唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)的2024年竞选团队以及这位前总统的许多共和党盟友正在抓住机会亨特·拜登的定罪升级对总统的攻击乔·拜登.
在小拜登的联邦枪支审判做出有罪判决后不久，特朗普团队在没有证据的情况下，试图将焦点转移到对该家族涉嫌外国商业交易的指控上。
特朗普竞选团队的全国新闻秘书卡罗琳·莱维特(Karoline Leavitt)在一份声明中表示:“这次审判只不过是转移了人们对拜登犯罪家族真正罪行的注意力。该家族从中国、俄罗斯和乌克兰攫取了数千万美元的资金。”“不诚实的乔·拜登对拜登家族犯罪帝国的统治将于11月5日结束，拜登家族再也不会为了个人利益出卖政府资源了。”
众议院监督委员会主席詹姆斯·科莫正在领导共和党对拜登总统的弹劾调查。他提出了类似的毫无根据的说法。
“今天的判决是向问责迈出的一步，但在司法部调查所有参与拜登家族腐败影响力兜售计划的人之前，很明显司法部官员将继续为大人物乔·拜登提供掩护，”卡莫说。
共和党人长期以来一直声称亨特·拜登和詹姆斯·拜登的海外商业事务中存在不当行为，拜登总统也参与其中，但尚未拿出任何针对总统的具体证据。
众议院共和党第三号人物埃利斯·斯特凡尼克(Elise Stefanik)表示，对亨特·拜登的判决是“第一步”，共和党将“继续”调查这个家庭。
当被问及判决时，众议院议长·迈克·约翰逊告诉记者，这是“适当的”，因为有“压倒性”的证据证明亨特·拜登有罪。
尽管当被问及这一结果是否削弱了他对两级司法体系的主张时——在特朗普的法律困境中，许多共和党人也赞同这一主张——约翰逊说没有。
约翰逊说:“对他(特朗普)的所有指控显然都是出于政治目的。“亨特·拜登是一个单独的例子。“
亨特·拜登于9月被特别顾问魏红星起诉，罪名是两项购买枪支时的虚假陈述和第三项吸毒时非法获得枪支。该起诉是在与联邦政府达成的认罪协议破裂后提出的。
失败的认罪协议受到共和党人的高度批评，他们周二继续称其为“甜心协议”。
密苏里州共和党参议员埃里克·施密特(Eric Schmitt)说:“他们想让你忘记，在法官提问之前，DOJ给了亨特·拜登一份针对美国所有罪行的完全豁免的特惠协议。”
经过为期一周的审判，陪审团仅审议了三个小时就认定小拜登的三项罪名成立。
他的律师阿贝·洛威尔在一份声明中表示，他们将继续寻求法律途径来挑战这一结果。
拜登总统在对定罪的首次评论中表达了对儿子的爱，并表示他尊重判决和司法程序。
拜登总统说:“吉尔和我将以我们的爱和支持永远陪伴在亨特和我们家庭的其他成员身边。“没有什么能改变这一点。”
Trump campaign, Republicans seize on Hunter Biden verdict to ramp up attacks on father
Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, and many of the former president's Republican allies, are seizing onHunter Biden's convictionto escalate attacks on PresidentJoe Biden.
The Trump team, shortly after the guilty verdict was handed down in the younger Biden's federal gun trial, sought to shift focus, without evidence, to claims about the family's alleged foreign business dealings.
"This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine," Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign's national press secretary, said in a statement. "Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit."
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, who is leading the GOP's stalled impeachment inquiry into President Biden, offered similar unfounded claims.
"Today's verdict is a step toward accountability but until the Department of Justice investigates everyone involved in the Bidens' corrupt influence peddling schemes that generated over $18 million in foreign payments to the Biden family, it will be clear department officials continue to cover for the Big Guy, Joe Biden," Comer said.
Republicans have long alleged wrongdoing in Hunter Biden and James Biden's overseas business affairs, and that President Biden was involved, but have yet to yield any concrete evidence against the president.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 House Republican, said the verdict against Hunter Biden was "step one" and that the party "will continue" to investigate the family.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, asked about the verdict, told reporters it was "appropriate" as there was "overwhelming" evidence against Hunter Biden.
Though when asked if the outcome undercut his claims of a two-tiered justice system -- assertions echoed by many Republicans amid Trump's legal woes -- Johnson said no.
“All the charges that have been brought against him [Trump] have been obviously brought for political purposes," Johnson said. "Hunter Biden is a separate instance.”
Hunter Biden was indicted in September by special counsel David Weiss on two counts related to false statements in purchasing the firearm and a third count of illegally obtaining a firearm while addicted to drugs. The indictment came after a plea deal with the federal government fell apart.
The failed plea agreement was highly criticized by Republicans, who on Tuesday to continue to call it a "sweetheart deal."
"They want you to forget DOJ was giving Hunter Biden a sweetheart deal with FULL immunity for ALL crimes against the United States until the Judge asked questions," said Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican.
After a weeklong trial, a jury found the younger Biden guilty on all three counts after deliberating for just three hours.
In a statement, his attorney Abbe Lowell said they will continue to pursue legal avenues available to challenge the outcome.
President Biden, in his first comment on the conviction, expressed love for his son and said he respected the verdict and judicial process.
"Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support," President Biden said. "Nothing will ever change that."
