Hunter Biden‘s lawyers were accused last night of an ethical violation in misrepresenting their representation in the case. Jessica Bengels of Latham & Watkins, the head of the firm’s litigation group, is accused of lying to the court clerk in seeking to remove an amicus (or “friend of the court”) brief from access to the public. The clerk insisted that Bengels stated that she was representing the amicus, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, who filed the details on recent evidence showing a “sweetheart deal” behind the plea bargain.
The court gave Latham a deadline of last night to respond and it is insisting that this was all due to “an unfortunate and unintentional miscommunication.” They attached an affidavit from Bengels who said that it was all a misunderstanding:
“At around 11.54am, another Court employee called my Latham & Watkins phone number (which I believe she knew through caller ID) to let me know she would be removing the material from the docket. She did not ask which law firm I was affiliated with, and at no time during this call did I mention anything about my law firm affiliation… I believe there may have been some confusion when Julia passed the information on to the other Court employee, resulting in a mistaken understanding that I had called from Mr. Kittila’s firm…I am completely confident that I never indicated that I was calling from Mr. Kittila’s firm or that I worked with him in any way.”
The entire matter could be a misunderstanding, but the clerk clearly did not think so. The problem for Hunter could be a delay in accepting the plea bargain. It is not clear what additional evidence the Court could secure on the issue, but it could want interviews on the record.
I still believe that it is unlikely that the court would refuse to sign off on the plea bargain. Most judges are leery of demanding more charges against a defendant. That is a matter usually left to the discretion of the prosecutors. The investigation and implications of this dubious deal will ultimately be left to Congress.
At what point do those stuck in the lower-tier (majority of Americans) of the justice get to claim their rights have been violated because they did not get the equal treatment afforded those in the upper-tier (privileged-class)? Is this plea deal something a normie can cite as a precedent for their tax evasion, money laundering, FERA violation, or gun charge?
Indeed, Olly. Sounds like a slew of 14th violations might qualify as a nation-wide class-action.
OLLY,
That Navy sub guy tried to use the Hillary Clinton defense of classified material in his trial.
Him, being a normie and not a member of the upper-tier privileged class got convicted.
With the Clinton case and the on-going corruption of the DOJ, the FBI and the IRS the Democrats are not even trying to hide the two tiered justice system.
And they wonder why the public has lost trust in these institutions.
I absolutely agree UF. Other than a Schedule F cleansing of those corrupt institutions, is there a legal path like JAFO suggested under the 14th amendment to argue someone or an entire class of people had their rights violated by citing cases proving unequal treatment under the law?
“And they wonder why the public has lost trust in these institutions.” UpstateFarmer, they don’t wonder at all, they simply don’t care – and giggle all the way to the bank.
JAFO,
Yeah, there is that too.
Olly, isn’t that what pitch forks are for?
😉 Sure IB, and Biden has warned that he’s got F16’s and nukes.
Remember when the DC judge Emmitt Sullivan refused to accept the plea deal for Michael Flynn even though both sides agreed that he was railroaded? It was fine for that judge to play the hero and go against all common sense and decency, but I am willing to wager a ton that this judge will let Hunter’s fake deal go through.
As recent history has shown us, nobody….absolutely nobody, is going to jail for this.
Surprise surprise.
This judge will not be treated well in the history books if she accepts the brazenly corrupt Hunter Biden plea deal.
The Republicans are obsessed over Hunter Biden. Democrats are indifferent. He could go to jail and they would not care. He is not a government official and never has been.
Democrats, by and large, mistake Joe Biden for the anti-Trump.
*wonder where they got that idea?
He is a criminal using his father’s political position to shakedown foreign governments for money! His father is a corrupt president.
Private citizens don’t get to fly around on Air Force One all over the world, stay at the White House, attend state dinners, and have round-the-clock taxpayer-funded Secret Service protection. Hunter Biden may not be a “government official” but he has the privileges of one.
Exactly.
Or get a taxpayer funded motorcade to usher them to court….
https://twitter.com/LizWillis_/status/1684203976705572864?s=20
It is true that Dems don’t care about Hunter, but it’s not because he’s not a government official. Rather it’s because they don’t care about government corruption if it’s committed by their political allies.
The corrupt DOJ, FBI and IRS all slow rolled the fake investigations to let the limitations run out.
Had we had a impartial DOJ, FBI and IRS Hunter Biden would already serving multi-year conviction.
This is a clear case of a two tiered justice system. This is the reason why see it, know it, and are angry.
It will reflect in the coming election. If Biden and make it that long.
You know what is so funny–people like sammy are so blinded by tribalism and the thrill of moral preening that they’ll support/defend the indefensible. But in the end, they are suckers. The Biden family gets to keep its ill-gotten gains as a result of people like sammy–people who are willing to do things like post silly nonsense on blogs. Sammy doesn’t even get a “They went to Rehoboth, and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.” Rather, Sammy gets to debase him or herself. One simple question, sammy, why would Burisma hire Hunter if not for the influence?
Spot on. It’s not like he was a fountain of brilliance in the oil industry. He couldn’t get a job as a clerk in an oil company if not for being the then-VP’s son.
Dear Prof Turley,
Whatever happens, it’s another Trump-appointed judge .. . and you can’t blame Biden for that.
*FBI Dir. Wray (and Comey) is also Trump-appointed . .. Biden has nothing to do with it, knows nothing and probably didn’t even get up this morning.
We may never know exactly what happened in this matter, but there are still many things we can be reasonable certain of: 1. Joe Biden, and members of his extended family, have been running an influence peddling operation for many decades. 2. Hunter Biden has been a key member of this team since he left college and got his first $500K a year job through his fathers influence. 3. Washington political and media elites have been well aware of the Biden family criminal enterprise for many decades, but have chosen to remain silent, as they knew the intellectually and morally challenged Joe Biden was a key ally. 4. Biden’s corruption seems likely to have long since exceeded the bar for illegal influence peddling, money laundering and fraud. 5. Joe Biden way we’ll have taken one or more bribes from foreign entities, and then took action to reward the bribers. 6. Joe Biden has reached a point where his physical and mental capabilities would make him unable to respond to these growing allegations, and is now allowing democrat politicians and fellow travelers in corporate media to cover for his corruption. 7. The fact that the AG continues to avoid appointing a Special Council raises questions on his own intelligence, character, morality, judgment and common sense. 8. Foreign friends and enemies do not look to the NYT’s or MSNBC for understanding the current state of affairs. They clearly see the President of the United States as what he is – an intellectually and morally challenged buffoon now unable to even coherently read someone else’s thoughts off a teleprompter. They see the Vice President, Kamala Harris, as a clown, unable to even pretend to be competent. 9. The American people – without the help of corporate media – are at long last finally seeing through this vail of incompetence and corruption, and are losing confidence in, and respect for, the President, the DOJ, the FBI, Congress, Corporate Media, and the various executive branch federal agencies that seem to have the goal of unnecessary making working people’s lives miserable.
On the positive side, I continue to do what I’ve done for over 77 years – get up each day – appreciate how luckily I’ve been to have been born in this country – raised by great parents – married (57 years ago) a wonderful women – have two great children and two wonderful grandchildren – and continue to live a happy and rewarding life.
I don’t know if Joe Biden will ever be held accountable in this life, but comfortably certain there will be judgement for him in the next – and that the Biden family name will eventually become a synonym for corruption.
I could also go on about Trump, various politicians, many in corporate media, and various leftist and coastal elites, but then I would just be repeating myself. Well, off to lunch with my wife, and continuing to prepare for an upcoming family trip to a villa in Tuscany!
Wonderful comment. Enjoy the Brunello!
I agree with Thersites, great comment, but try Piedmonte sometime. The Barolo and Barbaresco are wonderful–as are the many many DOC and DOCG wines available, unlike in Tuscany where there are fewer grape varieties and more blends.
The interesting thing here…
Does the judge get told that one of Hunter’s buddies was embedded into the Prosecutor’s office?
That the fix was in at the get go?
The plea deal is so egregious that it should be set aside.
But it will most likely won’t happen.
This is what happens when you have a political class.
-G
It begs the question – why would a paralegal from an unrelated law firm be calling and making the request to remove the amicus brief at all? Latham and Watkins is not part of the case. That question is not answered by her affidavit. The Judge should ask why the call was made in the first place.
Future generations of Americans will use the name”Joe Biden” as a moniker for corruption and treason, as had my generation done with the name “Benedict Arnold”.
If a court employee called her by mistake, telling her that the material was being removed, why didn’t she clarify that she had nothing to do with the request, and that the employee should call the other attorney (Kittila)? By her silence, she was perpetuating a fraud upon the Court.
It was probably a misunderstanding by the clerk, but the Democrats have forfeited public trust, and this includes clerks and judges, who are going to be on the alert for dirty tricks and instinctively and rationally be suspicious of them when anything unusual happens.
No misunderstanding.
The lawyers are trained to lie for a living.
Oh, your honor, I merely misspoke. I apologize for the confusion….
Yeah right.
Leona Helmsley, “Taxes are for the little people”.
The likelihood that this judge or any judge is able to withstand the immense pressure from above to accept the deal is very low.
I’ll be shocked if the deal is off even in the face of egregious attorney ethics violations.
Well, you must be shocked as am I. Now, with the attorney face any ethics charges? I doubt it. I’d be shocked.
Mr Turley, is it really that unlikely for a judge to reject a plea deal when so many corrupt allegations are being made against not only the defendant but the prosecutors as well?
Before we jump to conclusions…remember this is dirty tricks political season, think AI. This is a good one under any circumstances. Piss the judge off at a time like this could be brilliant or stupid depending who the mastermind was.
And it is a sorry state of affairs that we need think that the new, rising, potentially dangerous mechanism of AI will add another level of distrust in, not only our government, but any media other than 2 tin cans and a string.
Judge is between a rock and a hard place.
Go against the Democrat establishment, or sign off on a manipulated investigation.
Either way, she will make enemies (no upside).
The entire Hunter investigation stinks.
Rules for thee but not for me
Of course, it was a misunderstanding. All Biden skullduggery is. C’mon man !
Jon, Does it get tiring pointing out that the rule of law is dead?
sorry but 100% of DC is corrupt
and the GOP happily pays the Democrats to CONTINUE
DC Machiavellians $40 Trillion…American Little People -$40 trillion