(Reuters) – Christopher Clark, the senior lawyer representing Hunter Biden, is seeking to withdraw from the case involving the U.S. president’s son on the grounds he might be called to testify, according to a court filing on Tuesday.
Biden, facing tax and gun charges, may be headed for a criminal trial, U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss said last Friday after being appointed to the post.
Weiss said parties in the case were at an impasse in plea negotiations over the tax charges and a proposed diversion agreement on the firearm charge that would allow Biden to avoid prison time or a criminal conviction.
The case is being heard in the U.S. state of Delaware, where Biden is represented by the Berger Harris law firm.
“It appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” said the filing with U.S. District Court in Delaware.
“It is inadvisable for Mr. Clark to continue as counsel in this case,” continued the joint filing from Berger Harris and Clark Smith Villazor, Clark’s firm.
In the filing, the two said Clark’s withdrawal would not cause Biden substantial hardship since other firms involved in the case would continue to represent him.
Lawyers for Biden said in a court filing on Sunday that prosecutors reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved the charges against the U.S. president’s son as his father seeks reelection next year.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
