Former Attorney General William Barr said on Saturday that Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, is likely to face “serious charges” stemming from a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe.
The DOJ has conducted a yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden for alleged tax offenses and making false statements while purchasing a firearm. Barr, who was serving as attorney general when the investigation began, provided his perspective on the investigation during an appearance on CBS News.
Barr said he suspects a recent meeting between federal prosecutors, Delaware authorities and Hunter Biden’s attorneys indicate that DOJ officials are “nearing a charging decision” in the case.
“There’s probably been a lot of hand-wringing in many different places, but I assume that the defense went in there to try to see what they think would be a way to resolve this without serious charges against Hunter Biden,” he said. “I suspect that they’re going to be unsuccessful.”
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Newsweek reached out to Hunter Biden’s attorney’s office for comment via email.
Barr added that the case is likely taking a longer time because the tax case against the president’s son is “complicated” and requires working with the Internal Revenue Services (IRS)—but also because the DOJ could be probing the allegations of corruption lobbed against Hunter Biden by Republicans.
In addition to the DOJ probe, Hunter Biden is facing legal scrutiny from House Republicans over his foreign business dealings. GOP lawmakers have said that his business dealings with foreign companies, including some associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), while his father served as vice president from 2009 to 2017 under former President Barack Obama, should face investigations over alleged corruption.
Barr said he shared concerns about “abuses of power” conducted by Hunter Biden, but ultimately questioned whether he would ultimately be found guilty in a court of law.
“There’s a difference between abuses of power, shameful behavior when you’re in power and so forth—and something that can actually be proven as a crime,” Barr said on Saturday. “I joined the conclusion that there was a lot of shameful self dealing and influence peddling and so forth. I think the American people should take note. That should be explained and shown to the American people. The question of whether you can prove a crime is a different matter.”
Barr’s remarks come as the DOJ faces new criticism over the way it has handled the Hunter Biden investigation.
Gary Shapley, a whistleblower and 14-year IRS veteran , told CBS News this week that multiple steps in the investigation were “slow-walked” or “just completely not done.” The investigation, launched during former President Donald Trump’s tenure, has carried over into the Biden administration. However, the Trump-era investigators have continued to lead the probe to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.
“When I took control of this particular investigation, I immediately saw deviations from the normal process. It was way outside the norm of what I’ve experienced in the past,” Shapley told CBS News.
According to CBS News, Shapley works as a supervisory special agent in the agency’s criminal investigations department, where he oversees a team of 12 agents who probe international tax and financial crimes. He was assigned to the Hunter Biden case in January 2020 and began documenting his concerns around June of that year.
Meanwhile, reports emerged in October that federal agents believed they had enough evidence to prosecute Hunter Biden, but charges were expected to be filed after the November midterms to avoid election interference. However, the DOJ has not announced any charges months later.