Articles say the gun issue wasn’t likely to result in prison time, but when it comes to the tax issue all they say is “maximum of 17 years”. The max is not the typical sentence, which is what I want to know. Realistically what was Hunter BIden facing?

    • bamboo
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      7 days ago

      I don’t disagree with you, the tax charges are serious, but it did start as a political witch hunt. He was investigated because of his last name, not by impartial checks in the system. In all fairness, it is similar to the investigations into Trump’s falsified business records in NY, and that may have likely gone unnoticed had it been anyone but Trump.

      It’s an important distinction that the Weiss special counsel was clearly started by Trump to go after a political rival who he was running against in an election, and when they couldn’t get anything on Joe Biden, they pivoted to Hunter. It is a witch hunt on a higher level in my opinion. Maybe the ends don’t justify the means?

        • bamboo
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          7 days ago

          Sincere question, is it a witch hunt when the punishment is unsubstantiated and unjust (like innocents being burned alive)? My understanding was that politically motivated prosecution was a type of witch hunt and that witch hunt described the act of searching of for the witch, not the burning of the witch.

          • the_wise_wolf@feddit.org
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            7 days ago

            Hm. Interestingly Wikipedia defines the term differently than I expected:

            In current language, “witch-hunt” metaphorically means an investigation that is usually conducted with much publicity, supposedly to uncover subversive activity, disloyalty, and so on, but with the real purpose of harming opponents. It can also involve elements of moral panic, as well as mass hysteria.

            By that definition you can indeed call it a witch hunt. But somehow it still feels wrong to call an investigation a witch hunt, if the person being investigated really did commit a crime.

            • SolOrion@sh.itjust.works
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              7 days ago

              I feel like the distinction is that when they started the investigation they had no idea about the crimes. They were just looking for literally anything. It was a fishing expedition, basically.

    • kava@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      well, two things can be true. he could have committed serious crimes and it could be a case of the DOJ being used a political weapon.

      realistically most people who do the things Hunter Biden did get away with it just fine. It’s perfectly fine to be a criminal when you are part of that group. so if he weren’t Biden’s son, he would be fine (although he also probably wouldn’t be receiving millions of dollars from Russian convicted criminals).

      honestly, I think it’s one of the final nails in the coffin of our democracy.

      i think a lot of people need to start paying attention to what happens in Brazil. I’ve been seeing so many parallels. We had Jan 6th, they had their own Jan 6th a year later… except a more intense version

      A few years back, the president conspired with the justice department to try and put the opposition candidate in jail. the thing is - the opposition candidate was corrupt. but the whole trial was orchestrated not to seek justice, but to put the guy in jail so they would win the election.

      the trump-like candidate in Brazil got attacked in a crowd. helped him win an election. Trump got shot in the ear, helped him win an election. etc

      so many parallels

      we’re seeing similar weaponization of the justice system here