President Joe Biden’s son Hunter has been charged with federal tax and weapons offences.
Hunter Biden has reached an agreement with the Justice Department in which he will plead guilty to misdemeanour tax offences and is expected to reach an agreement with prosecutors on the felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, according to a letter filed in the US District Court in Delaware.
The deal ends a long-running Justice Department investigation into Mr Biden’s second son, who has acknowledged struggling with addiction following the death of his brother Beau in 2015.
It also avoids a trial that would have led to days or weeks of distracting headlines for the White House.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, said it was his understanding the five-year investigation into his client “is resolved”.
He told NBC News: “I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life.
“He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward.”
In a statement a spokesperson for the White House said: “The president and first lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment.”
Hunter Biden, 53, has been the focus of unrelenting attacks by former US president Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who have accused him of wrongdoing relating to Ukraine and China.
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It also comes days after a 37-count indictment against Mr Trump for mishandling classified documents on his Florida estate – a case with even greater political implications.
In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere ‘traffic ticket.’
“Our system is BROKEN!”