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BULLETIN: Expected Hunter Biden Plea Deal ‘Dead’ Amid Ongoing Investigation

The expected plea deal for first son Hunter Biden fell apart Wednesday in court, according to multiple media reports.

His lawyers said the deal was “null and void.” CNN said it was “dead and off the table.”

Talks are still ongoing and it wasn’t clear if a deal could still be reached.

NEWSMAX REPORT:

President Biden’s son was expected to plead guilty to two federal misdemeanor counts for failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018. Hunter Biden reportedly pleaded not guilty.

President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s plea deal on two tax charges fell apart Wednesday after the federal judge hearing his case expressed concern over a related agreement on a more serious gun possession charge.

The outcome leaves open, at least temporarily, the yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings.

He had been charged with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. 

Hunter Biden told a judge he intended to plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes, but questions were raised about other investigations, according to CNN.

The plea was part of a deal that allowed him to avert conviction on a gun-related charge.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika called for a recess to have parties work out details of the plea deal and how the tax crimes and gun charges fit together, according to reports.

Both the DOJ and Biden’s lawyers want the plea deal to go through, but the judge wants a clear understanding of what type of shield Biden has from further prosecution if additional information were to arise, or if Biden were to fail to abide by the terms of the plea agreement.

For example, if Biden were to be caught using drugs or possessing a firearm, the gun charge would obviously come back, but would that also mean that the tax charges would come back? the judge asked before calling for the recess.

The younger Biden did not pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000, prosecutors allege.

He is also charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony. Under an agreement with federal prosecutors in Delaware, the younger Biden has entered into a pretrial diversion agreement for that charge, an alternative to prosecution that allows defendants to avoid a conviction or prison time.

The plea comes as Democrat President Biden is in the middle of a reelection campaign that could pit him against former President Donald Trump, the current front-runner for the Republican nomination for the 2024 election.

Biden had no public events on his schedule on Wednesday, a decision that will keep him out of earshot of reporters who could ask about the court appearance.

Republicans have for years accused Hunter Biden of leveraging his father’s political power for personal gain in his dealings in Ukraine and China, though the probe by U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware, a Trump appointee, has not turned up any evidence to support those claims.

News of the plea deal in June sparked accusations of favorable treatment for the president’s son from Trump and his Republican allies, who have for years accused the younger Biden of influence-peddling abroad, among other things.

Those allegations spurred the criminal investigation by Weiss, who in a departure from typical practice was allowed to remain in office to continue the probe after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied allegations of special treatment and said Weiss was given full autonomy to investigate Hunter Biden. Weiss has also said he faced no interference.

Hunter Biden has worked as a lobbyist, lawyer, consultant, investment banker and artist. He has publicly discussed his struggles with addiction, including alcoholism and crack cocaine use.

Trump, who was indicted in New York for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star and faces federal criminal charges in Florida for his handling of classified documents upon leaving office in 2021, has criticized Hunter Biden’s deal with prosecutors as a mere “traffic ticket.”

The tax charges could carry a sentence of up to 18 months, but legal experts say Hunter Biden is unlikely to face prison time because he has no prior criminal history and has accepted responsibility for his actions.

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