgia regarding accusations that he tried to interfere with the state’s 2020 election results.
Read also: Trump’s support among likely voters plummets after media revealed ‘Laws for Cash’ scandal in Florida
Support for Trump after conviction
Following Thursday’s guilty verdict, numerous well-known Republican politicians and millions of everyday Americans quickly rallied in support of Trump. Many speculate that Trump’s conviction might ultimately work against Biden’s team, although the actual impact is still uncertain.
