Hunter Biden’s plea deal over tax and gun crimes is dead in the water, federal prosecutors in Delaware confirmed Friday, weeks after a routine court hearing on the matter devolved into chaos. The president’s son showed up in court last month expecting to formalize the deal, under which he would have pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of failure to pay income tax in exchange for avoiding prison time and having the gun charge dropped. But a judge balked at some provisions in the deal. In particular, Biden’s lawyers were under the impression that the deal gave Biden immunity from future prosecution—something the feds, who are still probing Biden on other matters, disputed. In a Friday filing, prosecutors wrote, “Following additional negotiations after the hearing held on July 26, 2023, the parties are at an impasse and are not in agreement on either a plea agreement or a diversion agreement.” The only solution was a trial, they said, but that wouldn’t be able to happen in Delaware because the offenses in question occurred elsewhere. Biden’s lawyers have not yet responded to the filing.
