U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed two misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday evening. However, the move came after newly appointed Special Counsel David Weiss asked Noreika to dismiss those charges stemming from Hunter’s now-defunct plea deal so that new charges could potentially be filed against President Joe Biden’s son in either California or Washington, D.C.
In late July, Hunter’s plea deal over alleged tax crimes and other illegal behavior completely fell apart after Noreika inquired about how much immunity the deal would effectively grant to Hunter. The proposed deal would have involved Hunter pleading guilty to the now-dismissed tax misdemeanors and admitting the facts of a gun charge. If approved, the deal would likely have meant no jail time for the president’s son and — according to Hunter’s team — block future legal action against Hunter, thus making it a de facto pardon.
Noreika put the plea deal on hold, leading Hunter to plead not guilty. In turn, the judge requested at the time that both federal prosecutors and Hunter’s lawyers take the time to further hash out the details of a plea deal. Then, last Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel.
By Tuesday, Weiss’ team filed in court that the plea deal and diversion program apart of it were “now-withdrawn” and “never went into effect,” meaning that “none of its terms are binding on either party,” CNN reported.
Hunter’s attorneys agreed with Weiss’ request that the two tax misdemeanors should be dismissed, according to CNN. Noreika approved the request from both parties Thursday.
Critics of the special counsel have argued that the new status of the case provides further protection for Hunter and his father and could prevent congressional testimony from key actors.
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As observed by columnist David Marcus for DailyWire+ Reader’s Pass, “Both Garland and Weiss were set to testify before Congress in the fall to address the whistleblower allegations, but now the stage is set for these so-called Justice officials to gravely shake their heads and intone, ‘I cannot comment on an active investigation.'”
For its part, the House Oversight Committee has pledged “to follow the Biden family’s money trail and interview witnesses to determine whether foreign actors targeted the Bidens, President Biden is compromised and corrupt, and our national security is threatened. We will also continue to work with the House Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means to root out misconduct at the Justice Department and hold bad actors accountable for weaponizing law enforcement powers.”
Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement, “This move by Attorney General Garland is part of the Justice Department’s efforts to attempt a Biden family coverup in light of the House Oversight Committee’s mounting evidence of President Joe Biden’s role in his family’s schemes selling ‘the brand’ for millions of dollars to foreign nationals.”
It is unclear what will happen to the original gun charges from Hunter’s now-void plea deal.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.