By Casey Harper (The Center Square)
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to tax-related charges after a highly unusual court hearing where his previously established plea deal fell apart.
Biden’s plea deal, which was expected to be finalized Wednesday, was undone in court after last minute disagreements over whether Biden faces further charges in the future for other alleged crimes still under investigation.
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The prosecution and defense were working Wednesday to salvage the deal after an unusual last-minute disagreement about the details of the plea deal upended the proceedings. The legal teams took a recess to hammer out those details. When they did propose a new agreement, the judge would not accept it.
Biden will return to court at a later date set by the judge and could reverse his plea if a new deal is reached and agreed upon by the judge, essentially pushing back the deliberations further.
Hunter Biden’s legal team announced last month that he would plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor tax-related charges.
As The Center Square previously reported, public court documents show that Biden also faced a charge related to possessing a gun while being a drug user. Previous reports indicated the firearm charge would be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement, which meant Hunter Biden would likely not see prison time for the gun charge.
Lawyers on either side seemed to disagree about whether Hunter Biden could be charged for more crimes related to the case still being investigated.
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Congressional Republicans have urged the judge in the case to reject the deal until the court reviews testimony from IRS whistle blowers who alleged the Department of Justice improperly interfered in the investigation including allegations that companies connected to the Biden family and their business associates received about $17 million from several foreign entities when Joe Biden was vice president.
Republicans weighed in, calling for more legal consequences for Hunter Biden.
“Today District Judge Noreika did the right thing by refusing to rubberstamp Hunter Biden’s sweetheart plea deal,” said House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who has been investigating Biden. “But let’s be clear: Hunter’s sweetheart plea deal belongs in the trash. Last week we heard from two credible IRS whistleblowers about the Department of Justice’s politicization and misconduct in the Biden criminal investigation. Today, the Department of Justice revealed Hunter Biden is under investigation for being a foreign agent.”
Syndicated with permission from The Center Square.