Federal prosecutors are seeking to bring a new indictment against Joe Biden’s son Hunter by the end of September, according to court documents filed on Wednesday.
The exact charges the president’s son would face were not immediately clear, but he has been under investigation in Delaware on gun and tax charges.
The US attorney for Delaware, David Weiss, newly named a special counsel in the case, referred to the new indictment in a status report required by Judge Maryellen Noreika.
“The Speedy Trial Act requires that the government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,” the special counsel’s office said in a court filing.
Defense attorneys have argued that an agreement sparing Hunter Biden from prosecution on a felony gun charge remains in place. It was part of a plea deal on misdemeanor tax offenses that fell apart during a court appearance in July.
In response to the federal court filing, Hunter Biden’s lawyers filed their own status report, saying that Hunter Biden “has been following and will continue to follow the conditions of that Agreement, which the US Attorney’s Office agreed and signed and informed the Court on July 20, 2023 that the Probation Office had agreed to and had recommended be put into effect”.
However, Reiss said last month that in order for the agreement to be ratified, it would have had to be signed by Margaret Bray, the chief US probation officer for the district of Delaware.
“In sum, because Ms. Bray, acting in her capacity as the Chief United States Probation Officer, did not approve the now-withdrawn diversion agreement, it never went into effect and, therefore, none of its terms are binding on either party,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing last month.
Reiss’s appointment last month came after he asked Attorney General Merrick Garland for the post, which in turn allows him an investigation budget, independence from the justice department, as well as the capacity to hand down charges in federal jurisdictions.
“Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said at a press conference, an announcement that was widely criticized by Republicans of being too late and a “Biden family cover up.”
Meanwhile, the White House said last month that President Joe Biden will not pardon his son on the tax- and gun-related charges.
English (US)