Following pardon, Hunter Biden is mired in debt and without a permanent home, court filing says
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(WASHINGTON) Hunter Biden may have his freedom, but the son of former President Joe Biden now finds himself mired in debt, without a permanent home, and the target of ongoing attacks from the current president, Donald Trump, and his allies on Capitol Hill, according to a court filing.
In court papers filed Wednesday, Hunter Biden asked a federal judge to dismiss his lawsuit against online provocateur Garrett Ziegler because he “does not have the financial resources to continue litigating this case.”
Amid lagging sales of his art and his memoir, the younger Biden remains “several million dollars” in debt after fighting multiple federal criminal cases, claiming in an affidavit that he only sold one painting for $36,000 since late 2023, after selling 27 paintings in the previous couple of years at an average price of nearly $55,000.
“Given the positive feedback and reviews of my artwork and memoir, I was expecting to obtain paid speaking engagements and paid appearances, but that has not happened,” Hunter Biden wrote Wednesday.
He said that his “lack of financial resources has been exacerbated by the fires in the Pacific Palisades in early January, which has rendered my rental house unlivable for an extended period of time and, like many others in that situation, I am having difficulty in finding a new permanent place to live.”
A person close to Hunter Biden told ABC News that his rental did not burn down, but that immense damage to the surrounding properties had limited his access to his residence.
The affidavit chronicles a series of hardships since his father’s departure from office. Weeks before Trump’s inauguration, then-President Biden pardoned his son shortly before two federal judges were scheduled to sentence him for a pair of criminal convictions in Delaware and California, for which he faced the possibility of substantial prison time.
Hunter Biden has acknowledged taking out millions of dollars in loans from Kevin Morris, a Hollywood attorney who largely bankrolled Hunter Biden’s legal defense over the past five years. In congressional testimony last year, Morris said he expected Hunter Biden to repay those loans beginning in 2025, though it was not clear from the affidavit whether those loan repayments have begun.
Hunter Biden and his legal team are evaluating whether to continue litigating a handful of other lawsuits he filed in recent years against purveyors of his infamous laptop on a “case by case basis,” Hunter Biden wrote in Wednesday’s filing. Ziegler did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
One of those suits targets Patrick Byrne, the founder of Overstock.com and an avid supporter of President Trump. Hunter Biden sued Byrne in late 2023 for defamation for falsely accused Hunter Biden of trying to bribe Iran while his father was president — a claim that Hunter Biden said has subjected him to “harassment, intimidation, and harm.” Byrne has fought the defamation claim in court.
The trail in the case has been repeatedly delayed amid a protracted dispute over depositions from Byrne and an FBI agent that has thrown a wrench into the proceedings.
Byrne’s attorneys claim in court papers that Byrne fled to Dubai after he was told by U.S. officials “that the Venezuelan government has a $25,000,000 bounty on his head,” and said he preferred a deposition over Zoom “out of concern for his personal safety.” The parties ultimately agreed to a remote deposition in December that was expected to span seven hours over the course of three days, though it was unclear from the court docket when exactly the deposition occurred.
In court filings as part of that case, Hunter Biden has echoed his claims of financial hardship. He claimed that because of Byrne’s defamatory statements, he has suffered “lost economic opportunities” to the tune of nearly half a million dollars, citing lost memoir sales, lost art sales, and lost speaking opportunities.
Hunter Biden’s legal team has also subpoenaed the FBI, demanding testimony and documents from an agent whom Byrne claimed on social media could corroborate Byrne’s allegations against the younger Biden. But the FBI has so far rebuffed those efforts, and on Monday the Justice Department filed a motion in federal court in Washington, D.C., urging a federal judge there to quash the subpoena.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden remains squarely on the minds of Trump and his loyalists in Congress. As one of his first acts in office, Trump signed an executive order revoking security clearances for 51 former intelligence officials who signed a letter asserting that the emergence of data from Hunter Biden’s laptop in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election bore similarities to prior Russian misinformation operations.
During a heated Oval Office confrontation between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week, Trump repeatedly invoked Hunter Biden’s name as part of a lengthy diatribe about the Russia investigation led by Robert Mueller:
And on Tuesday, two top Republican lawmakers invited IRS whistleblowers who revealed details of Hunter Biden’s tax filings as guests at Trump’s Joint Address to Congress.
The person close to Hunter Biden told ABC News that the former president’s son will continue pursuing his art career and plans to devote himself to initiatives meant to help people struggling with addiction. And despite the sentiments in his affidavit, Hunter Biden remains in “a good place to rebuild his life,” the person said.
(NEW YORK) — The Christmas and New Year’s holiday period is expected to be the busiest on record for both air and road travel, according to AAA — continuing this year’s trend where every major travel period has set new records.
Here’s what you need to know before you head to the airport or hit the highway:
Air travel
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen nearly 40 million travelers from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2 — a 6.2% increase from 2023.
The Federal Aviation Administration predicts Thursday, Dec. 19, will be the most crowded day to fly, followed by Friday, Dec. 27, and Friday, Dec. 20.
United is planning for its busiest holiday travel period ever, with 9.9 million passengers expected between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6. The airline said it’s adding almost 500 more flights per day during its holiday travel period.
United said it anticipates its busiest days to be: Friday, Dec. 20; Friday, Dec. 27; and Saturday, Dec. 28.
American Airlines said Friday, Dec. 27, and Friday, Dec. 20, are expected to be its busiest and second-busiest days respectively during its holiday period, which runs from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6.
American said it’ll serve more than 6.6 million bags of pretzels during its holiday travel period.
The cheapest days to fly are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, according to Expedia. The busiest and most expensive days will be from Friday, Dec. 20, through Sunday, Dec. 22.
The most popular Christmas destinations in the U.S. are Las Vegas, New York City and Orlando, Florida, according to Hopper.
Airports in major cities are expected to be the most crowded in the mornings, between 8 a.m. and noon, according to Hopper.
Road travel
About 107 million people are forecast to drive to their holiday destinations between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1 — approximately 2.5 million more people than last year, according to AAA.
The busiest days to pick up a rental car will be Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21, according to AAA.
If you’re heading out the door on Dec. 20, the worst travel time is between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. and the best time is before 11 a.m., according to analytics company INRIX. On Dec. 21, the worst time to be on the road is between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; the best time is before 2 p.m.
Traffic will be minimal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, INRIX said.
The aircraft went down in the frigid Potomac River, breaking into multiple pieces. The flight — which had departed from Wichita, Kansas — was approaching Reagan National Airport at the time of the collision, officials said. There were no survivors in the crash, officials said.
There were 64 passengers aboard the plane, and three Army soldiers in the helicopter, according to officials.
Among those lost in the crash were 14 people who were returning home from a national figure skating development camp in Wichita, according to Doug Zeghibe, the CEO and executive director for the Skating Club of Boston.
“Skating is a tight-knit community where parents and kids come together 6 or 7 days a week to train and work together. Everyone is like family,” Zeghibe said in a statement.
Here’s what we know about the victims so far:
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova
Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova, a married couple, were killed in the crash, according to the Skating Club of Boston.
Naumov and Shishkova, who were figure skating coaches, were world champions in pairs competition in 1994.
They joined the club in 2017, Zeghibe said.
Jinna Han and Jin Han
Jinna Han, a figure skater, and Jin Han, her mother, were killed in the crash, according to the Skating Club of Boston.
Spencer Lane and Christine Lane
Skater Spencer Lane and his mother, Christine Lane, were among the victims, the Skating Club of Boston said.
Doug Lane, Spencer’s father and Christine’s husband, told WCVB he and his wife adopted Spencer from South Korea.
Spencer Lane, 16, “just had amazing athletic abilities,” and once he got interested in something, “you couldn’t stop him,” his father said.
The teen decided to try skating three years ago after seeing Nathan Chen in the Olympics and “committed himself to it,” his dad said.
Christine Lane, 49, who worked as a graphic designer, was “such a beautiful person” who “just connected with everyone,” he said. She had just gotten her real estate license, and was also a talented quilter and volunteered at a local animal rescue, he added.
His wife would “do everything for her children, including fly to Wichita, Kansas, for a week,” Doug Lane said. “She just gave parenting her all.”
Alexandr Kirsanov
Alexandr Kirsanov was a coach of two of the youth ice skaters on board, his wife, Natalya Gudin, told ABC News.
“I lost everything,” Gudin said. “I lost my husband, I lost my students, I lost my friends.”
Gudin said Kirsanov traveled with two youth skaters to attend a development camp in Kansas this week. Gudin, who also coaches students with her husband in Delaware, said she stayed home to be with their other skaters.
She last spoke with her husband as he boarded the flight on Wednesday, she said.
“I need my husband back,” Gudin said. “I need his body back.”
Samuel Lilley
Samuel Lilley, the first officer on board American Airlines Flight 5342, recently got engaged, his sister, Tiffany Gibson, told ABC News.
“He was an amazing person. He loved people. He loved adventure. He loved traveling. He was excited. He was young. He was so young, and he was excited about life and his future and getting a dog and a house and kids. And it’s just, this is just tragic,” she said.
Samuel Lilley’s former brother-in-law, Greg Gibson, remembered him for his passion for flying and willingness to help others.
Samuel Lilley died on the same flight path his father, Timothy Lilley, flew for years. Timothy Lilley flew Black Hawk helicopters for the Army, transporting passengers over the Potomac River from his base in Virginia.
“We were stationed in Virginia, and [Timothy Lilley] flew that same route back and forth to the Pentagon, over and over and over again until he retired,” Tiffany Gibson said.
Ryan O’Hara
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp identified one of the victims as Ryan O’Hara.
Kemp offered his condolences to the family of both O’Hara and Lilley, who he said were both from Georgia.
“Both of these young Georgians shared a passion for flight and for serving others, and this terrible tragedy is that much more difficult knowing their lives were cut so unexpectedly short,” he said in an X post. “Marty, the girls, and I ask that all Georgians join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.”
Ian Epstein
The family of Ian Epstein, the flight attendant onboard American Airlines Flight 5342, is remembering him as a cherished father, husband, brother and stepfather.
“Ian Epstein was full of life. He loved being a flight attendant because he truly enjoyed traveling and meeting new people. But his true love was his family. He was a father, a stepfather, a husband and a brother! He will be truly missed. The family appreciates the outpouring of love and support we’ve received, but at this time we would ask for privacy as we process and grieve our loss,” his family said in a statement.
Wendy Jo Shaffer
The family of one victim, Wendy Jo Shaffer, confirmed she had been on the plane.
“We are devastated. Words cannot truly express what Wendy Jo meant as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife and most importantly, a mother. The family is requesting privacy at this time,” the family said in a statement.
Brielle and Justyna Beyer
Brielle Beyer, 12, and her mother, 42-year-old Justyna, were both killed in the crash, according to Andy Beyer, Brielle’s father and Justyna’s husband.
Andrew is left with the couple’s 6-year-old son, he said.
Andy Beyer said his wife and daughter were returning from the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas.
Brielle was a member of the Skating Club of Northern Virginia and beat cancer when she was just 4 months old.
“She was just such a fighter in everything she did,” Andy Beyer said of his daughter, in an interview with ABC News. “She just lived life to the fullest with everything.”
He added, “She was so proud of herself in figure skating for the progress she had made … Making that team was one of her life goals. And she achieved it. And she was just so, so proud of herself.”
He remembered his daughter’s passion and beautiful singing voice.
“She just lit up the house with her wonderful voice,” he said.
Andy Beyer said his wife and daughter had been away for six days for the figure skating camp.
“I missed them… Figure skating at that level, it’s a lifestyle,” he said. “It’s a full family commitment.”
Elizabeth Keys
Elizabeth Keys was a Washington-based attorney who caught an early flight home to go on a date for her birthday with her long-term boyfriend David, who remembered Elizabeth for being the person who always “pushed you to be the best version of yourself.”
Sean Kay
Sean Kay was traveling with his skating coach Alexandr Kirsanov after attending the U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp. His death was confirmed in a statement by Delaware Sen. Chris Coons.
Angela Yang
Angela Yang was traveling with her skating coach Alexandr Kirsanov after attending the U.S. Figure Skating’s National Development Camp. Her death was confirmed in a statement by Delaware Sen. Chris Coons.
Casey Crafton
Casey Crafton was a father to three sons and husband from Salem, Connecticut. His death was confirmed in a statement by Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont.
Grace Maxwell
Grace Maxwell was an engineering student from Wichita, Kansas who was aboard American Airlines 5432, according to a statement from Cedarville University.
University president Thomas White described Grace as a “thoughtful, quiet student leader” who helped teach other undergraduates about engineering.
She recently signed up to create a hand-stabilizing device to help a disabled child feed himself without assistance from others.
“Grace was a quiet person with a keen interest in helping others through engineering,” said Tim Norman, her adviser.
Olivia Ter
Olivia Ter, 12, was a treasured member of the Tucker Road Ice Rink in Fort Washington, Maryland, who inspired her peers and coaches, according to a statement from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
She was one of four elite skaters from her region to attend the U.S. Figure Skating National Development Camp in Wichita, Kansas, and earned praise for her ” talent, determination and sportsmanship.”
“The impact of Olivia’s life will continue to resonate in our youth sports community, and she will be sorely missed,” stated Bill Tyler, director of the commission’s Department of Parks and Recreation in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Kiah Duggins
Kiah Duggins was a civil rights attorney and an incoming Howard University professor.
Duggins was a Wichita, Kansas, native and attended Wichita State University, received a Fulbright grant, attended law school at Harvard and worked as a civil rights attorney.
In the fall, Duggins was planning to begin teaching as a professor at Howard University School of Law.
“As a civil rights lawyer, she dedicated her career to fighting against unconstitutional policing and unjust money bail practices in Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C,” a statement from the university said.
Duggins worked to challenge police misconduct, fight cash bail policies, and pursued prison industrial complex abolition, according to her professional biography. She also was a White House intern during the administration of former President Barack Obama.
Lindsey Fields
Lindsey Fields, the president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, was flying from Wichita to D.C. to “advocate for excellence in life science education,” according to the organization.
She was a professor and biology department chair at Butler Community College in Kansas, where she taught anatomy and physiology.
She loved to garden and had a keen interest in wildlife, including restoring native prairie plants, according to her professional biography.
“This is a tremendous loss,” the National Association of Biology Teachers said in a statement. “Please keep Lindsey, the other victims, and their families in your hearts.”
Donna Smojice Livingston, Peter Livingston, Everly Livingston and Alydia Livingston
Donna Smojice Livingston, her husband Peter Livingston, and their daughters Everly Livingston and Alydia Livingston all died in the crash, according to Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Everly and Alydia were the famed duo behind the “Ice Skating Sisters” Instagram account, and their last photo depicted them near the ice in Wichita.
Jesse Pitcher, 30
Pitcher was one of five members of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters killed in the crash, the union said. He was a member of UA Local 5.
“May God bless each of our fallen Brothers, and all those who knew and loved them,” the union said in a statement Friday.
Charles ‘Charlie’ McDaniel, 44
McDaniel was one of five members of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters killed in the crash, the union said. He was a member of UA Local 602.
Jonathan Boyd, 40
Boyd was one of five members of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters killed in the crash, the union said. He was a member of UA Local 602.
Michael ‘Mikey’ Stovall, 40
Stovall was one of five members of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters killed in the crash, the union said. He was a member of UA Local 602.
Alexander ‘Alex’ Huffman, 34
Huffman was one of five members of the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters killed in the crash, the union said. He was a member of UA Local 602.
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is ordering the Justice Department to respond to arguments made by President-elect Donald Trump’s former co-defendants in his classified documents case by 10 a.m. Sunday.
Cannon wants the government to address whether anything in the first volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report, which deals with Smith’s Jan 6 investigation, bears on any aspect of Trump’s co-defendants in the classified documents case.
The judge’s order immediately followed a filing from DOJ that repeatedly argued she had no further jurisdiction to continue to weigh in on the release of the first volume of Smith’s final report after the department successfully appealed her initial injunction overnight to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
The other motions — including Trump’s co-defendants’ motion to extend Cannon’s halt of the report’s public release — have not yet been ruled upon.
Attorneys for co-defendants Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira on Friday asked Cannon, who earlier this week temporarily blocked the report’s release while the matter was considered by the Eleventh Circuit, to extend her three-day restraining order prohibiting the report’s release.
The attorneys are seeking a hearing on U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s proposed plan to release the portion of the report covering Smith’s classified documents investigation to the ranking members and chairs of the House and Senate Judiciary committees.
If successful, the move could result in a further delay of the report’s release, potentially past Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.
Trump pleaded not guilty in 2023 to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information and took steps to thwart the government’s efforts to get the documents back. He later pleaded not guilty to separate charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.
Both cases were dismissed following Trump’s reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president.
