'Bad news for Hunter Biden': Legal expert warns special counsel's newest action is a harbinger for the first son

Special counsel David Weiss' investigation into Hunter Biden's overseas business dealings is heating up.

Prosecutors have convened a grand jury in Los Angeles to get documents and witness testimony about the first son's business dealings as they investigate alleged tax crimes, CNN reported on Thursday. The development indicates that a second indictment may be forthcoming.

From CNN:

James Biden, President Joe Biden’s brother and a one-time business associate of Hunter, is among the individuals who have received a subpoena in recent weeks, according to two sources close to the investigation.

The probe appears to be focused on Hunter Biden’s alleged failure to pay taxes by IRS payment deadlines, issues that were expected to be resolved by a plea deal that fell apart earlier this year. It is unclear if any witnesses have appeared in person yet or if investigators are looking at anything beyond tax matters.

After a sweetheart plea deal for Hunter fell apart, a federal court granted Weiss' motion to dismiss the initial charges filed against the first son.

At the time, Weiss hinted that he planned to refile charges in other venues — widely expected to be the Central District of California and Washington, D.C. — where Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys refused to cooperate with Weiss last year. This news indicates that Weiss was serious about his intention to prosecute the first son.

In September, Weiss secured an indictment against Hunter on felony firearm charges.

Investigators are additionally investigating potential violations of the Foreign Agent Registration Act because Hunter allegedly did not register as a "foreign agent" when he worked for Ukrainian and Chinese businesses.

What does this mean for Hunter?

Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor, explained on CNN why the development is "bad news" for Hunter.

"It's bad news for Hunter Biden any way you slice this," Honig said.

"If we think about the potential tax charges here, it's important to keep in mind: When Hunter Biden went into court a few months ago with DOJ, they had a deal that he was going plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses, and they agreed — DOJ and Hunter Biden agreed — that he had failed to pay over $1 million in income taxes that he owed," he explained.

"So assuming, which I think is a fair assumption, that DOJ has evidence of that, that feels like the minimum charges he may face. It may get worse," Honig warned. "But it's important to understand the fact that there's a grand jury does not ensure that there will be an indictment, but it certainly does make it more likely. And that's a problem."

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