FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is demanding that Attorney General Merrick Garland fully explain to the American people why a plea deal was struck between Hunter Biden and the U.S. attorney in Delaware that will spare him from serving any time in prison.
"The reported plea agreement extended to President Biden's son is a farcical example of precisely that two-tiered approach to criminal justice by the DOJ under your leadership," he wrote to Garland. "What is the American public to take away from the outcome of this five-year investigation and leniency shown to Hunter Biden on both the federal tax violations and firearms offenses he committed?"
Scott noted that in a recent case in Virginia, a mother is facing a prison sentence of up to 24 months because she was using controlled substances while she owned a firearm, and in another case, actor Wesley Snipes received three one-year sentences on tax charges. But he said Hunter Biden will avoid prison time for the tax and firearms charges he faced thanks to a plea agreement that the Justice Department agreed to.
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"It is time for you to explain these decisions clearly to the American people. Under your leadership, the Department of Justice is facing a crisis of trustworthiness in the eyes of the American people," he wrote. "You alone can do the hard but necessary work to fix that problem and restore integrity to this department and the American justice system."
"I expect a prompt response to the concerns I have outlined here, and look forward to seeing you clearly communicate your actions to the American people," he added.
The plea deal agreed to by Hunter Biden still needs to be approved by a judge. But Scott said it shows already that Democrats are given preferential treatment compared to Republicans.
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"Under your leadership, the DOJ appears to engage in disparate treatment toward political and personal allies of President Biden accused of criminal wrongdoing, compared with those perceived as his opponents," he wrote. "The reported plea agreement extended to President Biden’s son is a farcical example of precisely that two-tiered approach to criminal justice by the DOJ under your leadership."
It was announced on Tuesday that Hunter would plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor tax charges and one felony firearm count. When asked about the plea deal during a speech in San Francisco, Biden responded that he was "proud" of his son.
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Garland deferred on making an explanation for the plea agreement when asked about it during a press conference in Sweden on Wednesday. He advised that those questions should be directed to the U.S. attorney in Delaware, a Trump appointee.
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"As I said from the moment of my appointment as attorney general, I would leave this matter in the hands of the United States attorney who was appointed by the previous president, and assigned to this matter by the previous administration, that he would be given full authority to decide the matter as he decided was appropriate," Garland said. "That’s what he’s done."
