Hunter Biden in court for tax evasion charges

( NewsNation ) — Hunter Biden is expected to appear in a California courtroom Wednesday before a federal judge who will weigh what evidence can be used during his upcoming trial on tax evasion charges.

Biden has been accused of failing to pay more than $1.4 million in taxes. He has pleaded not guilty.

It’s the second criminal trial in just months for the president’s son, who was convicted in June of three felony charges in a separate federal case over the purchase of a gun in 2018.

Prosecutors and the defense have been fighting for weeks in court papers over what evidence and testimony jurors should be allowed to hear. Among the topics at issue is evidence related to Biden’s foreign business dealings, which have been at the center of Republican investigations into the Democratic president’s family.

Biden’s lawyers have unsuccessfully tried to get the charges dismissed, most recently arguing the case should be tossed following a Florida federal judge’s dismissal of the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. The judge in that case ruled the special prosecutor who brought the charges against Trump was illegally appointed.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi denied Biden’s lawyer’s argument, noting in his ruling that he had already rejected a previous challenge by Biden to the appointment of special counsel David Weiss. The judge said there was “no valid basis for reconsideration” of that decision.

Scarsi, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, had accused Biden’s lawyers of making “false statements” in their court filing urging the judge to dismiss the case. At issue was a defense comment that no charges were brought in the investigation until after Weiss was named special counsel in August 2023.

Biden’s lawyers responded that they have “never tried to mislead” the court.

Biden’s tax evasion trial begins next month in California.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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