A federal judge in Delaware has dropped misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden. This decision came after an anticipated plea deal did not materialize during his initial court appearance related to the case.
Recently, the Justice Department made a move to have the tax case set aside, preceding a potential trial focusing on Biden’s separate felony gun charge.
Following the breakdown of the plea agreement, Biden entered a “not guilty” plea, with authorities confirming that he remains under federal scrutiny. The plea deal had originally intended for Biden to admit guilt for two misdemeanor counts of deliberately not paying federal income taxes, thus avoiding imprisonment for the felony gun charge.
There’s ongoing disagreement between Biden’s legal representatives and Special Counsel David Weiss regarding a diversion deal for the felony charge that might save him from imprisonment. Weiss has hinted at possibly bringing Biden to trial, either in Washington, D.C. or California.
Weiss recently dismissed assertions from Biden’s legal team that his office had backed out of the plea deal concerning President Biden’s son addressing both the tax and gun charges, asserting that such an agreement was never finalized.
In official documents, Weiss responded to claims made by Biden’s legal team, who had argued that both parties had reached a “concrete and binding Diversion Agreement.” Weiss noted that Biden decided to enter a “not guilty” plea at the July 26, 2023 hearing, and the suggested diversion deal was not given the green light by the U.S. Probation at the said hearing. As a result, no formal agreement was established.
By August 7, 2023, Biden had turned down the counter-offers. Weiss highlighted in a document that due to the deadlock between the involved parties, the Government informed Biden in written form on August 9, 2023, of their decision to pull out from the latest draft of the plea and diversion deals. This is the reason the Government petitioned the court to abandon its briefing instructions and to dismiss the tax-related criminal charges.
