Lady Justice is blindfolded, but when certain people show up for court, she peeks. What else could explain Hunter Biden's unusually generous deal with the prosecutors who work for his father? They whittled down $1.2 million worth of tax fraud to two misdemeanors, a cream puff of a plea bargain, and then made Hunter's gun crime disappear in an impressive, albeit feckless, feat of prosecution.
But this isn't just proof of political bias in the justice system. The Hunter Biden sweetheart deal endangers us all, for the simple reason that every criminal going forward is now going to ask for it.
The gun crimes Hunter ducked are serious federal felonies. One is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the other can incarcerate violators for up to five years. Prosecutors often deal with minor crimes by allowing an otherwise repentant first offender a way to avoid a criminal record, a process called diversion. But in this case, it's diverting the cause of justice. Worse yet, the Biden Justice Department's kid glove treatment diverts attention from the growing evidence that suggests the President's kid was involved in some adult level foreign corruption.
Hunter will essentially go unpunished for the serious federal felony of possessing a gun while being addicted to illegal drugs. No prison sentence, no probation officer to check up on him, and no criminal record for the charge.
If your cousin had lied while buying a gun and then held on to it while higher than a Chinese spy balloon, would he have been treated this way? You know the answer. But can he now demand to be treated this way? You bet.
Contrary to what the ghouls on MSNBC will tell you, countless people have been dealt with harshly for this crime. Even a cursory internet search finds three people who lied on gun forms who were each given prison sentences of five years. Others were sentenced to 32 months, 30 months, and 18 months. Aside from their crimes, these ordinary people had just one thing in common: They didn't have a father in the White House.
As a prosecutor who has sent people to prison, I have multiple guns, issued by my agency and purchased on my own. And every time I fill out the detailed forms to acquire a firearm, there are bold warnings that providing false information is a federal felony. Are these admonitions now hollow?
The message to gun buyers going forward seems obvious: Lying to purchase your new AR-15 is fine and dandy with the feds—just ask for the Hunter Biden special! Or, more likely, people will presume that, if you're special enough, you can lie and not get prosecuted.
When Joe Biden was caught on a hot mic saying "no one f—s with a Biden," his federal prosecutors heard him loud and clear. He may claim he had nothing to do with this deal but, as I found out when I worked at the Department of Justice, every action taken by the DOJ is imbued with authority only the president possesses.
This arrogance of power undermines the social contract that binds us. We're all parties to this agreement. I'll follow the law if you do. And those who don't get punished—no matter what their last name is.
When that contract is repeatedly breached, people become less likely to comply with laws that require truthful self-disclose in gun sales. And when mentally unstable or seriously addicted people get guns, really bad things can happen.
Ironically, while Hunter was consuming drugs like a shopaholic on Black Friday, his dad was Vice President, and in that role, the elder Biden called for more aggressive federal prosecutions of people who lie on gun registration forms.
The Trump classified document drama and its comparisons to Hillary Clinton's counterpart have already amplified the worry that our legal system has a double standard. Public opinion polling shows 61 percent of all Americans have some concern that the charges against Trump are politically motivated. Add to that bonfire the fuel of the Hunter Biden blue light special deal and the flames of outrage will burn higher.
It's bad enough that Hunter Biden's face could soon replace the mustachioed man on Monopoly's "get out of jail free" card. It's worse that the streets may soon be teeming with criminals demanding the same treatment. The only way for Democrats to avoid the stain of their own hypocrisy will be to grant it.
Mark R. Weaver currently serves as a special prosecutor in Ohio, where he has prosecuted numerous felonies, including gun charges. He is the author of "A Wordsmith's Work." Follow him on Twitter @MarkRWeaver.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
