A conservative nonprofit legal group filed a complaint Wednesday against Hunter Biden, claiming President Joe Biden's son has "engaged in a pattern and practice of professional misconduct" that has raised "substantial questions as to his honesty, trustworthiness, and fitness as a lawyer."
The complaint was filed by America First Legal with the D.C. Court of Appeals Board of Professional Responsibility, the disciplinary arm of the court. Hunter Biden graduated from Yale Law School in 1996 and was admitted to the D.C. Bar in 2007.
In the complaint, AFL cited Rule 8.4, which states it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation, or to state or imply an ability to "influence improperly" a government agency or official. The group said Comment 1 of the rule provides that "many kinds of illegal conduct reflect adversely on fitness to practice law, such as offenses involving fraud and the offense of willful failure to file an income tax return."
In October, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty at U.S. District Court in Delaware to two counts related to knowingly making false statements in connection with the purchase of a firearm and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm as a drug addict. The charges were brought by special counsel David Weiss, who had been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018 as the U.S. attorney for Delaware.
In December, Hunter Biden was indicted on nine felony and misdemeanor tax charges in California, to which he also pleaded not guilty.
AFL noted that in a now-defunct plea deal Hunter Biden reached with the DOJ, he signed a diversion agreement admitting that he knowingly made those false statements so he could purchase a firearm.
"There is substantial evidence suggesting that Mr. Biden has engaged in professional misconduct contrary to Rule 8.4," AFL lawyer Reed Rubinstein said in a news release. "Public faith in the integrity of the Bar demands that the Rules of Professional Conduct be applied consistently and fairly. When it comes to attorney discipline, there should be one standard, and one standard only, for all Bar members."
The complaint also said Hunter Biden violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act by being on the board of directors of Ukrainian energy giant Burisma Holdings Ltd. while his father was vice president.
"Mr. Biden was Burisma's agent and subject to FARA registration because he was an officer of Burisma and represented Burisma's interests to the Office of the Vice President in addition to advising on a public relations matter," the complaint states. "As an officer, Mr. Biden acted 'at the order, request, or under the direction or control, of a foreign principal.'"
The complaint further revealed evidence uncovered in the House impeachment inquiry into the president about Hunter Biden demanding in a WhatsApp message a $10 million payment from an official at CEFC, a Chinese energy company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Hunter Biden began the message, "I am sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled."
On Jan. 16, AFL filed a Bar complaint in California against Kevin Morris, an attorney for Hunter Biden, alleging a violation of California's Rules of Professional Conduct.
Newsmax reached out to Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell for comment.