Hunter Biden Plea Deal With DOJ Falls Apart In Court

President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, pleaded guilty in federal court to tax offenses, accepting a more limited deal with the government after the judge expressed concerns over the time frame of the agreement and the specific type of charges that will not be prosecuted.

The hearing is continuing Wednesday as federal judge Maryellen Noreika, who is handling the case, questioned aspects of a plea agreement between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department over a felony gun charge.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers and federal prosecutors came to an agreement during the hearing to limit the plea deal to apply to only tax crimes, drug offenses and a firearm violation between the years 2014 to 2019. Under the terms of the deal, the government won’t prosecute Hunter Biden for those offenses during those years.

But prosecutors said there is still an ongoing investigation with the potential for other charges to be brought against Hunter Biden outside of the scope of the plea deal.

Biden pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor tax crimes and will enter into an agreement with federal prosecutors to avoid prison on a charge for possessing a gun while addicted to an illegal drug.

The initial agreement unraveled after parties disagreed about a provision in the deal under which the government would not prosecute Hunter Biden further. Judge Noreika questioned the scope of the non-prosecution aspects of the deal, asked the two sides to discuss their differences and is expected to set a new court date.

The deal aimed to cap a five-year investigation into the younger Biden’s tax affairs and business dealings that culminated with federal prosecutors alleging he failed to pay more than $100,000 in income tax on at least $1.5 million in income he received in 2017 and 2018.

The prososed agreement has become a lightning rod for conservatives who claim the Justice Department failed to fully investigate the business dealings of the Biden family, including President Biden, and gave Hunter Biden politically favorable treatment.

On the eve of the plea hearing, House Republicans asked the judge to throw out the agreement reached with prosecutors, an unusual step of seeking to intervene in the case. Representative Jason Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed a brief urging the judge to consider the testimony of two IRS workers who during a panel claimed that Hunter Biden received preferential treatment from the Justice Department, according to the filing, a copy of which was seen by Bloomberg.

The Hunter Biden investigation has been seen by conservatives as representing a double standard in how the Justice Department handles explosive cases, especially compared to the investigations of former President Donald Trump, who is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president next year.

The Justice Department appointed Special Counsel Jack Smith to lead investigations of Trump. Smith brought an indictment against Trump in June for allegedly mishandling classified information and obstructing justice. Smith has since sent Trump a letter informing him he’s a target of the investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which means Trump is likely to face a new round of federal charges.

Why Hunter Biden Remains a Washington Preoccupation: QuickTake

In response, House Republicans have launched a series of investigations into the business dealings of Biden family members. Republicans released an FBI raw intelligence report last week as part of their latest attempt to push unverified claims that Joe and Hunter Biden engaged in corruption in Ukraine.

The investigation into Hunter Biden has been led by US Attorney David Weiss of Delaware, who was appointed by Trump and kept on by Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. Weiss has said that allegations contained in the raw FBI report are part of an ongoing investigation.