1 year ago
Hunter Biden’s lead attorney defending him in a federal criminal investigation will stop representing him because he could be called as a witness in the case as plea negotiations broke down, according to a Tuesday morning court filing.
Christopher Clark, a high-profile litigator who has also defended big-name business people and celebrities like Elon Musk and Mark Cuban, has represented the president’s son throughout his legal troubles. Biden was set to enter a plea deal in federal court last month, but the agreement hit a roadblock after the judge questioned the potential immunity it would grant him.
Negotiations for a plea deal are now at an “impasse,” according to David Weiss, the prosecutor who has looked into Biden’s taxes for years. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday granted Weiss special counsel status.
“It appears that the negotiation and drafting of the plea agreement and diversion agreement will be contested, and Mr. Clark is a percipient witness to those issues,” Biden’s team wrote in a court filing. “It is inadvisable for Mr. Clark to continue as counsel in this case.”
The filing also said that Biden would not face any legal hardship, given that he has other counsel in his corner. Abbe Lowell, another lawyer on Biden’s legal team, recently said that he does not believe the heightened status of Weiss translates to any additional findings against Biden, as the case currently appears headed toward a criminal trial.
English (US)