Hunter Biden's attorneys accused Justice Department prosecutors of reneging on a plea deal the government lawyers had proposed and "largely dictated," according to a Sunday night court filing.
Hunter Biden's legal team also said prosecutors changed the agreed upon terms for immunity concerning any future charges, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The legal team's three-page, late-night court filing came hours after Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell appeared on CBS’ "Face the Nation" and blamed prosecutors for the July 26 collapse of the plea deal related to tax fraud charges.
Lowell told CBS that a diversion agreement related to gun-possession charges was binding because it was filed with the required signatures.
"The Defendant intends to abide by the terms of the Diversion Agreement that was executed at the July 26 hearing by the Defendant, his counsel, and the United States," Hunter Biden's attorneys said in the new filing.
Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday elevated David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, to special counsel in the case after prosecutors disclosed that plea talks with the first son had broken down.
Weiss has been probing Hunter Biden for alleged tax fraud and illegal firearm possession.
The latest developments in the case come as President Joe Biden seeks reelection next year.
The two sides met in a Delaware court on July 26, when Hunter Biden had expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts.
Sunday’s court filing said the proposed plea deal included language saying the U.S. wouldn’t criminally prosecute Hunter Biden further over the conduct at issue in either the tax or gun cases, the Journal reported.
"His [Hunter Biden’s] understanding of the scope of immunity agreed to by the United States is also corroborated by prosecutors’ contemporaneous written and oral communications during the plea negotiations," the filing said.
However, the agreement released by Judge Maryellen Noreika after the July 26 court appearance said it didn’t cover any future conduct by Hunter Biden or by any of his affiliated businesses.
Not only that, prosecutors in court July 26 instead revealed they continued to investigate Hunter Biden, including in connection with possible foreign-lobbying charges.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is probing alleged influence peddling by Hunter Biden and Joe Biden when the elder Biden was vice president.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., last week said the committee plans to subpoena the Bidens over allegations they peddled influence during foreign business dealings to secure millions of dollars in payoffs.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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