Court denies Heritage request for DOJ case records on Hunter Biden investigation.
Federal Appeals Court Denies Expedited Release of Records in Hunter Biden Investigation
A federal appeals court in the District of Columbia has denied a request for the expedited release of records related to U.S. Attorney David Weiss’s investigation of Hunter Biden. The court’s decision came ahead of Hunter Biden’s plea deal hearing on Wednesday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit stated that the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, which sought the documents, did not meet the necessary criteria for an emergency motion for an injunction. This motion was filed after a previous denial for the records.
Denial of Request for Broader Set of Documents
Last week, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied Heritage’s request for a broader set of documents, which included all communications from Weiss’s office regarding ”special counsel status” and any communications with other U.S. attorneys’ offices that could bring charges against Hunter Biden.
Judge Friedrich determined that the plaintiffs had not shown irreparable harm, a finding that was reaffirmed by the appeals court in its denial of the emergency motion. The court has directed a briefing schedule, and a three-judge panel will review the Oversight Project’s request at a later date.
Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit
The Oversight Project filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in June, shortly after Hunter Biden was charged with two misdemeanor tax charges and a felony gun charge. The group sought a preliminary injunction to compel a nearly full response to their FOIA request by July 21, just days before Hunter Biden’s criminal proceedings.
In their court filings, the Oversight Project outlined several questions they were seeking answers to through their FOIA request, including the independence of Weiss’s investigation, whether the Attorney General misled the public about its independence, and whether Weiss was prevented from bringing felony charges against Hunter Biden in specific districts.
Plea Deal and Amicus Brief
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden’s son is expected to enter a plea deal in a federal district court in Delaware with Weiss. The terms of the deal involve Hunter Biden pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charges and entering a pretrial diversion agreement for the felony gun charge, which means he will avoid prison time.
Mike Howell, director of the Oversight Project, filed an amicus brief on Tuesday, urging the Delaware court to reject the plea deal. Howell emphasized the need for more information due to concerns about the independence of the Department’s handling of the case.
“This is not an ordinary criminal plea agreement,” Howell wrote in the amicus brief. “Amici urge this Court to defer consideration of the plea agreement until more information is known.”
Source: The Washington Examiner
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
