“This shows our criminal justice system works!”

“No one is above the law, not even the son of a president!”

“So much for former President Donald Trump’s hollow cry of being persecuted by a two-tiered system of justice!”

This was the reaction of the liberal media following Hunter Biden’s conviction on gun charges.

Hold the confetti.

Given the array of serious crimes allegedly committed by Biden family members, Hunter’s gun conviction represents the equivalent of nailing Al Capone over unpaid parking tickets.

Allegations against the Bidens include illegal influence peddling and failing to register as a foreign agent. Last year, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said: “I want to go back to where we were in January when we started this investigation. This was the narrative: the President’s son’s laptop was Russian disinformation; Hunter Biden was a legitimate business guy, just like Jared Kushner; No Biden ever took money from China — that’s what Joe Biden said; No money ever changed hands while Joe Biden was Vice President; Joe knew nothing about his son’s dealings; And Joe never met with or spoke with any of the foreign nationals who had wired the family money.”

The only reasons Hunter stood trial, and now faces prosecution for tax charges, are because A) IRS whistleblowers came forward and alleged Hunter benefited from special treatment, and B) the sweetheart deal the Justice Department negotiated with Hunter’s defense lawyers blew up when the presiding judge refused to go along with it.

“It appears,” said lawyers for one of the IRS whistleblowers, “that if it weren’t for the courageous actions of these whistle-blowers, who had nothing to gain and everything to lose, Hunter Biden would never have been charged at all.”

Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, said she would not “rubber stamp” the plea bargain given confusion over whether the deal applied only to the gun charges or included a resolution of the tax changes and/or whether the deal protected Hunter from any and all future charges.

As for special treatment, who foots the legal bill for Hunter’s primary defense lawyer Abby Lowell, the powerful A-lister whose past clients include big-name Democrats and Republicans? An IRS agent involved in the Hunter investigation testified before Congress that attorney Kevin Morris, also known as Hunter’s “sugar brother,” gave Hunter $5 million. Morris reportedly paid Hunter’s five-figure monthly rent for California homes; $875,000 for 11 of his paintings; $2 million in unpaid federal, state and local taxes; car payments on Hunter’s Porsche; accountants; other lawyers; travel expenses; child support payments; and payments to Hunter’s vendors and debtors.

President Joe Biden, after his son’s conviction, issued a statement that read in part:

“… I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal. Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”

Notice anything missing?

Biden neglected to reiterate his previous statement that he would not pardon Hunter. Whether Joe Biden wins or loses the election, he immediately becomes a politically immune lame duck. But he won’t pardon his son? And, in the unlikely event Hunter gets jail time, father Joe won’t commute the sentence?

As to the supposedly nonexistent two-tiered judicial system, the FBI acquired the Hunter Biden laptop in December 2019 and did nothing for several months. But if not for the repair shop owner making a copy of its contents, the laptop might have remained buried. The copy ended up in the hands of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who forced its public disclosure and the damning evidence connecting Joe to Hunter’s business dealings.

Several whistleblowers said the DOJ and the IRS “slow-walked” the Hunter investigations. This allowed the statute of limitations to expire on some of the most serious charges.

Finally, the “no such thing as an anti-Trump two-tiered system of justice” crowd must explain the special counsel’s refusal to charge Joe Biden with illegal possession of classified documents, going as far back as when he served in the Senate. But Trump, for allegedly violating the same Espionage Act, remains on the hook.

COPYRIGHT 2024 LAURENCE A. ELDER