Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, has struck a deal with federal prosecutors that will likely keep him out of jail. He agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges while avoiding prosecution for possessing a firearm as a drug user.

Investigators were looking into Hunter's failure to file taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. They say he earned more than 1.5 million dollars. And they say he illegally bought a handgun in 2018 despite being addicted to drugs.

An attorney at a federal court in Delaware released details of the agreement on Tuesday. It says Hunter will plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses and enter a so-called " diversion agreement" on the gun charge. Prosecutors often use such agreements to drop a charge if the defendant agrees to treatment programs.

A judge will ultimately decide the penalties, but Biden is unlikely to go to trial or serve time in jail.

The president's Republican rivals lashed out at the deal. They say it represents a "double standard of justice."

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the Department of Justice is trying to put the president's leading political opponent, former President Donald Trump, in jail while the president's son gets a "sweetheart deal."

Trump wrote on social media the deal shows the justice system is "broken." He himself is under indictment for hiding classified documents in his home and refusing to return them. He has pleaded not guilty to all 37 counts.