Politics
NEW: Hunter Biden Disbarred Over Ethics Violations
A Connecticut judge on Monday disbarred Hunter Biden, former President Joe Biden’s son, for violating the state’s attorney conduct code after complaints stemming from his federal gun and tax cases.
The ruling was handed down Judge Trial Referee Patrick L. Carroll III in Waterbury Superior Court after Biden did not contest the action. The former president’s son consented to disbarment under an agreement with the state Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, according to a report from NBC Connecticut.
Under the terms of the agreement, Biden admitted to attorney misconduct but did not admit to any criminal wrongdoing. He was previously disbarred in Washington D.C. this past May.
The disbarment stemmed from two grievances filed by the state’s Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel related to his federal convictions on three felony gun charges in June 2024 and his guilty plea to nine federal tax-related charges, including three felonies, in September 2024.
These offenses were deemed to reflect adversely on his honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness to practice law under Connecticut’s Rules of Professional Conduct, particularly Rule 8.4 prohibiting criminal acts involving dishonesty or fraud.
Hunter Biden addresses the media on December 13, 2023 explaining that he would not testify behind closed doors to congressional investigators.
“Biden is not asserting any reason why commensurate action in Connecticut would be unwarranted,” his attorney, Ross Garber, stated in court filings.
During the proceedings, complainant Paul Dorsey, who filed one of the two grievances prompting the case (the other by Daniel R. Suhr of the Center for American Rights), objected to the agreement, expressing dissatisfaction that it did not require Biden to admit to the underlying crimes. In prior coverage, he stated that after Biden’s tax guilty pleas, “there was no doubt in my mind” about the need for discipline, having previously “gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
Leanne Larson, an attorney with the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, addressed the impact of former President Joe Biden’s December 2024 pardon during the hearing but did not provide additional commentary beyond supporting the negotiated order.
No statements were issued from the court beyond the formal findings, and Hunter Biden himself offered no public or on-record comments regarding the ruling.
On December 4, 2024, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for his son, which covered all federal offenses Hunter may have committed from January 1, 2014, to December 1, 2024, including the gun and tax convictions. This spared him from potential prison sentences of up to 25 years for the gun charges and 17 years for the tax charges.
