The plea deal proposed by Hunter Biden, which was rejected by a federal judge, was made public this past Wednesday.
Judge Maryellen Noreika allowed NBC reporter Tom Winter’s request for the entire plea agreement concerning Hunter Biden to be revealed. According to reports by The Messenger, there were no objections from Biden’s legal team or the prosecutors.
Previously, a leaked draft of the proposed agreement had been circulated widely among media outlets.
On July 26, significant parts of the plea deal were read out in court. Hunter Biden’s intention to admit guilt to tax charges while avoiding a gun charge was halted when Judge Noreika expressed the need for additional time to evaluate the arrangement.
Tom Winter argued in his request that these agreements should be made public since they were discussed openly in court and influenced the judge’s decision on the plea deal.
In addition to the plea agreement, Noreika also made public the diversion agreement. This document outlined that the U.S. would refrain from prosecuting Biden criminally outside the scope of the agreement for any federal crimes outlined in the accompanying statements.
Initially, Hunter Biden had consented to plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion and minor gun offenses, a move that sparked objections from members of the Republican Party.
After the rejection of the plea by Judge Noreika, Biden pleaded not guilty to the accusation of failing to pay taxes on over $1.5 million of income during 2017 and 2018, even though he allegedly owed in excess of $100,000.
Earlier this week, three Republican chairs of House committees announced that they will be investigating the situation concerning Biden’s unsuccessful plea deal, as reported by the New York Post.
In a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., communicated their intentions. This letter was sent less than a week after Judge Noreika described the plea deal as “non-standard” and raised questions about the diversion agreement within the deal.
In a further development, Judge Noreika instructed attorneys last Friday to discuss matters with her chambers directly, rather than through the court clerk. This directive followed an incident where a staff member at Biden’s representing law firm was accused of misrepresenting her identity during a call to the clerk’s office.
