The New York Post is reporting that President Joe Biden could soon be absorbed into the ongoing defamation lawsuit against his son Hunter Biden. The suit is expected to enter the discovery phase in the near future – at which point the president may have to be involved.
Hunter Biden: A Problem for Joe Biden?
The lawsuit stems from a 2019 incident in which Hunter Biden dropped his laptop off with John Paul Mac Isaac, a Delaware-based computer repairman. Biden never returned for the laptop, which somehow ended up in the possession of Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who then turned the laptop over to The Post.
The problem? The laptop was loaded with “years worth of compromising professional and personal data.”
Now, Mac Isaac is suing Hunter Biden and President Biden’s campaign for defamation, claiming that “the pair sought to falsely cast the contents of Hunter’s laptop as “Russian disinformation.”” The laptop was however a legitimate story – not “Russian disinformation.”
“Experts warn discovery will be fraught with peril for Hunter Biden – and could potentially rope in the president – who is expected to be locked in a fierce battle for reelection in 2024,” The Post reported.
Discovery in the Hunter Biden case
Alan Dershowitz, the notorious law professor who served on O.J. Simpson’s murder defense team and President Trump’s impeachment defense team, weighed in on the potential ramifications for discovery in the Hunter Biden case.
“[Hunter Biden] is subject to discovery,” Dershowitz said. “Discovery is very broad. It would include emails, texts with his father, and potentially all the contents of [Hunter’s] computer, even that which hasn’t yet been revealed. So, it’s a very risky decision to get involved in litigation when you might have things to hide.”
Could the president be dragged in? Yes, according to Dershowitz; President Biden could “technically be subject to a deposition” – but that would ultimately be up to the judge on the case to decide.
Mac Isaac’s attorney on the case, Ronald Poliquin, implied that the President could indeed be involved. “Discovery will entail depositions of individuals who perpetrated the claim that Jon Mac Isaac was a tool for Russian disinformation” and “as alleged in the complaint, President Biden’s Presidential Campaign Committee and himself were a key part of that effort.” The complaint indicates at least one instance where Joe Biden, then a candidate, remarked that the laptop story was “disinformation from the Russians.”
Has a president ever been deposed before? Um, yes. President Clinton was deposed in a civil lawsuit brought against him for sexual harassment. The plaintiff: Paula Jones. The Clinton deposition from the Jones blew up into something else entirely, when Clinton made false statements about a relationship he’d had with a 20-something White House intern named Monica Lewinsky.
Next steps?
Attorneys for Hunter Biden have filed a countersuit against Mac Isaac claiming that Mac Isaac violated Hunter’s privacy and that Mac Isaac lacked the right to distribute the contents of Hunter’s laptop.
“We have engaged with the plaintiff’s counsel to arrange, as soon as practicable, a date upon which all parties can confer to discuss, among other topics, the timing and sequence of discovery. We will promptly provide the court with a proposed case schedule for discovery,” Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, wrote to the US District Court.
We’ll soon see what this all means for President Biden. Hopefully, if the president is deposed, he has the wherewithal not to lie about any interns.
MORE: Is AOC a Sellout?
MORE: Hunter Biden Has a Big China Problem
MORE: Kamala Harris ‘Seems to Be An Albatross’
MORE: Pete Buttigieg: Running for President?
MORE: What Trump Getting Arrested Could Look Like
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
