After Hunter Biden’s plea agreement on tax and gun charges failed last week, New York Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman said the president had no plans to pardon him. Goldman stated that the federal investigation targeting Hunter Biden, who pled not guilty to tax charges, is unusual and complex, and President Biden has restored the credibility of the Department of Justice by keeping on a Trump-appointed judge to oversee his son’s trial.
Hunter Biden had already agreed to plead guilty to two tax-related misdemeanors and enter a pretrial diversion program in exchange for a reduced sentence. On Wednesday, Judge Maryellen Noreika of the U.S. District Court scuttled the deal. She questioned the prosecution and Hunter Biden’s lawyers about whether the agreement would afford Hunter Biden more expansive immunity moving forward even though prosecutors acknowledged he is still being investigated for the gun charge and whether the prospective tax plea was linked to the gun charge. Noreika rejected the plea agreement because she found it unusual and complicated.
Goldman said the risk of Trump regaining office and turning his focus against Hunter Biden was behind the decision to include the clause protecting him from future prosecution.
Magnanimously, Goldman said Trump nominated the U.S. attorney and that the judge has impartial and thorough. He was convinced that whatever the outcome of the Hunter Biden case, it would be based only on the evidence presented.
But Goldman also blasted Trump for the superseding indictment that added charges to the federal indictment against him for allegedly mishandling government secrets while he was out of office. He said it demonstrates Trump’s awareness of the criminality of his acts and his desire to obstruct the probe. Trump has consistently denied any misconduct and cast the allegations against him as partisan. He has maintained his innocence about the original federal charges, but his plea in the current superseding indictment remains unknown.
Goldman stressed that Trump views himself as immune to the law and free to act whenever he pleases.
