If Hunter Biden was supposed to be allowed to walk free because his father is the president, someone forgot to tell Delaware federal district court judge Maryellen Noreika,
In a story that’s seen more twists and turns than the mirror maze at Coney Island, a confident Hunter Biden was brought back to the real world by Noreika, who refused to play along with the “sweetheart deal” proposed by the Department of Justice.
Historically, plea deals are pushed through the court process without challenge, especially when the case is a high-profile one like Hunter’s. It’s rare they collapse in the courtroom before a judge.
Noreika is a Trump-appointed judge, a fact the administration quickly seized on in defense of the plea deal. Prior to this turn of events, she was described as a “highly respected, sought-after” attorney who had “a vast knowledge of the law and a thorough understanding of the courts. During her confirmation hearings, Senator Chris Coons (DE-D) emphasized Noreika’s “impressive trial skills, deep experience in federal practice, and profound respect for the law.”
Although the left is attempting to write Noreika off as biased, the judge has given generously to candidates on both sides of the aisle, including Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain. She additionally made a sizeable donation to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
This isn’t the first time Noreika has been involved with Hunter’s twisted story. In March 2023, she ruled that a defamation lawsuit, filed by Hunter’s laptop repairman, could proceed against CNN, Hunter Biden, and Politico.
Hunter’s plea deal saw him plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion and dismissal of the felony gun charge dismissed as long as he remained free of drugs and crime. But the issue that most concerned Noreika was the immunity clause, offering Hunter protection from other potential crimes. This was especially troubling given the ongoing investigation into Hunter’s alleged criminal activities.
A contingency in the plea deal would prevent Hunter Biden from being charged in with additional crimes in any other ongoing or future investigation. This contingency is well-timed as the walls are closing in around Hunter and his father regarding overseas bribery and corruption. The clause plainly stated that Hunter could not be charged with additional tax violations, but it was unclear if this plea deal was intended to exempt him from more serious but unrelated charges in current ongoing investigations.
Despite the left’s spin on her ruling, Norieka expressed concern for Hunter, explaining, “I can’t let him plea to something if he thinks he has protection from something and he doesn’t.”
During the hearing, it became clear that there was a disconnect between the legal teams. Prosecutors believed that the tax evasion charges were separate from the gun charges, while Hunter’s legal team believed the two were connected.
In an almost laughable hypocrisy, Hunter’s team noted that, because of Noreika’s Trump-era appointment, they would have to take “politics into consideration” as the case moved forward. The same critics defend the choices of venues and judges in Trump’s case, despite their open hostility and expressed hatred of the former president.
Hunter’s deal, much like Hunter himself, has been plagued with issues that, surprisingly, aren’t entirely his fault.
One such issue occurred when an employee at the legal firm representing Hunter allegedly misrepresented herself to a court clerk’s office, claiming to work for a Republican lawyer. Her goal was to convince the clerk to remove documents containing Hunter’s tax information.
As Biden’s team became increasingly annoyed, Hunter was seen throwing his hands up in the air in frustration that his sweetheart deal had fallen apart.
Noreika acknowledged Hunter’s frustration, saying, “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.”
When pressured for a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre couldn’t resist the urge to politicize the trial. “As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son, and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life. This case was handled independently, as all of you know, by the Justice Department under the leadership of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President Trump.”
