WILMINGTON, DE – On Tuesday, September 19th, Jesse Watters, the individual who took over Fox News network’s prime time spot after the departure of Tucker Carlson, told viewers that the media outlet has submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to have Hunter Biden’s mugshot released to the public.
It was recently announced that Hunter now faces federal felony charges after an attempted plea deal fell through. On Thursday, September 14th, he was indicted on federal firearms charges.
“It turns out Hunter Biden has a mugshot," Watters said. "So, what is so special about a mugshot that they don’t want us to see? Did he smile? Did he look defiant? In light of transparency, this mugshot must be released.”
Watters added, “Sources tell us that federal inmates rarely have their mugshots released to the public – only in cases where the federal inmate escapes and a leak would be very unlikely.”
In June, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Wilmington, Delaware, announced that the President’s son was charged with one count of possessing a firearm while being addicted to a controlled substance back in 2018. He was also charged with two misdemeanor tax offenses.
Hunter’s income for 2017 and 2018 was reported to be in “excess of” $1.5 million each year, but that he allegedly did not pay over $200,000 in federal income tax across both years.
According to reports, Hunter agreed to plead guilty in the two misdemeanor cases to avoid being prosecuted on the felony charge, but that plea deal collapsed during a court hearing towards the end of July.
The indictment states that Hunter is being accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm back in October 2018, a time when he already acknowledged that he struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine.
Hunter’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, argues that his client did not violate the law and that Hunter remains protected by an immunity provision that was part of the plea deal. He wrote a letter to the judge stating that Hunter will not plead guilty and is “not seeking any special treatment.”
Lowell also noted that during Hunter’s July court appearance, he was processed at the courthouse by the U.S. Marshals Service including the “usual procedures (e.g., submitted to multiple sets of fingerprints, had his photograph taken and filled out the required forms for release).”
The statement makes it seem as though a mugshot of Hunter was taken, but it's unclear as to why it has not been released to the public.
Kim Reeves, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware, said that Department of Justice policy “prohibits my office from providing photographs of defendants prosecuted in federal court.”
Former Georgia Republican state lawmaker Vernon Jones compared the alleged withholding of Hunter’s mugshot with the release of former president Donald Trump’s mugshot after he was arraigned in a Georgia court back in August.
Trump was processed on charges related to allegations of a conspiracy to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Almost immediately after, his mugshot was released to the public.
The three-count indictment filed against Hunter alleges that the president’s son lied on a form required for every gun purchase when he bought a .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special at a Wilmington, Delaware, gun shop.
Hunter is also charged with two counts of making false statements, first for checking a box falsely saying he was not addicted to drugs and second for giving it to the shop for their federally required records.
A third count alleges that he possessed the gun for about 11 days despite knowing he was using drugs at the time. If convicted, the counts are punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
It was recently announced that Hunter now faces federal felony charges after an attempted plea deal fell through. On Thursday, September 14th, he was indicted on federal firearms charges.
“It turns out Hunter Biden has a mugshot," Watters said. "So, what is so special about a mugshot that they don’t want us to see? Did he smile? Did he look defiant? In light of transparency, this mugshot must be released.”
Watters added, “Sources tell us that federal inmates rarely have their mugshots released to the public – only in cases where the federal inmate escapes and a leak would be very unlikely.”
In June, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Wilmington, Delaware, announced that the President’s son was charged with one count of possessing a firearm while being addicted to a controlled substance back in 2018. He was also charged with two misdemeanor tax offenses.
Hunter’s income for 2017 and 2018 was reported to be in “excess of” $1.5 million each year, but that he allegedly did not pay over $200,000 in federal income tax across both years.
According to reports, Hunter agreed to plead guilty in the two misdemeanor cases to avoid being prosecuted on the felony charge, but that plea deal collapsed during a court hearing towards the end of July.
The indictment states that Hunter is being accused of lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm back in October 2018, a time when he already acknowledged that he struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine.
Hunter’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, argues that his client did not violate the law and that Hunter remains protected by an immunity provision that was part of the plea deal. He wrote a letter to the judge stating that Hunter will not plead guilty and is “not seeking any special treatment.”
Lowell also noted that during Hunter’s July court appearance, he was processed at the courthouse by the U.S. Marshals Service including the “usual procedures (e.g., submitted to multiple sets of fingerprints, had his photograph taken and filled out the required forms for release).”
The statement makes it seem as though a mugshot of Hunter was taken, but it's unclear as to why it has not been released to the public.
Kim Reeves, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware, said that Department of Justice policy “prohibits my office from providing photographs of defendants prosecuted in federal court.”
Former Georgia Republican state lawmaker Vernon Jones compared the alleged withholding of Hunter’s mugshot with the release of former president Donald Trump’s mugshot after he was arraigned in a Georgia court back in August.
Trump was processed on charges related to allegations of a conspiracy to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Almost immediately after, his mugshot was released to the public.
The three-count indictment filed against Hunter alleges that the president’s son lied on a form required for every gun purchase when he bought a .38-caliber Colt Cobra Special at a Wilmington, Delaware, gun shop.
Hunter is also charged with two counts of making false statements, first for checking a box falsely saying he was not addicted to drugs and second for giving it to the shop for their federally required records.
A third count alleges that he possessed the gun for about 11 days despite knowing he was using drugs at the time. If convicted, the counts are punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
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