George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley criticized Hunter Biden’s attorneys on Thursday for proposing to change a plea to avoid a trial in his federal tax case.
Hunter Biden’s legal team made the proposal shortly before jury selection for the case was slated to commence. Turley, on “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” said delaying this pivot until just before jury selection ensures he will receive minimal advantages from the plea proposal.
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“I don’t see any discernible strategy at all. I’m a criminal defense attorney and I think that they have placed Hunter Biden in the worst possible position,” Turley said. “I mean they could have reached a plea agreement months ago when they had something to offer and by waiting until the very last minute, they are guaranteeing he gets very little benefit from a plea deal.”
The plea is known as an “Alford plea” and indicates that Hunter Biden is conceding that the government has sufficient evidence to secure a conviction against him and that he would accept the sentence he receives, according to CNN. Hunter Biden faces three felony and six misdemeanor counts pertaining to his alleged failure to pay the government at least $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2020.
“It very well could be the client driving this because it seems to have all the planning of a collapsing bridge. I just don’t see why anyone would take this course of action, but I certainly don’t think that a lawyer needs to have these pleas explained to him … The problem for Hunter is that this whole thing now looks contrived to the judge,” Turley added. “You just told the judge you don’t think you’re guilty.”
“And so if he rejects the Alford plea, then you have to come in if you want to avoid trial and say, ‘Okay I plead guilty and I accept guilt’ after just yesterday saying, ‘I don’t accept guilt.’ None of that’s going to help with sentencing,” he continued. “The expectation is the Justice Department’s going to ask for jail time and I think it’s likely if they ask for it, they’ll get it from this judge.”
Hunter Biden faces up to 17 years in prison for the nine charges against him. Former President George W. Bush Justice Department official John Yoo said he “would be very surprised” if Hunter Biden manages to skirt prison time with his proposed plea, predicting he could face “one to three years” behind bars.
Featured Image Credit: Center for Strategic & International Studies
