Hunter Biden's plea agreement hearing on Wednesday went not quite as well as the US president's son apparently expected: Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the deal and he wound up submitting a not guilty plea.
At the root of Noreika's bewilderment was the fact that the Justice Department agreed to grant Hunter immunity even though its investigation into the commander-in-chief's son remained ongoing, according to US conservative media. In other words, the DoJ appeared to be ready to forgive Hunter's other sins - not just the latest tax and gun-related charges.
"Is this even constitutional?" Noreika asked, ordering those involved in the deal to file briefs explaining its structure.
Commenting on the abrupt collapse of the much-discussed plea deal, renowned legal scholar Jonathan Turley suggested it could have political implications for Joe Biden's 2024 election bid.
"This deal was, in my view, almost laughable," Turley told a US broadcaster on Wednesday.
The IRS whistleblowers just a week ago told Congress that there was an opportunity for the Department of Justice to extend the statute of limitations on the 2014 and 2015 tax matters.
"That's the Burisma issue, those are Ukraine questions," said Turley. "And, according to the whistleblowers, the Department of Justice had that opportunity and let them expire. Why?"
The legal expert anticipates these questions could be raised more frequently, and that they may expose any other potential crimes committed by Hunter Biden. In fact, chief among them would be suspected violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Earlier, Turley wrote on his blog that the DoJ somehow overlooked Hunter acting as a de facto unregistered foreign agent, an offense Trump-era associate Paul Manafort was promptly accused of. It's believed Hunter Biden likely violated FARA rules while striking business deals with foreign entities, including in China, Romania and Ukraine during and after his father's vice presidency.
Meanwhile, Devon Archer, Hunter's longtime former business partner, is due to give a closed-door testimony on Monday before congressional lawmakers. It's speculated Archer may spill the beans on Joe Biden's involvement with his son's business deals prior to assuming the presidency. Reportedly, Archer has already received threats prior to the scheduled testimony.
House GOP investigators are pushing ahead with their congressional probe into Hunter, with the Republican leadership hinting the president's son may face up to 10 criminal referrals as a result of their probe.
Earlier, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Monday that Republican lawmakers may consider an impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden over apparent financial misconduct and the Biden family's questionable business dealings. The speaker detailed the impeachment inquiry would allow Congress "to get the information to be able to know the truth."
US media has lauded the remarks on a potential Biden impeachment as the strongest comment yet from the House speaker.
The White House, Turley noted, appears to have found itself in uncharted waters.
"Now you're going to have some interesting times ahead," said Turley. "[Hunter] does not have protection on the tax issues. He just pleads not guilty. And Congress is moving ahead with a potential impeachment inquiry. And this is a brand new situation and it's not nearly as predictable as the White House had hoped."