Hunter Biden’s legal team denies lying to court officials in dispute over GOP filings
Hunter Biden’s legal team has denied allegations that they lied to court officials in order to have filings from a senior Republican lawmaker removed from the public docket. The team blamed the dispute on an “unintentional miscommunication” on the eve of their client’s plea hearing. The denial came in response to US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who threatened the team with sanctions after accusing a member of their staff of misrepresenting who she worked for while successfully requesting the removal of the GOP filing.
The dispute revolves around a court filing from Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. Smith asked to intervene in the case and submitted transcripts of testimony from IRS whistleblowers who claimed that the probe into President Joe Biden’s son was tainted by political interference. Smith’s attorney argued that it was critical for the court to consider the whistleblower materials before accepting the plea agreement.
Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to two federal tax misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. The plea deal will also resolve a felony gun charge if he abides by court-imposed rules. Prosecutors are expected to recommend no jail time. However, Judge Noreika has the power to reject the plea agreement.
The incident in question occurred when a member of Hunter Biden’s legal team called the court clerk and requested the removal of the amicus materials filed by Smith. The judge determined that the caller misrepresented her identity and who she worked for in an attempt to convince the clerk’s office to remove the materials from the docket.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers initially claimed that the clerk took Smith’s filing down “on their own accord” and that they called the clerk to inquire about sealing the material. They argued that there was no misrepresentation made to the court and that the incident was completely unintentional.
The matter is expected to be addressed at Wednesday’s plea hearing. The right-wing Heritage Foundation has urged Judge Noreika to postpone the hearing in order to obtain additional information directly from the Justice Department regarding any potential political interference in the probe.
It is important to note that this headline and story have been updated with additional developments.
How does Hunter Biden’s legal team defend themselves against the accusation of deliberately manipulating the public docket by removing the Republican filings
F GOP filings from the public docket.
Hunter Biden’s legal team has strongly denied any wrongdoing in relation to their alleged deception of court officials to remove filings made by a senior Republican lawmaker from the public docket. Instead, they attribute the misunderstanding to an unintentional miscommunication that occurred just before their client’s plea hearing. The response from Biden’s team comes as a reaction to US District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who not only accused a member of their staff of misrepresenting her affiliation but also issued a threat of sanctions.
In their denial, Hunter Biden’s legal team maintains that the removal of the GOP filings from the public docket was not a product of dishonesty or deliberate manipulation. They assert that their actions were a result of the aforementioned miscommunication, which was unintentional and occurred shortly before the plea hearing. The team firmly asserts their innocence in any intentional wrongdoing.
The dispute arose as a result of Judge Noreika’s accusation that a staff member from Biden’s legal team misrepresented their connection to her while successfully requesting the removal of the Republican filings. The judge, unconvinced by the team’s explanation, warned them about the potential consequences of their alleged misconduct, threatening to impose sanctions.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether the legal team’s explanation will satisfy the judge and alleviate the threat of sanctions. The denial of any intentional falsehoods from Hunter Biden’s team will likely be closely scrutinized by the court as they determine the appropriate course of action.
