What was presumed to be a routine appearance before a judge by Hunter Biden on Wednesday — one set to finalize a plea deal reached between President Joe Biden's son and the president's Justice Department — turned into courtroom chaos when the proposed plea deal fell apart under scrutiny from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika.
🚨HUNTER BIDEN PLEA DEAL FALLS APART🚨 Judge won’t accept plea agreement
— Dagen McDowell (@dagenmcdowell) July 26, 2023
Due to issues with the way the sweetheart slap-on-the-wrist was "structured," the judge refused to "accept or reject the plea agreement" on Wednesday, instead requesting briefs from the parties in order to gather more information about the terms of the deal and whether they're even constitutional.
As a result of losing his plea deal — for now at least — Hunter Biden entered a "not guilty" plea on the tax and firearm charges he still faces.
Here's how CNN and MSNBC broke the latest development:
🚨BREAKING🚨
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 26, 2023
HUNTER BIDEN PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO ALL CHARGES AFTER PLEA DEAL IS JEOPARDIZED pic.twitter.com/HHpLbp9zWK
#BREAKING: Hunter Biden pleads NOT GUILTY in a Delaware courtroom on gun and tax charges, REFUSING to accept the plea deal previously laid out by prosecutors.
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 26, 2023
NBC's Tom Winters says the judge "will not accept or reject the plea agreement" b/c "she wants more information" pic.twitter.com/nrvuV7wt0y
Whether a deal is able to be reached between Hunter's lawyers and the Justice Department after filing their respective briefs and reconvening before the judge, it's clear that Wednesday's outcome was not expected. CNN was dumbstruck as things fell apart, and Hunter Biden did not begin the day expecting to still be facing questions over his fate in the tax and firearm charges, not to mention potential exposure for future charges to be brought against him for other crimes.
This is a developing story and may be updated.