Talks on Hunter Biden's plea deal have collapsed which may be good news for the First Son.
Biden may now be headed for trial on criminal charges, according to David Weiss, who was elevated to special counsel in the case by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday.
Prosecutors wrote in a court filing that they intend to drop the misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden in Delaware and instead bring them in California and Washington, D.C., the venues where prosecutors say the alleged crimes occurred.
In response, former Trump White House official Garrett Ziegler put the news in perspective:
"DOJ did not just appoint Weiss as Special Counsel — they ALSO just filed to dismiss the misdemeanors in Delaware, the ONLY pending criminal charges against Hunter."
Ziegler, who heads the Marco Polo research group that made the abandoned Hunter Biden laptop accessible to inquiring minds worldwide, continued:
So this move does three things:
1. Clears existing charges against the First Crackhead. 2. Slows the roll of any prosecution with a reset, which conveniently gives them time to drag further and let the statute of limitations clock run on some more charges. 3. Give Weiss and DOJ in general cover to keep repeating the, "I cannot answer because there is an ongoing investigation," mantra.
The court filing said: "Venue for these offenses does not lie in Delaware. Rather, venue for these offenses and any other related tax offenses lies either in the Central District of California or in the District of Columbia. The information was filed in this District because the parties had previously agreed that the Defendant would waive any challenge to venue and plead guilty in this District. However, during the July 26, 2023, hearing that the Court set on this matter, the Defendant pled not guilty. Since that time, the parties have engaged in further plea negotiations but are at an impasse. The Government now believes that the case will not resolve short of a trial."Related: Who is David Weiss? Hunter Biden’s tax prosecutor paid for his law school with tax bribe money, July 23, 2023
"Now that the parties are at an impasse, a trial is in order," the prosecutors wrote. "Venue must be proper for each count of an indictment."
The judge gave Hunter Biden until Monday to respond to the motion from the United States to vacate the court's briefing order.
Weiss, the federal prosecutor who has been handling the case, now has additional authority to continue his investigation.
Republicans blasted the appointment of Weiss as special counsel, with House Oversight Chair James Comer claiming the DOJ is trying to "stonewall" Congress' own investigations into Hunter Biden and calling the news part of a "Biden family coverup."
Weiss filed criminal tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden in June, but a federal judge rejected a proposed plea deal. Weiss said in a court filing on Friday that the two sides are at an impasse and a trial is likely.
"The appointment of Mr. Weiss reinforces for the American people the department's commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters," Garland said at a Friday news conference at which he did not take questions.
"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," Comer said in a statement on Friday.
Weiss charged Hunter Biden with failing to pay taxes in 2017 and 2018 and unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.
A federal judge in July rejected a deal that would have allowed Biden to plead guilty to the tax charges and avoid the gun charge.
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