Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is set to plead guilty to federal tax charges, according to constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley. Turley explains that Hunter Biden's plea agreement is likely to result in jail time.
Hunter Biden's decision to change his plea to guilty in a federal tax case has raised eyebrows among legal experts, who believe that he is now likely to face jail time. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert, joined "Outnumbered" on Thursday to discuss the implications of Hunter Biden's plea deal.
Hunter Biden to Plead Guilty in Tax Case, Likely to Face Jail Time
Turley explained that plea deals are common before trials, but that Hunter Biden's timing in changing his plea is unusual and likely to result in a less favorable outcome for him.
"It's not uncommon to see plea deals occur before trials. But in this case, many of us have been writing for months that Hunter Biden was perfectly insane not to plead guilty. Timing is important. You can get a better deal if you plead early rather than late," Turley said.
Hunter Biden to Plead Guilty in Tax Case, Likely to Face Jail Time
He went on to criticize Hunter Biden's defense team for their handling of the case, saying that they had "tipped the table over" by rejecting a plea deal that prosecutors had offered.
"And that's what happened when the judge raised concerns about this sweetheart deal. And prosecutors admitted they'd never seen a deal like this being offered to a defendant. And the defense basically sort of tipped the table over and said, 'well, we're not going to cooperate,'" Turley said.
Hunter Biden to Plead Guilty in Tax Case, Likely to Face Jail Time
The Justice Department has since said that they still want to reach a plea deal with Hunter Biden, but they have blamed the defense for the current impasse.
"So there's a lack of intelligent design here," Turley said. "I mean, in some ways, you could say, well, this is just a game of chicken, but if it is, they lost."
Hunter Biden to Plead Guilty in Tax Case, Likely to Face Jail Time
By pleading guilty on the eve of the trial, Hunter Biden has given up any leverage he may have had to negotiate a more favorable plea agreement.
"By pleading guilty on the eve of the trial, you don't have much to trade away," Turley said.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's attorney, said in federal court on Thursday that his client intends to plead guilty. This came as a surprise to federal prosecutors, who said that they had not been informed of Hunter Biden's intentions to change his plea.
A source familiar with the special counsel's team told Fox News Digital that this is not a done deal for Hunter Biden, and that it's currently just an offer the defense put on the table.
The development comes after Hunter Biden's lawyers had prepared to argue that he was too high or drunk to pay his taxes, the New York Post reported Thursday.
According to the Justice Department manual, DOJ prosecutors cannot take what is called an Alford plea, "except in the most unusual of circumstances…"
An Alford plea is when a defendant acknowledges that a prosecutor's evidence would likely be enough to convict, so they accept a sentence but maintain their innocence.
Fox News' Brooke Singman, David Spunt, and Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
