President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges on Wednesday, after a plea deal fell through during the court hearing amid a dispute between the legal teams over a separate gun-related charge. Biden appeared in court with the intent of pleading guilty, as lawyers deliberated for more than three hours over the terms of the original deal. Back in June, Biden said he would plead guilty to two federal offenses connected with his taxes and businesses.
Presiding District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned whether Biden would still agree to the terms of his plea arrangement if there was a potential for additional charges in the future. Biden said he would not plead guilty to the tax charges without a deal in place to avoid prosecution on the gun charge, but changed course after extensive negotiations between his lawyers and prosecutors while Noreika waited in her chambers. Biden’s lawyer Chris Clark said during the hearing that the deal was off: “As far as I’m concerned, the plea agreement is null and void.” The parties ultimately agreed that the deal would only grant Biden immunity on a limited set of tax, drug and firearm offenses.
Biden pleaded not guilty to charges 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 did not enter a plea in a separate case where he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony. Biden also possessed a firearm in October 2018 despite “knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance,” a charge for which he had agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement to avoid prosecution.
The case marks the first time the Justice Department has brought charges against the child of a sitting president. If the issue isn’t resolved, Hunter Biden would face a court trial.
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