Why Did Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal Fall Apart?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Why did the plea deal that Hunter Biden and federal prosecutors agreed to last month fall apart during a hearing on Wednesday?
Immunity Provisions: Hunter Biden’s legal team said the plea deal would be “null and void” unless the president’s son would be shielded from future charges. This was an issue for prosecutors, who informed the judge that Biden could still be hit with a Foreign Agents Registration Act violation in the future. This dispute led the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) to determine that “the first son may not be handled with such care for other alleged misconduct.”
Legal Strategy: Newsweek (Center bias) quoted a number of attorneys explaining why the hearing turned into a “debacle.” One attorney explained that from a legal strategy standpoint, “There's little incentive for a defendant to plead to 'some' charges knowing an investigation is ongoing and others could be coming.” Another lawyer broke down the judge’s objections, stating, “the judge determined that the way in which the parties structured their two, interlocking agreements… required her to play a role in the latter's enforcement without giving her a say over its approval.”
Unconstitutional: One provision in the deal gave the judge power to identify potential future breaches in the deal and bring charges. This authority typically lies with the Department of Justice, but according to The New York Times (Lean Left bias), the Biden team fears a Republican victory in 2024 could push the DOJ to go after Biden. The judge deemed this provision unconstitutional.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Why Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Was Rejected, According to Attorneys
Legal experts have spoken out after a plea deal negotiated by Hunter Biden's lawyers with the Department of Justice collapsed on Wednesday in a Delaware courtroom. Hunter Biden's attorney declared the agreement "null and void" after learning it wouldn't offer sweeping immunity for other possible offenses.
The president's son had agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges as part of an agreement that would see him avoid prosecution for allegedly illegally possessing a firearm whilst a drug user, a felony offense. However, this fell apart when it became...
From the Right
Hunter Biden plea: Three takeaways from chaotic hearing in which deal fell apart
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday despite having a plea deal, which was heavily questioned by the federal judge when she pressed attorneys about whether the president's son would be protected from future charges.
The "sweetheart" deal involved Hunter Biden pleading guilty to two tax misdemeanor charges and entering a diversion program to avoid a felony gun charge. The plea deal was reached weeks ago, and U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika was expected to accept it.
Now, the legal fate of Hunter Biden is up in the...
From the Left
How Hunter Biden’s Judge Came to Have Doubts on the Deal
Judge Maryellen Noreika kicked off Wednesday’s hearing on Hunter Biden’s proposed plea deal with the Justice Department by telling lawyers that they did not need to keep “popping” up and down every time she asked them a question.
That was not a reflection of informality. It was a signal that she was about to subject them to three-plus hours of relentless interrogation over elements of an agreement she described, variously, as “not standard, not what I normally see,” possibly “unconstitutional,” without legal precedent and potentially “not worth the paper it...
AllSides Picks
May 7th, 2024
May 7th, 2024
More News about Criminal Justice from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
