Federal prosecutors are requesting that a judge deny Hunter Biden’s request to delay his upcoming California tax trial, as he faces a busy summer with both that trial and a separate criminal trial in Delaware. Special Counsel David Weiss argues that Biden’s attorney previously agreed to the trial dates and that there are no valid reasons for a continuance. The Delaware trial is set to begin on June 3, while the California trial is scheduled to start on June 20. Despite objections from Biden’s legal team, a federal judge has rejected a request to delay the Delaware trial until September.
In the Delaware case, Biden is accused of lying about his drug use in order to purchase a gun that he kept for 11 days in 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to the federal gun charges. In California, he faces three felonies and six misdemeanors related to over $1.4 million in taxes owed between 2016 and 2019. A plea agreement between Biden and prosecutors was rejected by a judge, leading to the case proceeding to trial. The three-judge panel of a federal appeals court has also allowed the tax case against Biden to move forward.
Weiss argues that Biden’s attorney is attempting to delay the trial in California due to his involvement in the Delaware gun case, despite previously agreeing to the trial dates. The motion for a continuance of 77 days has been met with resistance from prosecutors and the court. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika believes that everything necessary can be accomplished by the start date of the Delaware trial on June 3. The federal court has indicated that both the Delaware and California cases will proceed as scheduled.
The legal battles facing Hunter Biden have raised questions about the credibility of Weiss as a special counsel, especially in light of the rejection of the plea agreement in the California tax case. Biden’s attorney has been accused of being “all over the map” in his handling of the cases. There have been calls for Weiss to testify before Congress regarding his handling of the case. Despite the challenges facing him, Biden maintains his innocence and is prepared to defend himself in both trials.
As the legal drama surrounding Hunter Biden continues to unfold, the upcoming trials in California and Delaware will be closely watched. The rejection of a plea agreement in the California tax case has set the stage for a high-profile trial, while the federal gun charges in Delaware add another layer of complexity to Biden’s legal troubles. The denial of a continuance for the California trial and the refusal to delay the Delaware trial indicate that the courts are moving forward with both cases. Hunter Biden’s legal team will need to mount a vigorous defense as he faces the possibility of significant penalties if convicted.
