Hunter Biden held to account

After years of suspense, Hunter Biden’s criminal activity finally becomes a matter of record: a plea to two misdemeanors for his willful failure to pay federal income tax, having already paid back the $100,000 owed.

Hunter Biden also admits he lied on a federal form in purchasing a .38 caliber Colt while addicted to a controlled substance, which is a felony. Now he has to stay clean for 24 months and can never own a gun again. Such so-called “diversion” deals are common for convicted addicts.

This probe was always going to be perceived through an electoral lens. That’s why it’s encouraging that Delaware U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss, a Republican appointee of former President Donald Trump, was kept on by President Joe Biden's administration to investigate. It communicates nonpartisanship in the judicial process.

Just as appropriate was U.S. District Court Justice Aileen Cannon’s setting on Tuesday of an aggressive schedule in the Trump documents case. She ordered a trial to begin as soon as Aug. 14. Although trials are often delayed by procedural scrums, this also sends the assurance that wherever the chips fall, the public can look toward a resolution of charges.

Nobody should consider the gun charge against Hunter Biden trivial — especially nowadays with weapons control a huge concern. By denying his substance abuse, Hunter lied on ATF Form 4473, which is required for gun transactions with dealers. Despite official warnings that such lies, by anyone, are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, they rarely were pursued for years, though the feds say they are finally cracking down.

The tax case is of lingering public interest, too. In 2017 and 2018, Hunter Biden had taxable income of more than $1.5 million, for which he owed more than $100,000. But Biden never should have had a lucrative position on the board of Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma while his father was vice president overseeing Ukraine policy. Nor should he have had a consulting contract with a Chinese energy firm. Both foreign dealings were explored in a 2020 U.S. Senate report.

Those were conflicts of interest — the sort of ethics problem that justifies dispassionate congressional oversight in the House of Representatives. The probers should honestly and swiftly resolve whether the sins of the son drew in the father. It should not be a “gotcha” game. If GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s team finds nothing substantive to add, then the House leadership should move on and tackle more relevant issues. The speaker says the House probe is “enhanced” by Tuesday’s announcement. We’ll see.

In an extraordinary period of supercharged investigations, our justice system demands these probes be done with fairness and integrity, no matter on which side of the political divide the accused stands.