A federal judge is threatening Hunter Biden’s attorneys with sanctions over a confusing episode in which a staff firm member at their firm allegedly told court clerks that she was allied with a lawyer for a senior Republican congressman and wanted documents removed from the court record.
Mr. Biden’s lawyers responded to U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika by denying any malfeasance.
The attorneys say their staff member never claimed to be working alongside House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, who wants the court to consider whether investigations into Hunter Biden were politically tainted.
The mess will likely come up during a Wednesday hearing for Hunter Biden in Delaware. He is pleading guilty to a pair of federal tax misdemeanors, which will also resolve a gun charge if Mr. Biden follows certain rules.
The side fight involving Mr. Biden’s lawyers and a high-ranking Republican congressman started with Mr. Smith urging the court to consider whether the case was tainted by political interference.
“It is critical that the court consider the whistleblower materials before determining whether to accept the plea agreement,” he wrote.
A filing from the judge says a member of Hunter Biden’s legal team called the court and asked for the amicus brief to be taken down and “represented that she worked with” an attorney for Mr. Smith, according to CNN.
Mr. Biden’s attorneys disputed that version, saying they challenged Mr. Smith’s filing because it contained personal tax information and did not claim to work with Mr. Smith’s lawyer, Ted Kittila. They blamed confusion among clerks as they field multiple phone calls.
“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,” Jessica Bengels, a staffer of the law firm representing Hunter Biden, said in the affidavit to the court.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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