Hunter Biden was indicted on Thursday for federal gun crimes, a development that was dismissed by many conservatives as a distraction from President Biden's influence peddling scandal. 

The indictment was filed weeks after a sweetheart plea deal unraveled in court that would have spared Hunter any jail time.

The charges filed Thursday come with a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, although it is highly unlikely that he will serve that much time - if any time at all.

The indictment could be seen as a response from Special Counsel David Weiss to criticism that the Justice Department is treating Biden favorably.

Hunter indicted

Many Republicans have been skeptical of Weiss' appointment as Special Counsel after his role in signing off on the defunct plea deal, which included sweeping immunity from charges.

The charges filed Thursday accuse Hunter Biden of lying about his drug use on a gun form when he purchased a handgun in 2018.

Hunter submitted a statement "certifying that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false," the indictment says.

Hunter's lawyers say the charges are only being brought because of political pressure from Republicans, and they insist the charges are precluded by the terms of a "diversion agreement" that was part of Hunter's plea deal.

"Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice," Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell said.

Distraction?

On the other hand, the charges have only fueled suspicions on the right that the Justice Department is engaged in a cover-up.

President Trump observed the gun offense is "the only crime that Hunter Biden committed that does not implicate Crooked Joe Biden."

Similarly, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called the charges a "fig leaf" to distract from more serious wrongdoing surrounding the Biden family's business ventures.

Republicans announced an impeachment inquiry into Biden and his role in his family's business dealings this week - producing a furious reaction from Democrats, who insist there is "no evidence" of wrongdoing by the president, a claim obligingly blasted out by the mainstream media.

The gun charges certainly fit neatly within the Democrats' narrative that Joe Biden has no connection to his son's wrongdoing.

With these charges, Democrats can argue that Hunter is being held accountable - even if that's really not the case.