Hunter Files Suit Against Dad's IRS in Tax Lawsuit
There are two certainties in life: death and taxes. This famous Benjamin Franklin quote is often repeated. What many people don't know is that the famous "death and taxes" line is only a small part of the quote.
The whole quote is:"Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, is out to remind the world that the Constitution has endured, as has all the rights it promises. Even with regard to taxes.
First Son's Legal Predicaments
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding Hunter Biden's ongoing legal issues. Given the current politically charged climate, most of these issues have become cannon fodder for the 2024 Presidential Election. But these issues go back to before the 2020 election.
In 2018, David C. Weiss was appointed as the United States Attorney for the District of Delaware by then President Donald Trump. Almost immediately thereafter, Weiss began an investigation into Hunter Biden and Hunter's foreign business dealings. When President Trump lost his reelection, President Biden kept Weiss on as United States Attorney for the District of Delaware.
Following years of investigations, a plea deal was offered in June, 2023 that would find Hunter pleading guilty to the lowest tax charges leveled while avoiding prosecution for more serious crimes. Many claimed the plea deal was "sweetheart deal" made only for the son of a president, and whistleblowers came forward accusing the Justice department of impeding Weiss's work.
However, few would have predicted that District Judge Maryellen Noreika would refuse to accept the deal and the negotiations to break down completely.
On August 11, Weiss was appointed as special counsel, providing him more independence to investigate Hunter.
One of the first moves occurred earlier this month, when Hunter Biden became the first son of a sitting president to be criminally charged. On September 14, the younger Biden was indicted on three counts related to the unlawful deception of a firearms dealer.
Hunter Claims He Was Hounded and Harassed
There is no debate that Hunter Biden's legal issues has played out in front of the world in a dramatic fashion. The question is whether the ancillary players in the case, like the whistleblowers' very public claims of political bias in the Hunter investigation, broke the law.
In his complaint against the IRS, Hunter alleges that the IRS, by and through its two whistleblower agents, violated Hunter's constitutionally protected rights. More specifically, Hunter claims that IRS violated his rights under the Privacy Act and the Internal Revenue Code by failing to ensure the confidentiality and security of his tax information.
As evidence of these violations, the complaint points to various, specific public comments and appearances by the whistleblowers on news programs. On the shows, the whistleblowers and/or their attorneys discussed Hunter's returns and alleged issues without consent. Hunter is seeking both money damages and declaratory relief.
For now, perhaps the only sure thing is that Mr. Franklin's old idiom might need its own amendment. It should probably say that the only certainties in life are death, taxes, and lawsuits.
Related Resources:
- Gun Laws (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)
- A Summary of the Second Amendment (FindLaw's U.S. Constitution pages)
- Gun Control Laws by State (FindLaw's Learn About the Law)