A judge told lawyers for Hunter Biden they could face sanctions over the allegation that one member of their team lied to the court clerk over the phone to get records pulled from the docket.
The threat from District Judge Maryellen Noreika came the night before a hearing is scheduled to consider a plea deal for tax and gun violations that could keep the first son out of prison.
“It appears that the caller misrepresented her identity and who she worked for in an attempt to improperly convince the clerk’s office to remove the amicus materials from the docket,” Noreika said in an order on Tuesday, according to the Daily Mail.
“Therefore, it is hereby ordered that, on or before 9pm today on July 25, 2023, counsel for defendant shall show cause as to why sanctions should not be considered for misrepresentations to the court,” the judge added.
The controversy stems from an amicus brief from a law firm representing House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), encouraging the court to “consider” whistleblower allegations from Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents who claim the criminal case led by Delaware’s U.S. Attorney David Weiss has been slow-walked in a way that precluded more serious charges against Biden.
As reported by CNN, Biden’s lawyers claimed in court filings that the clerk removed documents from Smith’s legal team from the docket “on their own accord.” Biden’s lawyers also said the documents contained “personal tax information” and a call was made to get them hidden under seal.
Smith’s attorney, Theodore Kittila, said his team “promptly contacted the clerk’s office, and we were advised that someone contacted the court representing that they worked with my office and that they were asking the court to remove” their materials from the docket.
“We immediately advised that this was inaccurate,” Kittila added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
The Daily Mail said Noreika did order transcripts from the whistleblowers, which are publicly available, under a temporary seal until after the plea hearing.
At the hearing, which is scheduled for 10 a.m, the judge will determine whether to reject the plea deal struck between Biden’s lawyers and the Department of Justice (DOJ).