Hunter Biden’s attorneys lobbed a serious threat to get negotiations going on a plea deal when the legal scrutiny of the president’s son was becoming more intense. A lengthy article in Politico by Betsy Woodruff details the behind-the-scenes maneuvers that Hunter’s lawyers and the Justice Department made in crafting the infamous plea deal, where the younger Biden would have essentially evaded jail time for tax and gun charges that were blessedly shot down by a judge who hadn’t lost the plot. The gun charge stemmed from when the crack-cocaine-addicted Hunter bought a handgun in 2018. It was disposed of by his then-girlfriend, Hallie Biden. Lying on a 4473 form while purchasing a firearm carries a jail sentence of up to 15 years.

Hunter Biden’s lawyers were shrewd in getting the Justice Department’s attention regarding how to move past this legal drama. They claimed the leaked details behind the gun fiasco involving the president’s son was an “illegal” act that could have Second Amendment considerations. Second, they threatened to put Joe Biden on the stand, thereby creating a potential constitutional crisis, as he would be a defense witness in a case brought on by his own DOJ. The piece includes how the witness testimony from IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Zeigler, where they alleged pervasive DOJ interference in their probes involving Hunter, might have derailed this sweetheart plea deal.