During a Wednesday hearing on federal tax charges against Hunter Biden, there were plenty of accusations flying around. However, what concerned U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi the most was the lack of concrete evidence tying the charges to the efforts of congressional Republicans to investigate the unclear aspects of the Biden family’s financial affairs.
While Scarsi refrained from reaching a verdict, he indicated during the Los Angeles hearing that the defense’s claims suggesting the Biden administration’s Justice Department was acting in favor of former President Donald Trump were unconvincing, as reported by CNN.
Scarsi, who is currently handling nine motions filed by Hunter Biden’s legal team, stated that he intends to deliver a verdict by April 17, as reported by The Washington Post.
The judge seemed particularly bothered by one motion alleging “selective and vindictive” prosecution.
“One of the big hurdles that this motion has is that it’s not filed with any evidence,” Scarsi said.
He emphasized that the outcome will be determined by the facts, not the political dynamics surrounding the case.
“We are just looking at the facts and law,” the judge said. “All of the aspersions cast off one another just roll off.”
If Scarsi rules against Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son will proceed to trial in June. Another possibility is to negotiate a deal with prosecutors, although the previous deal struck with Hunter Biden dramatically collapsed in July, triggering the sequence of events that led to his attorneys appearing in court on Wednesday in California.
Attorney Abbe Lowell representing Biden argued that it was unjust for the president’s son to face three felony charges along with six misdemeanors, especially considering that prosecutors initially charged him with only misdemeanors in a plea deal that drew Republican outrage.
Lowell asserted that the escalation to tougher charges serves as evidence that special prosecutor David Weiss, who previously served as the U.S. attorney for Delaware and led the initial investigation into Hunter Biden resulting in misdemeanor charges, succumbed to a public pressure campaign orchestrated by congressional Republicans.
Scarsi pressed the attorney for additional evidence beyond timing to establish a clear connection between those points.
“It’s a timeline,” Lowell said. “But it’s a juicy timeline.”
Prosecutor Leo Wise stated that once the plea deal fell apart, the Justice Department was no longer obligated to adhere to its terms.
During the hearing, there was discussion regarding an immunity deal that was included in the initial agreement to resolve tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden. Biden’s attorneys argue that this immunity deal should still be valid.
Yet, as reported by the New York Post, neither the judge, who was required to endorse the deal, nor Delaware Chief U.S. Probation Officer Margaret Bray, ever signed the agreement. Former Biden defense attorney Christopher Clark referred to it as “null and void.”
Wise stated that it was Biden’s team who “flipped” their position, not the government.
“There was a good faith belief that Mr. Biden was going to plead guilty,” he said.
Scarsi seemed perplexed by the agreement, asking at one point, “Why would he plead guilty if he had immunity?”
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