Hunter Biden reveals he is under federal investigation over tax matters

Hunter Biden, President-elect Joe Biden's son, has announced that he is being investigated by federal prosecutors in Delaware over his "tax affairs." This follows a long campaign by Donald Trump to investigate Hunter Biden over his business dealings in Ukraine. Hutner Biden said he and his attorney had come to know of the investigation on Tuesday. Hunter Biden said he remains "confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors," reported ABC News. A source close to the investigation team revealed any news of the investigation was kept under wraps keeping in mind the 2020 Presidential election. The tax probe reportedly started in 2018 and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Delaware decided to let Hunter Biden of the same post the 2020 election. The Trump campaign had targeted Joe Biden's campaigns over claims that Hunter Biden had indulged in corrupt foreign business deals.

After Joe Biden announced his bid for Presidency in 2019, the Trump campaign tried to find fault with Hunter Biden's work as a board member for a Ukrainian oil firm, Burisma. Hunter Biden's investments in China came under the scanner as well. The Trump campaign raked up the issue in the hope of making the public believe that Joe Biden was aware of his son's business dealings and had even come to benefit it. Joe Biden has denied having any knowledge of his son's dealings. Federal prosecutors in Delaware are working with the IRS Criminal Investigation agency and the FBI to carry out the investigation which will include issuing subpoenas and seeking interviews. One of the key focuses of the investigation will be to determine if Hunter Biden and his associates violated tax and money laundering laws in business dealings in foreign countries, particularly China. The transactions have caused authorities to suspect counterintelligence concerns.

Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives after he was found to have sought favors from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate the Bidens. Trump reportedly held up security assistance to Ukraine and demanded Zelenskiy to publicly announce that he was opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference. Trump had also reportedly demanded that President Zelenskyy do this himself," testified US Diplomat Bill Taylor, reported CBS NEWS. Bill Taylor also claimed that there was an "irregular, informal channel of U.S. policy-making"  involving Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Donald Trump became the third President in the history of the United States to be impeached after the House of Representatives voted for two articles of impeachment leveled against the President — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. With a majority of 230 to 197, the Democratic-controlled House voted that Trump was guilty of abusing his power when he asked Ukraine President to open an investigation against a gas company associated with Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son. The House voted with a majority of 229 to 198 to charge Trump with obstruction of Congress, reported People. The Senate voted against impeaching Trump stopping the Republican from being removed as President.

This is the first time that government watchdogs have raised issues with Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings. President-elect Joe Biden has backed his son and recently said he remains "deeply proud of his son, who has fought through difficult challenges, including the vicious personal attacks of recent months, only to emerge stronger." Joe Biden told CNN's Jake Tapper that he wouldn't interfere in any investigation. "I'm not going to be telling them what they have to do and don't have to do. I'm not going to be saying, go prosecute A, B, or C," said Biden, reported CNN. "That's not the role. It's not my Justice Department. It's the people's Justice Department. The person or persons I pick to run that department are going to be people who are going to have the independent capacity to decide who gets prosecuted and who doesn't," said Biden.