Delaware U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika issued an order Friday to prevent “apparent misrepresentations” related to the Hunter Biden case.
Noreika’s order instructs that all issues with the Hunter Biden case be brought directly to her rather than the Clerk’s Office in order to prevent potential “misrepresentations” in the future. (RELATED: Meet Maryellen Noreika, The Delaware Judge Who Shut Down Hunter Biden’s Secret Immunity Deal)
READ THE FULL ORDER:
“I have already discussed my concerns about apparent misrepresentations made to a member of this Court’s Clerk’s Office,” the order reads. “In addition to that, in a submission addressing those apparent misrepresentations, counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee needlessly included on the public docket an email from a Clerk’s Office staff member that contained her personal contact information.”
“THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that, going forward, any issues or inquiries in the above-captioned cases shall be brought to my attention and not to the Clerk’s Office. Any such issues and inquiries shall be submitted in writing and placed on the docket,” the order concludes.
Prior to Biden’s court appearance, a member of Biden’s legal team allegedly “misrepresented her identity” during a call with the Clerk’s Office about an amicus filing by a Republican lawmaker, causing Noreika to threaten sanctions for Biden’s legal team.
Noreika said Latham & Watkins LLP staffer Jessica Bengals represented herself as someone who worked with Theodore Kittila, the attorney for the House Ways & Means Committee in a call to the Clerk’s Office.
Republican Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, issued an amicus brief Tuesday asking the judge to consider testimony from two IRS whistleblowers showing “political interference” in the Hunter Biden investigation.
Bengals allegedly tried to get the clerk to take down information from the IRS whistleblower testimony because it contained sensitive information.
IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler have testified in front of the Ways & Means and Oversight Committees about alleged obstruction and slow-walking in the Justice Department’s Hunter Biden probe. Shapley also accused Biden’s attorneys of making “false statements” about him in a letter to Rep. Smith that appeared to contain multiple inaccuracies.
A partner at Latham & Watkins attributed the incident to a “miscommunication” in a Tuesday night letter to Noreika, saying that Bengals is not part of Biden’s legal team. Bengals said in a sworn affidavit filed Tuesday that she did not misrepresent her identity to deceive the court. (RELATED: Burisma Lobbyists Recommended By Hunter Biden Didn’t Disclose Over $400,000 In Payments, Testimony Shows)
Hunter Biden remains in “good standing” with the Washington, D.C. bar even though he appears to have violated its terms of conduct via @katesrichardson @DailyCaller https://t.co/W3OMyQeg8T
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) July 28, 2023
Noreika’s latest order follows Hunter Biden’s Wednesday court appearance where his guilty plea imploded after the judge scrutinized its contents. Heading into the hearing, Biden was expected to plead guilty to two tax misdemeanors and a felony gun charge. U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the lead prosecutor in the Biden investigation, has said the case is still ongoing.
Court transcripts show Judge Noreika asked Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Leo Wise and Biden attorney Chris Clark about an immunity provision hidden in Hunter Biden’s diversion agreement and its connection to the First Son’s decision to plead guilty.
Noreika’s scrutiny resulted in Biden’s plea deal blowing up after Wise conceded that the immunity provision would not protect Biden from potential charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for his business dealings with Ukraine, China and Romania.
Hunter Biden ended up pleading not guilty to his charges. Noreika ordered Biden to seek employment and lay off drugs as part of the conditions of his release.