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Hunter Biden's attorney steps down, submits plea to become a witness
Hunter Biden's lawyer, Christopher Clark wants to withdraw as counsel and become a witness after a plea agreement collapsed.
Christopher Clark, top criminal attorney, who has been representing Hunter Biden in his tax evasion and gun-possession offence case has asked a federal judge to allow him to withdraw as Biden's counsel. He has indicated that he wants to become a witness to the case following the collapse of a plea agreement he had negotiated with the prosecutors.
The reason behind his strategic shift follows the legal showdown as prosecutors asserted that an agreement on a gun charge is dead along with the rest of the deal as the case makes a major shift into a special counsel investigation.
Clark has cited question about Biden's plea agreement which didn't go through earlier this month. Hunter Biden has subsequently pleaded not guilty to the tax charges. ‘Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,’ the motion said.
Lawyers for Hunter Biden have argued that prosecutors reneged on an agreement on tax charges but said a separate agreement sparing him prosecution on a gun charge remains valid. The agreement on the gun charge also contains an immunity clause against federal prosecutions for some other potential crimes.
Prosecutors denied reneging on any deal. While the agreement on the gun charge was signed by a prosecutor, probation agents didn’t sign it and so it never became valid, they argued.
Biden will continue to be represented by other attorneys, including Abbe Lowell. Attorney General Merrick Garland gave special counsel status to U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the Delaware prosecutor who has overseen the five-year investigation of President Joe Biden's youngest son.
Earlier in June Biden agreed to plead guilty to two charges of tax evasion with a confirmation from prosectors that he receive probation instead of jail time. However, after the judge refused to accept the plea agreement, Biden pleaded not guilty to tax evasion charges which accused him of not paying over $100,000 in taxes on $1.5 million in income he made in 2017 and 2018. He is also accused of possessing a firearm in 2018 as a drug user.
(With Agency Inputs)
