Biden ignores questions after son Hunter was indicted on evading $1.4 million in taxes
President Joe Biden waved to reporters as he left the White House Friday morning but ignored shouted questions hours after his son Hunter was indicted on tax evasion charges.
The indictment included a series of embarrassing allegations, detailing how the troubled first son spent $870,000 on prostitutes, sex club memberships and porn.
His father left Washington for a trip to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, where he will spend the weekend.
It will provide a welcome respite from questions about what he knew about his son's business dealings and how he raised such huge expenses.
He wore his Aviator sunglasses as he walked out of the White House residence alone and walked quickly to Marine One as reporters tried to ask him if he had spoken to his son.
President Joe Biden waved to reporters as he left the White House Friday morning
Hunter Biden's 'wild' spending has been revealed in a new indictment on nine criminal charges
Later, his press secretary was asked about the personal toll the president's lawsuits were taking.
Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that she would not comment on that.
“The president has said this before, and he will continue to say … that he loves his son and supports him as he continues to rebuild his life,” she said, referring other questions to the Justice Department or the White House Counsel's office.
In Las Vegas, Biden will deliver a speech about his administration's investments in infrastructure before attending a campaign event in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors allege that the president's scandal-hit son spent nearly $5 million on a lavish lifestyle between 2016 and 2019 while failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes in a case that left him a carries a prison sentence of up to 17 years.
The indictment would be a disaster for his father's candidacy in 2024. He claims that he “spent this money on drugs, escorts and girlfriends, luxury hotels and rental properties, exotic cars, clothes and other items of a personal nature, in short, everything except his taxes.”
This breakdown includes $683,000 on “diverse women” and nearly $400,000 on “clothing and accessories.” It is also alleged he spent $188,000 on “adult entertainment” and withdrew $1.6 million from ATMs.
During that time, he was in the midst of a well-documented addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine. Hunter has admitted to having a host of substance abuse problems and having been to rehab several times.
Hunter now faces two criminal trials in the middle of his father's campaign. In Delaware, he faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for allegedly lying about his drug use when he bought a gun.
The DOJ claims Hunter Biden spent thousands of dollars maintaining a lavish lifestyle, including on cars like his Porsche (pictured) instead of paying his taxes
The indictment alleges he spent $188,000 on “adult entertainment” over four years
In 2018 alone, Hunter reportedly spent $100,000 on “adult entertainment,” but only $500 on mortgage payments.
Some payments are detailed in excruciating detail, including $11,500 for an escort who spent just two nights with him in 2018.
Hunter made $3,947 in payments to M Street Management, a strip club in Washington, DC, in January 2018.
He also allegedly used the business line of credit to make $27,316 in payments to an online pornography website, “which in total accounted for one-fifth of all business credit disbursements.”
The president's son also made one-time payments, such as a $1,500 Venmo payment on August 14, 2018, to an exotic dancer at a strip club, which he tried to pass off to his accounts as the purchase of “works of art.”
Over four years, he spent $237,000 on healthcare, beauty and pharmacy services, of which more than $110,000 was wasted in one year.
The indictment also revealed how Hunter spent thousands of dollars on luxury hotels, flights and car rentals.
In April 2018, $2,996 was spent on Virgin America flights to Los Angeles, and upon arrival in California, he spent $1,727 renting a Lamborghini.
Between 2016 and 2020, Hunter reportedly spent more than $683,000 on “diverse women” and nearly $400,000 on “clothing and accessories.”
The Justice Department filed new criminal charges against Hunter Biden in California on Thursday
The scandal-affected first son (left) is already facing a weapons charge in Delaware
Over the next two months, Hunter spent a whopping $43,693 staying at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in LA.
He also paid $7,215 for Airbnb rentals in LA for his then-girlfriend in May and June 2018.
All nine charges, filed Thursday in California, involve taxes.
These include two charges of filing a false tax return, one charge of tax evasion, four charges of non-payment and another two charges of failing to file a tax return.
“Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” it reads.
These latest charges come as Biden's son already faces three felony charges, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 25 years and a $250,000 fine.
The first charge is for lying on a 2018 gun purchase form that he was not an illegal drug user and carries a top sentence of 10 years. The second charge involves lying to the gun shop, which could get him up to five years in prison. The third involves possessing the firearm while addicted, which could get him another 10 years in prison.
The latest indictment alleges that Hunter attempted “to avoid paying the tax bill for the 2018 tax year when he filed false returns in or around February 2020.”
Hunter Biden – seen above with his wife Melissa Cohen – offered to testify publicly before Congress in December
Melissa Cohen and Hunter Biden with President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in Nantucket during the Thanksgiving holiday
In addition to failing to file and pay his taxes, he is also accused of including “false business deductions” on his 2018 returns to reduce his tax bill.
“Defendant engaged in a four-year scheme to avoid paying at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” it reads.
These latest charges come as Biden's son already faces three felony charges, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 25 years and a $250,000 fine.
The first charge is for lying on a 2018 gun purchase form that he was not an illegal drug user and carries a top sentence of 10 years. The second charge involves lying to the gun shop, which could get him up to five years in prison. The third involves possessing the firearm while addicted, which could get him another 10 years in prison.
The latest indictment alleges that Hunter attempted “to avoid paying the tax bill for the 2018 tax year when he filed false returns in or around February 2020.”
In addition to failing to file and pay his taxes, he is also accused of including “false business deductions” on his 2018 returns to reduce his tax bill.