Hunter Biden is Guilty, But Who Cares?
Sean King

I admit, I wasn’t fussed about the whole Hunter Biden conviction. But I couldn’t understand why. I mean, they finally got a Democrat on something.

But Hunter Biden is such a dirtbag; gun charges don’t do him justice.

No, this isn’t the same as getting Al Capone on tax evasion. It’s more like getting Lex Luthor on a jaywalking charge.

Let’s not mince words. Hunter is a crackhead who shagged his dead brother’s wife. That may be immoral and unethical, but it’s not illegal. Ok, smoking crack is illegal, but being a crackhead isn’t. It’s a slight distinction, all the same.

Biden describes the affair in his unintentionally ironically titled book Beautiful Things:

I was at my lowest, she was at her neediest, and we clung to each other with abandon. We talked at length about how much we had come to rely on each other, how our health and well-being seemed dependent on the love we’d grown to share.

“It was an affair built on need, hope, frailty, and doom,” he adds.

Ewwww…

But really, we needed to get Hunter on what he’s really done wrong: being a target for blackmail by foreign powers. How did he do that? By playing fast and loose with his “jobs” overseas.

For instance, Junior Biden’s involvement with Burisma has been a subject of much debate and speculation.

Hunter’s appointment to the board of Burisma in 2014, while his father was the Vice President of the United States and involved in U.S. policy on Ukraine, was an example of nepotism or an attempt to gain influence through family connections.

That’s not illegal, but it opened Elder Biden to much criticism and potential blackmail. After all, why else hire the unqualified son of the US Vice President?

That’s why people have speculated Hunter’s involvement with the company was part of a broader pattern of corruption or influence-peddling.

To be fair, Junior Biden has denied any wrongdoing. He stated that he was qualified for the position based on his experience as an attorney and a board member of other organizations.

Alas, a conviction for a big-picture crime didn’t happen.

But to get to the heart of my apathy over Biden’s conviction, look at this X thread:

Credit: @Chesschick01

I think the world of Thomas Massie. He’s an MIT graduate who’s also a libertarian. By his voting, he demonstrates time and time again that he puts people’s freedom first.

But I disagree with him on this point. After all, why have laws if we don’t abide by them?

Biden’s Conviction

Let’s look at why Biden was convicted:

Hunter Biden was recently convicted on three federal felony charges related to a gun purchase in 2018. These charges include lying on a federal screening form, lying to a gun dealer, and illegal possession of a firearm as a drug user.

Inevitably, Biden and his defense team expressed disappointment with the verdict, indicating plans to appeal the decision. The special counsel, David Weiss, emphasized that the conviction underscores the principle that no one is above the law. We’ll talk about this point later.

Biden lied on a federal screening form when purchasing a gun in 2018, falsely stating that he wasn’t using illegal drugs at the time. This “misrepresentation” occurred despite his ongoing struggles with drug addiction, which he later acknowledged publicly in his memoir and other statements.

The lie was an attempt to avoid legal disqualification from purchasing a firearm that applies to illegal drug users or addicts. By falsely answering “no” to the relevant question on the background check form, he was able to buy the gun, which formed the basis for his conviction.

The case is cut and dried. He’s undoubtedly guilty. Just the pictures of him with a crackpipe in his mouth would’ve done him in.

But if you understand libertarians like Massie, you can see why he thinks the whole trial is bogus.

Libertarians and Guns

Libertarian theory on gun ownership is rooted in the principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility, and limited government. Libertarians generally believe that individuals have the inherent right to own and bear arms for self-defense, property protection, and as a safeguard against potential tyranny.

Key points of the libertarian perspective on gun ownership include:

Individual Rights: Libertarians believe self-defense is a fundamental human right. They argue that everyone should be free to own firearms to protect themselves, their families, and their property from threats, regardless of their personal habits, traits, or behaviors.

Minimal Government Intervention: Libertarians advocate minimal — or zero if you’re of the anarcho-capitalist variety – government interference in personal affairs, including gun ownership. They argue that regulations and restrictions on firearms ownership infringe on individual freedoms and are ineffective in preventing crime.

Second Amendment: In the United States, libertarians strongly support the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms. They view this as a critical check on government power and a means to ensure a free society.

Self-Responsibility: Libertarians believe that with the right to own firearms comes the responsibility to use them safely and responsibly. They advocate for education and training in firearm safety rather than restrictive laws.

Deterrence Against Tyranny: A fundamental aspect of libertarian thought is the idea that an armed populace can serve as a deterrent against potential government overreach and tyranny. They argue that disarming citizens can lead to increased government control and diminished freedoms.

Massie’s view makes complete sense when considering where they come from. Nevertheless, this time, I think the conviction was justified.

Elon’s Take

I somewhat agree with Elon’s take.

As I mentioned, the conviction was correct.

But what Elon alludes to is spot on.

Hunter Biden almost certainly “took bribes,” not in the paper bag sense, but in the nepotism baby hiring at Burisma.

Or even better, the “art” he sold for $1.5 million. That’s not a bribe, technically. But anyone can buy fingerpainting to launder the bribery.

“You swirl some paint on the canvas, and I’ll pay $150,000 for it!”

“Great idea! I took art in junior high school!”

Chesschick01 Hits the Nail on the Head

She’s got it in one.

The gun charge has nothing to do with the President. Hunter is the sacrificial lamb in this case.

After Trump’s sham of a trial, the left can claim “no one is above the law” by getting the younger Biden on three federal gun charges.

Isn’t the justice system fair?

Give me a break.

Wrap Up

In May 2022, NBC News wrote:

From 2013 through 2018 Hunter Biden and his company brought in about $11 million via his roles as an attorney and a board member with a Ukrainian firm accused of bribery and his work with a Chinese businessman now accused of fraud, according to an NBC News analysis of a copy of Biden’s hard drive and iCloud account and documents released by Republicans on two Senate committees. 

The documents and the analysis, which don’t show what he did to earn millions from his Chinese partners, raise questions about national security, business ethics and potential legal exposure. In December 2020, Biden acknowledged in a statement that he was the subject of a federal investigation into his taxes. NBC News was first to report that an ex-business partner had warned Biden he should amend his tax returns to disclose $400,000 in income from the Ukrainian firm, Burisma.

This guilty verdict is so unsatisfying.

It’s like going to Peter Luger’s and getting served a Big Mac.

 

My story starts in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, where I grew up. My childhood was idyllic. I never thought I'd leave the Heights. Well, maybe just for college. When I was searching for colleges, I only looked within a hundred miles or so. I wound up going to Villanova. I stayed there for four years and earned — their word, not mine — a finance degree with a minor in political science. After that, I went to work on Wall Street. I had a menial job at Paine Webber to start, but then I got my first real Wall Street job at Lehman Bros. (before its collapse, of course). I worked there in Global Corporate Equity Derivatives as an accountant, believe it or not. Honestly, I hated the job back then. I didn't know how spreadsheets worked — yes, even with a finance degree. (Now I'm a Microsoft Excel nut. I think it’s one of the most extraordinary things ever invented.) After that, I moved to Credit Suisse, who sent me to London — the center of global operations for banking. I was young. Not only did I love the city for being a Candyland for alcoholics, but I also needed the international experience to cancel out my mediocre grade point average to get into a top 25 U.S. business school. Somehow, though, I stayed for a decade, until I discovered London Business School. There I earned a master’s (HA!) degree in finance. My next job was as a futures broker, which I utterly loathed. When I had enough, I took a year off — pub crawling around London and pissing away my bonus money. Then I figured out that I needed a new job. So I went to work for a company called 7city Learning, where all of the best finance trainers were working. I had no idea about any of that, but imagine walking into the 1927 Yankees locker room and being taught how to hit. I spent my time teaching all the traders exams, the graduate programs of the various big banks and then the CFA Level 1 review courses. Yes, that's the only level I've passed. I hate that exam. I never really wanted to run money anyway. In 2009, my boss asked me to move to Singapore to help build the business in Asia. Then I went to work for another financial training company where all of my friends had migrated. Around the time I was getting bored of Singapore, my old bank asked me to work at talent development for them in Hong Kong. Nearly three years later, I moved to the Philippines, where I started an EdTech startup called Finlingo. Along the way, I’ve racked up a ton of qualifications — I am a CAIA, FRM and CMT, amongst a few other things — but they don't mean anything. All that matters are my experience, my connections and my takes on things. So every day I'm going to do my snarky best to inform and entertain you.

 

 

 

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