Republicans' Allegations of Bias in the Justice System

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President Joe Biden recently emphasized the importance of the justice system, referring to it as a crucial foundation of society.

"It's not right to claim the trial was unfair just because you disagree with the outcome," Biden stated at the White House. He was responding to Republicans who were trying to challenge the process that resulted in Donald Trump's conviction in New York on state charges.

This week, President Biden will need to keep those words in mind as his son Hunter deals with federal gun charges in a Delaware trial. This is the first of two cases this year that could potentially result in jail time for Hunter.

The Biden family must be feeling disappointed that a plea deal they had last year fell through because the Trump-appointed judge, Maryellen Noreika, rejected it. It's also unusual for gun charges like these to be prosecuted separately, which could suggest that there is extra attention being paid to the case of a president's son.

Hunter Biden's gun trial and Donald Trump's hush money trial are distinct from each other. Both trials occurred during an election year and involved the public disclosure of personal information, focusing on accusations of falsifying documents.

In Trump's case, the trial included the public testimony of Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress who claimed to have had a relationship with Trump almost two decades ago.

Hunter Biden will face a public scrutiny of his relationship with his late brother Beau's widow, their troubled text exchanges, and his struggles with drug addiction.

On the other hand, the legal troubles of Trump are centered around his own presidential campaigns and actions during and after his time in office. Trump has been convicted of tampering with business records to conceal payments made to suppress rumors of an affair during the 2016 election. Additionally, he is facing federal charges related to mishandling classified information in Florida, attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Washington, DC, and Georgia.

Hunter Biden is facing trial in Delaware this week for allegedly lying on a firearm background check application. He checked the box stating that he was not abusing or addicted to drugs. Additionally, he is also set to face trial in California later this year for tax evasion. Despite efforts by Republicans in Capitol Hill to connect Hunter Biden's tax issues to his father, the Trump-appointed special counsel prosecuting the case, David Weiss, has not made any such allegations.

It is worth noting that the Department of Justice prosecutes both Democratic and Republican lawmakers at similar rates. For example, this week in New York, the bribery trial of New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez is currently underway. This marks his second corruption trial in recent years.

Trump might not face federal prosecution in the end. Even if he is convicted in a New York court, it is possible that he will not have to deal with the federal charges brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith before the November Election Day.

The US Supreme Court has not yet made a decision on Trump's claim of absolute immunity. Additionally, the judge handling his classified documents case has postponed the proceedings indefinitely. The Georgia case is also facing delays, with an appeals court possibly not ruling on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can continue with the case until October.

Republicans are increasingly claiming that Joe Biden's son and the senior senator from New Jersey are unfairly targeted by the justice system, despite facing significant legal challenges.

Lara Trump, the co-chair of the Republican National Committee, expressed on CNN's "State of the Union" that there is a growing lack of trust in our judicial system among the people.

Sen. Tim Scott from South Carolina stated that the justice system seems to target Republicans and favor Democrats, in response to the recent guilty verdict against Trump.

During a fundraising pitch on X, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida urged supporters upset about the situation to take action and "get even."

Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas went on NBC's "Meet the Press" and pushed conspiracy theories even further. He claimed that the Department of Justice is targeting Sen. Menendez and Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas (who is facing bribery charges) because they have criticized Biden on foreign relations and immigration policy. However, there is no evidence to support this allegation.

Cotton believed Biden would pardon his son, but the White House has stated there will be no pardon for Hunter Biden. Despite some Republicans opposing Trump in the 2024 primary season, they are still critical of his New York conviction.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu expressed his concern that Trump's sentencing will occur just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Sununu stated, "That is a terrible idea. That’s going to do nothing but rile everybody up. It’s going to look even more political than it is now, and just cast a shadow of a doubt on this entire case."

Sununu also mentioned, "I may feel differently about it."

The irony lies in the fact that in 2020, Trump did indeed pressure the Department of Justice to investigate Hunter Biden. He also urged Ukraine's government to open an investigation, hoping to link Hunter Biden's work for a Ukrainian natural gas company to his father.

Back in 2016, Trump's supporters would often chant "lock her up" in reference to Hillary Clinton. Trump himself encouraged this behavior, even though the FBI, led by then-director James Comey, had stated before the election that there was not enough evidence to prosecute Clinton over her private email server. Trump mentioned on Fox News recently that if re-elected, he might reconsider pushing for charges against Clinton.

"They all chanted 'lock her up,' but I decided not to because I thought it would be wrong. Now that something similar has happened to me, my perspective may have changed," Trump shared.

Democrats have vowed to allow the investigation involving Hunter Biden to proceed without interference.

Don't count on Democrats to back Hunter Biden like Republicans have supported Trump. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the leading Democrat on the House Oversight Committee from Maryland, assured that Democrats will let the process unfold fairly for the president's son.

“Democrats are not out there saying that Hunter Biden’s trial is a farce, it’s a fraud, it’s rigged. We’re not attacking the justice system,” he said.

Editor's P/S:

The article provides a comprehensive overview of the upcoming federal gun charges trial against Hunter Biden and the ongoing legal battles faced by both Hunter Biden and former President Donald Trump. Hunter Biden's trial will focus on his alleged false statements on a firearm background check application, while Trump is facing multiple charges, including mishandling classified information and attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

The article highlights the distinct nature of these trials, with Biden's case involving personal information and Trump's case centering on his political actions. Despite the different charges, both trials are taking place during an election year, raising questions about the potential impact on the political landscape. The article also explores the contrasting reactions from Democrats and Republicans to the legal challenges faced by Biden and Trump, with Democrats vowing to allow the investigations to proceed without interference and Republicans expressing concerns about the fairness of the justice system.