A federal judge in Delaware has decided to drop tax misdemeanor charges against Hunter Biden, the son of the President. This decision comes after a plea agreement between the Justice Department and Biden’s lawyers fell through a few weeks ago. Recent filings reveal that the dismissal of these charges was a procedural step taken by the judge.
Delaware judge dismisses tax charges against Hunter Biden after sweetheart plea
US District Judge Maryellen Noreika has accepted a request from the office of Delaware US Attorney, now also serving as a special counsel, David Weiss. They have decided to withdraw their case against Hunter Biden, but this withdrawal doesn’t prevent them from bringing it up again later. This decision comes after prosecutors indicated that Hunter Biden might need to face trial in either Washington, DC, or Southern California.
It happened following the collapse of Hunter Biden’s proposed plea deal, which was affectionately referred to as a “sweetheart” deal, during his initial court appearance in the case last month. Last week, the Justice Department submitted a request to dismiss the case, preparing for a potential trial involving Biden’s serious gun charge in a different jurisdiction, Fox News reported.
Negotiations for a plea deal between Hunter Biden’s legal team and federal prosecutors fell apart after a hearing on July 26. During this hearing, Judge Noreika questioned both sides about the extent of their agreement, which included the possibility of immunity for previous offenses.
Hunter’s lawyers declare deal as ‘null and void’ after prosecutors mention Foreign Agents charges
When pressed by Judge Noreika, the prosecutors mentioned potential charges related to the Foreign Agents Registration Act. This led Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, to declare the deal as “null and void”, NY Post reported.
Well-known Democratic lawyer Abbe Lowell, who took over the case from Clark, the previous attorney, and had previously represented Hunter Biden in matters related to paternity and defamation, did not object to the charges being dropped.
In a different request, Judge Noreika also turned down a petition from Hunter Biden’s legal team. They had asked to reveal documents that had been submitted by Jason Smith, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, who is from the Republican party (R-Mo.). These documents contained claims from an IRS whistleblower, alleging that there had been political meddling in the case.
