Hunter Biden loses attorney: The president’s son dropped out of his case Tuesday, claiming that he may need to be a witness
Hunter Biden Is in Crisis Mode
First, Hunter Biden’s plea bargain with the government collapsed, and the prosecutor, David Weiss, was named special counsel.
Now, the president’s son has lost one of his lawyers.
According to The Hill, attorney Christopher Clark is withdrawing from the case, “pointing to a continuing legal battle over a plea agreement in the tax case that dissolved before it could be approved by a judge.”
The reason for the withdrawal is Clark’s belief that he could be called as a witness in the case, specifically court battles over the dissolution of the plea bargain. Clark had represented Hunter Biden for the length of the probe, which has gone on for over five years.
“Based on recent developments, it appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” the lawyer said, per The Hill.
Hunter Biden has not been left lawyer-less, however; longtime Washington power lawyer Abbe Lowell continues to represent him.
Prosecutors and Biden’s team had reportedly reached a deal earlier this summer that would allow the president’s son to plead guilty in his tax case while reaching a “diversion” deal on the separate gun case.
But following grumbling from Republicans, and the emergence of IRS whistleblower complaints, the deal fell apart prior to a scheduled court appearance in late July. Further talks were held but eventually reached an impasse. Weiss’ office has indicated that charges will be filed outside Delaware, possibly in Washington or California.
Per NBC News, Lowell and Hunter Biden’s other attorneys say federal prosecutors “reneged” on the previous plea agreement. Lowell also appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” over the weekend.
“One, they wrote something and weren’t clear what they meant,” Lowell said of the possibilities of what may have happened with the prosecutors. “Two, they knew what they meant, and misstated it to counsel. Or third, they changed their view as they were standing in court in Delaware.”
“I’m confident that if this prosecutor does what has been done for the last five years, look at the facts, the evidence and the law, then the only conclusion can be what the conclusion was on July 26,” Lowell added on CBS. “There’s no new evidence to be found.”
At any rate, a dynamic has been set up for the 2024 election, presuming it is once again between Donald Trump and Joseph Biden: The Republican candidate is accused of crimes, while at the same time, the Democratic candidate’s son is accused of crimes.
There is one key difference, though, on top of the sheer volume of charges Trump faces — more than 90 counts, after this week’s Georgia indictment —
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who prior to his election to Congress was council to the Democrats during the first impeachment of Trump, appeared on CNN last weekend and was asked about the Hunter Biden case.
The president’s son, Goldman told Jake Tapper, should be charged if he has in fact committed crimes, and he deferred to the attorney general on the question of whether he actually has.
“If Hunter Biden has committed crimes, he should be charged with them,” Goldman said on the show. “I’m a Democrat saying that… You don’t hear any currently elected Republican saying that if Donald Trump committed crimes, he should be charged with them and held accountable. And that’s a critical distinction that the public needs to understand.”
Indeed, Republican elected officials have been supportive of Trump since the Georgia indictment, with the likes of Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz appearing on television in the last 24 hours to defend their former president.
“The American people can decide whether they want him to be president or not,” Graham said on Fox News Monday night. “This should be decided at the ballot box, not a bunch of liberal jurisdictions trying to put the man in jail.”
Author Expertise and Experience
Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
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