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Delaware federal prosecutors said on Friday that Hunter Biden
may be headed for a criminal trial after plea negotiations broke
down.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a proposed plea
deal in July, raising concerns over its legality and the scope
of immunity it offered Hunter Biden.
Under that proposed arrangement, Hunter Biden would have pleaded
guilty to not paying taxes on $1.5 million in income between
2017 and 2018 and entered into a separate deferred prosecution
agreement for illegally owning a firearm while using drugs, a
felony.
The case has become a political lightning rod as Republicans in
Congress raise the possibility of impeaching Biden over his
son's business dealings and accuse the Department of Justice of
giving him a "sweetheart deal."
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied Republican
accusations of favoritism. On Friday, he elevated Delaware U.S.
Attorney David Weiss, an appointee of former President Donald
Trump who has been investigating the case since 2019, to special
counsel status, which gives him additional authority.
If the case goes to trial, the president would be campaigning
for reelection in November 2024, likely against former president
Donald Trump, as his son faces criminal prosecution.
Trump, a Republican, faces three criminal trials of his own next
year.
(Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan in Bengaluru and Jack Queen
in New York; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Robert Birsel)
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