Hunter Biden's Lawyers Say Prosecutors Reneged on Deal
Attorneys for Hunter Biden have submitted a court filing accusing federal prosecutors of reneging on a plea deal that would have ended tax and gun charges against Pres. Joe Biden’s son....
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Facts
- Attorneys for Hunter Biden have submitted a court filing accusing federal prosecutors of reneging on a plea deal that would have ended tax and gun charges against Pres. Joe Biden’s son.1
- Although Biden’s attorneys accept that the plea deal is “moot” related to the tax charges, they hold that a diversion agreement on the separate gun charge is still in effect since the contract was signed and usually doesn't require a judge's approval.2
- Previously, US District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a plea deal that would have led to Biden pleading guilty to failing to pay taxes on $1.5M in income, and entering into the diversion agreement for committing a felony by owning a firearm while using drugs.3
- Noreika rejected the deal, which would have given Biden immunity for past crimes if he adhered to a drug testing regimen and other probationary guidelines, over its legality and scope.4
- This filing comes days after US AG Merrick Garland assigned David Weiss, the US attorney for Delaware, as the special counsel to investigate Biden.5
Sources: 1ABC News, 2Associated Press, 3Reuters, 4New York Post and 5Guardian.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. Any judge could see that the original plea agreement was a sweetheart deal and the son of the sitting president was getting special treatment. Noreika was right to object, and prosecutors are correct in their intentions to take Biden to trial. Of course, it’s unprecedented for someone as connected to the case as Weiss to be named special counsel, so it’s still not clear whether Biden will still receive favoritism.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by NBC. The prosecutors in this case are in disarray and they should abide by the agreement they made. After all, they dictated all the terms and Biden went along with them. There won’t be any new charges coming down the pipe, so something resembling the original plea deal would be the best resolution to this case.
