Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) lambasted the agreement President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden reached with the Department of Justice on Tuesday to plead guilty to three federal charges as a "sweetheart deal."
Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty to two charges over a failure to pay income taxes and entered a pretrial agreement over illegally possessing a firearm while he was an illicit drug user. Republicans have slammed the deal as another example of Democrats receiving lighter consequences for their misdeeds compared to Republicans.
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DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, joined former President Donald Trump in slamming what he alleged is the justice system's two tiers, or different sets of rules for friends and enemies.
"Looks like Hunter received a sweetheart deal and is not facing any charges on the massive corruption allegations. If Hunter was not connected to the elite DC class he would have been put in jail a long time ago," DeSantis tweeted. He also linked to a video clip of him arguing that there are "two different sets of rules depending on whether you're a member in good standing of elite society or not."
Similarly, Trump argued that Hunter Biden's legal woes were a "mere traffic ticket."
"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!" Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
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Trump is facing a 37-count indictment stemming from allegations he mishandled classified documents after leaving office. He has pleaded not guilty. If he is convicted, the former president could spend the rest of his life in prison.
DeSantis, like other 2024 presidential candidates, has struggled to effectively attack Trump's legal vulnerabilities without angering his fervent base of supporters. They are both likely to take aim at Hunter Biden, however, sensing an opportunity to criticize Joe Biden and Democrats by association.