Hunter Biden plea deal put on hold
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Noreika described the deal struck with U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware as “unusual,” according to CNN. The judge said the deal contained some “non-standard terms,” such as “broad immunity” from other potential charges.
When she asked prosecutor Leo Wise if there was precedent for the kind of deal proposed, he replied, “No, your honor,” according to the New York Times.
Noreika asked prosecutors if Biden would be immune from prosecution for crimes such as violations related to representing foreign governments. When they responded “no,” Hunter Biden’s legal team said the agreement was “null and void.”
The judge called a recess during which the prosecution and the defense agreed to revise the scope of the plea deal. Under that revised agreement, the deal would only cover the period from 2014-2019 and will only include conduct related to tax offenses, drug use and gun possession, CNN’s Manu Raju reported.
However, the judge ultimately decided to delay a decision on whether to accept the revised deal, leading Biden to enter the pro-forma plea of not guilty.
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The plea deal looked like one only the son of a sitting president could get. It looks like the optics of the deal caught up with the defense team. The judge was right to challenge the deal as initially presented.
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