The Hunter Biden plea deal takes a bizarre twist
Hunter Biden’s plea deal on tax and weapons charges is on life support. Even if it makes a comeback in the coming days, this fiasco remains a stain on the president and the White House.
On Wednesday, a federal judge refused to accept the agreement reached in June, under which President Joe Biden’s son would plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges while escaping prosecution on a gun charge. At issue is the scope of the immunity Hunter Biden would receive.
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According to news reports, Hunter Biden’s attorneys believed the deal would give their client protection from other charges that might arise in the government’s investigation. Prosecutors, on the other hand, insisted the agreement was confined to the tax and gun charges.
It’s odd that the defendant and the government would be at odds over such a basic element of any plea bargain. Perhaps the events of the past few weeks — when more damaging information about Hunter Biden has emerged — led prosecutors to back off the broader immunity interpretation.
It’s notable that Justice Department official Leo Wise admitted to Judge Maryellen Noreika that the investigation into the president’s son was ongoing and could potentially result in charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, most likely related to Hunger Biden’s financial dealings with foreign governments.
All this comes after two longtime IRS investigators testified before a House committee last week that, despite assurances to the contrary, the agency gave Hunter Biden preferential treatment for political reasons. The agents made the allegation that the plea deal was inappropriate because of the nature of the offenses and that the IRS slow-played the investigation to ensure that the statute of limitations had passed on potential charges while handcuffing investigators.
During the hearings, Democrats had little success impugning the motives or integrity of the men.
A White House spokeswoman responded to Wednesday’s developments by saying that “Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him.” But that defense is getting more difficult to sustain. Miranda Devine of The New York Post reported this week that Hunter Biden’s one-time close friend will testify for a House committee that it wasn’t unusual for Joe Biden, as vice president, to participate in meetings with his son’s business associates. This runs counter to the president’s repeated assertion that he had no knowledge of Hunter’s various business interests.
Democrats have accused House Republicans of wasting time with their hearings — and it’s true that talk of impeaching the president at this point is ridiculous. But with smoke billowing from this ongoing probe into the shady dealings of Mr. Biden’s son, continued scrutiny is not just warranted, but vital.
— Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS
