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Hunter Biden's Legal Team 'Fuming' at Judge

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  July 27, 2023 7:15 PM

The entitlement of Hunter Biden and the special treatment he expects never ends. The plea deal that would have allowed him to avoid jail time fell apart, as it also would have enabled him to avoid more serious charges in the future. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika also would have been unable to make changes. Given how undeniably close Hunter Biden and his attorneys were with the prosecution, they clearly did not expect Noreika to blow up the deal. In fact, he and his attorneys were even left "fuming," according to a headline from Axios.

The report goes on to describe Hunter Biden's team as having been "angry" and "dejected," and the hearing as "chaotic." But what it truly does is highlight how Hunter Biden appears to believe he is above the law:

Zoom in: Hours after the hearing, Biden's team was still fuming, suggesting that Noreika seemed intent on not letting the plea agreement go forward after deliberately questioning lawyers on both sides about the terms of the deal.

  • But the judge's questioning did reveal a disagreement over whether the agreement on the tax charges was linked to a gun charge against Biden. Prosecutors said it wasn't; Biden's team thought it was — and they repeatedly argued about it in open court. 
  • Noreika frustrated those involved in the case when, after two hours of questioning, she said she wasn't sure whether the structure of the proposed plea deal was constitutional.
  • One member of Biden's team ruefully compared Noreika to Judge Lance Ito, who presided over the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995 and was widely criticized for letting it become chaotic.
  • Others were quick to note that Noreika was appointed to the bench by former President Trump, and suggested they'd have to take politics into consideration going forward.

Zoom out: At times, Biden's team appeared exhausted by the continuing back-and-forth in court.

  • Biden attorney Chris Clark repeatedly mentioned how the investigation of Biden had gone on for five years — and cited 10-hour-long meetings "going line-by-line over my client's taxes."
  • Biden himself also partially threw up his hands at one point, frustrated that closure to his case wouldn't be coming.

Noreika seemed to sense the frustration at the end of the hearing.

  • "I know you wanted to get this done," she told Biden. "I'm sorry, but I need more information. We need to get this right."

It's particularly worth highlighting how a narrative from the legal team was to point out that former President Donald Trump appointed Noreika. Trump appointed a lot of judges, in fact. It's something that presidents get to do. Meanwhile, the Biden administration and the mainstream media that is oh so friendly to them, has pointed to how the U.S. Attorney handling the case, David Weiss, was also Trump appointed. As New Jersey's former Gov. Chris Christie, who is running in the Republican presidential primary against Trump, pointed out, "it doesn't matter," especially "if your work appears to be incompetent, and inexplicable."

Weiss has caused considerable confusion about authority he had in bringing charges, which Republicans in Congress are  trying to get answers on. The Republican-controlled House in particular is trying to get to the bottom of the multiple Hunter Biden investigations as part of their promises to the American people. 

In her tweet sharing the article, the New York Post's Miranda Devine pointed out that the mention of having "to take politics into consideration going forward" seems to have been done "without irony or any self awareness." 

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The Washington Examiner's Byron York similarly tweeted out a snarky take. 

It's not just the judge who Hunter Biden's team is angry with. Tristan Leavitt, the president of Empower Oversight, which is representing IRS whistleblower Gary Shapling, replied to York's tweet by sharing that Hunter's attorneys are claiming Shapley's testimony and documents are "prohibited by law."

In the midst of all of this, the White House still shockingly speaks to how this has been an "independent" investigation, as Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been doing, especially during this week's press briefings. 

It's no wonder that the American people are concerned about two systems of justice. Hunter Biden and his attorneys clearly thought they were getting special treatment. Noreika may be a Trump-appointed judge, but this is the heavily politicized Biden Administration Department of Justice we're dealing with here.