Hunter Biden appears to have not been invited to Wednesday’s state dinner for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after facing backlash for attending others amid his ongoing legal issues and probes into his international business dealings.
Hunter was nowhere to be found on the guest list released by the White House ahead of the dinner, but other family members, including his three daughters, an aunt, uncle and two cousins, were invited.
He previously attended two state dinners while he was at the center of a years-long federal investigation into his business dealings and tax affairs, which continues today, including one on June 22 for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and another on Dec. 1 for French President Emmanuel Macron.
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Hunter Biden looks on during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S. April 18, 2022. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Hunter’s appearance at the dinner on June 22 came just two days after it was announced he had struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors that included misdemeanor tax crimes and a diversion agreement on a felony gun charge, a deal that later fell apart.
Attorney General Merrick Garland, who leads the Justice Department and has faced scrutiny over its handling of the investigation in Hunter, also attended the state dinner in honor of Modi.
Hunter faced heat from across the political spectrum, including from hosts of ABC’s liberal daytime gabfest “The View” as co-host Sara Haines argued he shouldn’t have gone to the dinner after he agreed to plea guilty to two federal tax misdemeanors. The other co-hosts were split on the issue.
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Attorney General Merrick Garland (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Others defended Hunter’s attendance, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who called it a “separate thing” from his legal woes.
Hunter has pled not guilty to multiple charges in federal court, including making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer, and one count of possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance.
With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
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A courtroom sketch depicting Hunter Biden in a federal courtroom in Wilmington, Delaware on July 26, 2023. (William J. Hennessy, Jr.)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
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Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar, Cameron Cawthorne, Brooke Singman and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
Source: www.foxnews.com