A federal judge on Wednesday paused a proposed plea deal between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department that would have settled his tax and gun charges after confusion about the scope of the deal arose from both parties, The New York Times reports.
After nearly three hours of questioning either side about every detail of the agreement, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika sent them back to the drawing board to address her concerns regarding the deal's provision of broad immunity for Biden and requirement that she later determine whether Biden was meeting the terms related to his enrollment in a diversion program. "I cannot accept the plea agreement today," said Judge Noreika, a Trump appointee that was backed by two Democratic senators, adding that she would not be a "rubber stamp" after prosecutors and Biden believed they had a deal in place.
