Hunter Biden with his father President Joe Biden. (Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for World Food Program USA)

US President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax and gun charges on Wednesday after a federal judge in Delaware said she needed more time to review his earlier plea deal with prosecutors to avoid a felony gun charge.

Hunter Biden was accused of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100 000, prosecutors allege.

He is charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony.

Republicans have for years accused Hunter Biden of leveraging his father’s political power for personal gain in his dealings in Ukraine and China. However, the probe by US Attorney David Weiss of Delaware, a Trump appointee, has not turned up any evidence to support those claims.

News of the plea deal in June sparked accusations of favourable treatment for the president’s son from Trump and his Republican allies, who have for years accused the younger Biden of influence-peddling abroad, among other things.

Those allegations spurred the criminal investigation by Weiss, who, in a departure from typical practice, was allowed to remain in office to continue the probe after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.

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