U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi has determined that there is no indication of political motivation behind the tax fraud charges against Hunter Biden, the son of Democrat President Joe Biden. During a hearing on Wednesday regarding the federal tax charges against Hunter Biden, Judge Scarsi emphasized the absence of evidence linking the charges to the efforts made by congressional Republicans to investigate the financial affairs of the Biden family.
While Judge Scarsi did not reach a final decision, he expressed skepticism towards the defense’s argument that President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) was carrying out the wishes of former President Donald Trump. This was reported by CNN during the Los Angeles hearing.
Judge Scarsi, who is currently reviewing nine motions presented by Hunter Biden’s legal team, stated that he would deliver a ruling by April 17, as reported by The Washington Post. One particular motion, which alleged “selective and vindictive” prosecution, seemed to have displeased the judge.
“One of the big hurdles that this motion has is that it’s not filed with any evidence,” Scarsi said.
“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 decides against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son will face trial in June. There is also the possibility of negotiating with prosecutors. However, the previous plea deal with Hunter Biden fell apart dramatically in July. The breakdown of the prior agreement set off a series of events that led to his lawyers appearing in court on Wednesday in California. Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued that it was unjust for his client to now face three felony charges and six misdemeanors after prosecutors initially charged him with misdemeanors in a plea deal that sparked outrage from Republicans.
Lowell claimed that the escalation in charges is evidence that special prosecutor David Weiss caved to public pressure from congressional Republicans, following the initial Hunter Biden investigation that resulted in misdemeanor charges. Scarsi inquired if the attorney had any additional evidence beyond timing to establish a connection between these events.
“It’s a timeline,” Lowell said.
“But it’s a juicy timeline.”
Prosecutor Leo Wise emphasized that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was not obligated to adhere to the terms of the plea deal once it fell through. During the hearing, there was also discussion regarding an immunity deal that was initially included in the agreement to resolve the tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden. Biden’s legal team argues that this immunity deal should still be valid.
However, it is worth noting, as highlighted by the New York Post, that neither the judge responsible for approving the deal nor Delaware Chief U.S. Probation Officer Margaret Bray ever signed the agreement. This led former Biden defense attorney Christopher Clark to assert that the agreement was “null and void.”
Prosecutor Wise clarified that it was Biden’s team that changed their stance, not the government.
“There was a good faith belief that Mr. Biden was going to plead guilty,” he said.
Scarsi appeared puzzled by the deal, asking at one point, “Why would he plead guilty if he had immunity?”
