WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Republicans are accusing Hunter Biden’s lawyers of leaking details of the failed ‘sweetheart’ plea deal to the media and are threatening to call the president’s son to testify.
Hunter appeared in federal court on July 26, ready to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and walk away with just a slap on the wrist and no jail time, in what Republicans have called a “love deal” put in place. in place by Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ). together to protect the president’s son.
However, the deal exploded dramatically after a hidden clause granting Hunter full immunity for a wide range of other potential charges, including illegal foreign lobbying, was uncovered by the judge.
Details of how the deal was reached have leaked to The New York Times and Politico since the hearing, and media outlets have published their own accounts of what happened between the DOJ and the legal team. from Hunter.
Three senior House Republicans say in a letter to Hunter’s attorneys obtained by DailyMail.com on Wednesday that the reports were based on “non-public information” and also included “previously undisclosed documents and communications” including only one. limited number of people would have known.
As a result, they have “serious concerns” about whether the DOJ’s handling of the Hunter case was truly impartial.
It wasn’t until IRS whistleblowers accused the DOJ of improper influence in the federal investigation of Hunter that U.S. Attorney David Weiss – Hunter’s lead prosecutor – decided to charge him with tax crimes, according to the New York Times report published on August 19.
GOP investigators also explicitly accuse Hunter’s team of leaking the documents to both media outlets. They say that now that the information is public, all communications should go to their committees.
And if they don’t turn them over, they’ll bring in Hunter himself for a deposition.
Hunter Biden left federal district court in Wilmington, Delaware, where his plea deal was thrown out on July 26.
Attorney General Merrick Garland last month promoted Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss — Hunter’s lead prosecutor — to special counsel status.
“If you refuse to provide the Committee with requested information due to alleged privilege, the Committee may need to seek your and/or Hunter Biden’s testimony regarding the disclosure of these documents and communications to The New York Times and Politico. “, they said. conclude.
They require all documents and communications requested before September 20.
In a filing Wednesday in federal court, prosecutors for Weiss’ team said they plan to file an indictment against Hunter by the end of the month.
In late July, the same three leading Republicans launched an investigation into how the terms of the plea deal were worked out before they dramatically collapsed in court.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo. wrote to Attorney General Garland to “better understand” the Department of Justice. decision to sign such an “atypical” plea agreement.
According to the letter obtained by DailyMail.com, Republicans say the “unusual plea and pre-trial diversion agreements with Mr. Biden raise serious concerns” about the department’s “preferential treatment of Mr. Biden during his investigation and proposed resolution of the case”. his alleged criminal conduct.
Republican lawmakers cited Judge Noreika’s concerns about the pretrial agreement in the letter to Garland when she said it was “not standard” and “different from what I usually see.”
They add that this is of particular concern given recent allegations by whistleblowers that Hunter received “special treatment” during the criminal investigation.
IRS agents Joe Ziegler and Gary Shapley testified under oath that their investigation ‘supported felony and misdemeanor tax charges’, which were ultimately not brought against the president’s son, Hunter, due to political pressure .
Weiss attempted to file criminal charges against him in Washington, DC, they said, but was blocked by Biden-appointed lead federal district attorney Matthew Graves.
The ‘special treatment’ of Hunter has become a habit that has kept repeating itself, said whistleblowers who were told they would find themselves in a ‘sticky situation’ if they tried to speak with President Joe Biden’s adult children and grandchildren during their investigation. .
The lawmakers also accused the DOJ of “benefitting Mr. Biden by waiving his unilateral ability to bring charges against him if he finds he violated the pretrial diversion agreement.”
The department “moved a broad immunity provision, which benefits Mr. Biden, from the plea agreement to the pre-trial diversion agreement, ostensibly to prevent the district court from being able to review and reject that provision. ‘immunity,’ Republicans say.
They went on to say that it was “remarkable” that Hunter’s lawyers said during the hearing that they understood that “the immunity provision in the pretrial diversion agreement would prevent the department from bringing charges against Mr. Biden under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.” ‘
“While the department does not agree with this position, it is difficult to understand how the parties would disagree on such a fundamental clause of the agreement as the scope of the immunity provision, and This raises questions about discussions that took place between the department and Mr. Biden’s attorney regarding the status of those investigations.
The Collapse of Hunter Biden’s Original Plea Deal Also presents more problems for his father, Joe Biden. The president will now be in the headlines and questions surrounding the case of his drug-addicted son as he begins the 2024 election campaign.
The breakdown of the deal between prosecutors and the defense team means Hunter could now face more charges. It also means that Hunter will likely face additional lawsuits in the future.
These may include all the crimes related to its trade deals with Ukraine, Romania and China which have brought in millions of dollars.
And Republicans say Joe was central to them.
During the plea hearing, Hunter admitted to getting over $600,000 from a Chinese company and that he was doing business with one of their associates.
“My partner was associated with a Chinese energy company called CEFC,” Hunter told the federal judge.
When asked the name of his partner, Hunter replied, “I don’t know how to spell his name, Yi Jianming is the chairman of this company.
This directly contradicts a statement made by President Biden during the 2020 election campaign that his son had never “made any money” in China.
Additionally, some of the future charges Hunter may face put the incumbent president in a difficult position.
“Today, District Judge Noreika did the right thing by refusing to approve Hunter Biden’s love plea deal,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R- Ky., who is leading congressional investigations into the Biden family’s business dealings.
He added that the Justice Department “has disclosed that Hunter Biden is being investigated for being a foreign agent.”
If the DOJ turns out to bring charges against Hunter under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), as Comer implied, it would create an even bigger headache for the president.
Hunter walked into federal court in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, alongside his ‘sugar brother’ and lawyer Kevin Morris (left) – who was seen smoking a bong during a a visit from the president’s son the previous week.
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler testified before Congress in July
Violations of FARA carry heavy prison terms and severe penalties.
In 2018, Paul Manafort, an associate of former President Donald Trump, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for FARA violations related to his business activity in Ukraine.
The department has not directly confirmed that it is pursuing prosecution of Hunter for failing to register as a foreign agent while conducting business dealings overseas, but House Republicans have been accumulating a mountain of evidence linking him and his father to deals in China, Romania and Ukraine.
The White House has maintained that the president was never “in business” with his son, but the Republican Party has stepped up its investigation with whistleblower testimony and a host of other evidence.
And Comer says Hunter can expect between six and 10 felony discharges by the time he completes his investigation into the first son and his family.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is even considering launching an impeachment inquiry against the president for “lying to the American public” about his son’s business deals.
He waits to set a date or timeline until more information is discovered.