UPDATED 12:42 P.M.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax charges on Wednesday, after a federal judge in Delaware said she needed more time to review a proposed deal with federal prosecutors to avoid a felony gun charge.
The stunning turnabout came after what was expected to be a routine plea hearing turned into a three-hour affair featuring hushed negotiations between lawyers and pointed questions from U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika.
“I cannot accept the plea agreement today,” she said, asking the parties to brief her on why she should accept it.
That means that Hunter Biden’s lawyers and prosecutors may yet persuade Noreika to approve the deal as it was previously negotiated, or to alter it to a form she can accept.
But the news means the saga will continue to drag out even as the elder Biden campaigns for re-election in 2024, in a possible rematch with former President Donald Trump, who faces his own extensive legal woes.
Hunter Biden was accused of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000, prosecutors allege.
He is charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony.
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.
White House spokesperson Karine Jeane-Pierre said the president supported his son, adding, “Hunter Biden is a private citizen and this was a personal matter for him.”
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Scott Malone, Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
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UPDATED 11:52 A.M.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden and prosecutors agreed to a more limited plea deal over Biden’s failure to pay income taxes after a previous agreement fell apart on Wednesday, CNN reported.
The original agreement fell apart when the judge expressed concerns about a provision in the deal that allowed Biden to not be prosecuted for a gun-related charge in a separate case, a Bloomberg reporter posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
CNN reported that the deal fell apart due to ongoing investigations into potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Under the more limited deal, the president’s son has agreed to plead to charges that span from 2014 to 2019 and include conduct related to tax offenses, drug use and gun possession, according to CNN.
The deal does not shield him from future charges, CNN reported.
Hunter Biden was accused of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000, prosecutors allege.
He is charged in a separate case with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony.
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.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Scott Malone, Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
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WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) -A deal U.S. President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with prosecutors to plead guilty to failing to pay income taxes fell apart on Wednesday, according to CNN and Bloomberg.
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.
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.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Scott Malone, Noeleen Walder and Jonathan Oatis)
