UPDATE: This story has been updated with new information to reflect that the judge reportedly has refused a revised plea deal from prosecutors and the defense.
Hunter Biden’s plea deal on tax misdemeanors charges is back on with further stipulations after momentarily falling apart, CNN reported Wednesday.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Biden’s legal team came to an agreement that the plea deal only pertains to charges pertaining to tax evasion and illegal gun possession, leaving him open to potential DOJ charges in the future.
Biden had been expected to plead guilty to tax misdemeanor charges Wednesday in a Delaware court, entering a plea deal with the DOJ on the tax misdemeanor charges in 2017 and 2018 and to avoid jail time on a separate gun charge. The new deal between the two legal teams also covers his tax-related conduct from 2014 to 2019, CNN reported.
The initial plea deal reportedly fell apart after the defense and prosecution did not agree on the scope of the immunity of coverage that Biden had, specifically if Biden would be covered from being charged on Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) in the future.
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE – JULY 26: Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, arrives to the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on July 26, 2023 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden is in court to review a plea deal reached with federal prosecutors on misdemeanor tax charges. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, had asked questions to ensure Biden understood what he was pleading guilty to, and it became clear that the two legal teams were not on the same page about what the initial plea agreement had in its scope, CNN’s Evan Perez said.
The two legal teams then deliberated and came to an agreement that the plea deal would only pertain to the tax and gun charges, meaning the DOJ can charge Biden in the future on unrelated charges. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Appears In Court For Tax Charges)
Noreika refused the second plea deal and asked both teams to provide more information about the plea deal. Biden is currently pleading not guilty, as the deal is currently off.
The House Oversight Committee is currently investigating Biden’s foreign business dealings and how President Joe Biden is connected to the money that came from foreign sources like Romania, Ukraine and China.
The conservative legal group America First Legal (AFL) is suing the DOJ for allegedly failing to require the president’s son to register for FARA during the Obama administration.
This is a developing story and will be updated.