U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika ruined Hunter Biden’s day on Wednesday, July 26. His sweetheart plea deal of the century wasn’t rubber stamped like everyone, especially the media, expected. They all showed up to cover a routine matter. One usually disposed of in half an hour. The networks all thought Hunter would be walking away free as a bird on everything. It didn’t go even close to that easy. The on-again, off-again drama lasted hours. At the end, Hunter wasn’t even sure they were going to let him walk out at all. He’s got new conditions of release that make him take random drug tests.
Judge asks questions
Before I simply rubber stamp this really one sided agreement, Judge Maryellen Noreika declared from the bench in her Delaware District federal courtroom, I have a few questions. Starting with the tax case. Hunter’s lawyers were under the impression that accepting this deal would clear him from all charges for anything, ever.
Prosecutors didn’t see it that way. They claim he’s still under investigation but wouldn’t say for what. Since there was obviously no meeting of the minds over that issue, she sent them off to fight over it for a while.
When they came back, the parties claimed to be in agreement. The tax charges are limited to the years 2017 through 2019 only and don’t cover anything else. It does not give him any immunity from future charges.
Ted Kittila, attorney for GOP-led House Ways and Means Committee, reacts to Hunter Biden’s plea deal hearing:
“The court’s gonna take some time to review the plea agreement … [Judge Maryellen Noreika] did a very good job making sure this was a knowing and intelligible plea.” pic.twitter.com/tW14n3bark
— The Recount (@therecount) July 26, 2023
She sent them all back to the drawing board with “30 days to explain why the deal, which she has to approve, should be accepted.” After they got that worked out, the judge wanted to know some things about the gun charge.
He was supposed to get a pretrial diversion program where everyone else charged with the same thing goes to prison. The judge noticed that little discrepancy. If Hunter was a rap star, he wouldn’t get diversion.
“The charge of possessing a gun while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance would normally carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but the program would enable Biden to avoid prosecution or pleading guilty if he follows certain conditions.”
Random drug tests
Things got a little nerve-wracking for reporters outside the courthouse after the hearing was over. When the judge got through with him, he had an appointment with the Marshall’s Service. Someone in the press was caught on hot mic, possibly joking, saying that “they said they were keeping him.”
There was more chatter about “a second set of charges” before the dapper defendant finally appeared at the exit door.
The judge let him go, for now, but he has to comply with a whole bunch of new conditions. He has to take a whizz-quiz any time someone hands him a bottle. He can’t even smoke a doobie without a prescription for it. He’s not allowed to touch alcohol either.
🚨 #BREAKING: The new "Conditions of Release" for Hunter Biden have just hit the docket, signed by Judge Maryellen Noreika, who shelved Hunter's plea deal today
If Hunter does NOT comply with any part of the order, he could be immediately arrested
HUNTER IS REQUIRED TO:
1)… pic.twitter.com/7j9Rj688s1
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 26, 2023
His lawyers aren’t real happy because the House Ways and Means Committee dropped 900 pages of new evidence on the court, which they need to go through and try and explain.
Hunter’s lawyers were just as happy to get out of the courtroom with their bank accounts intact. The judge was considering sanctions because the day before, they tried a really sneaky trick which blew up in their faces. They get the big bucks because they have the “plausible deniability” angles mastered.
One of their attorneys called the court and mislead them into believing they were with the lawyer who represents the committee and asked for those 900 pages to be pulled back out of the record. They got away with calling it “miscommunication” but that was a close one.
