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Hunter Biden’s plea deal denied, What next for US First Son?
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden's plea deal was denied. Both parties have a fortnight to reach a new agreement.
On Wednesday, Hunter Biden was supposed to finalise his plea deal. Negotiated over several weeks, the plea deal would have spared the President’s son jail time provided he pled guilty to tax evasion and illegal possession of a firearm.
However, a federal judge in Wilmington, Delaware, questioned the deal and requested more clarity. She said that she could not "rubber stamp the agreement".
US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, appointed by Trump, questioned whether the deal would also provide Hunter Biden with immunity from crimes he could be found liable for in the future. While Biden’s attorney assumed it would, the prosecutors believed that investigations would continue.
Furthermore, the judge said that the agreement contained “non-standard terms”. Even the proposed resolution for Biden’s gun possession offence was “unusual”.
In the end, Judge Noreika declined to sign the deal. Hunter Biden’s attorneys have been given 14 days to hash out a new deal and brief her.
Although Biden was originally meant to enter a guilty, he ended up pleading not guilty for now.
This case is the first time a child of the sitting president has been charged by the justice department. An investigation into the finances of Hunter Biden has been ongoing for the past five years.
