Hunter Biden wants the judge presiding over his criminal case in Delaware federal court to sign off on subpoenas of former President Donald Trump and top officials in his Justice Department, arguing that his investigation was the direct result of “incessant, improper, and partisan pressure” from Trump and his allies.
The court filing Wednesday asks Judge U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump nominee, to issue subpoenas to Trump, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.
“In the lead up to the 2020 election, IRS case files show certain investigative decisions were made ‘as a result of guidance provided’ by, among others, ‘the Deputy Attorney General’s office,’” the filing said.
It also cites a passage from Barr’s recent book where he said Trump called him in Oct. 2020 asking about the status of the probe into Joe Biden’s son.
“These confirmations of communications give more than a mere appearance that President Trump improperly and unrelentingly pressured DOJ to pursue an investigation and prosecution of Mr. Biden to advance President Trump’s partisan ambitions,” said the filing by Hunter Biden’s attorney Abbe Lowell.
It also cites pressure from House Republicans on special counsel David Weiss, who the GOP argued was taking it easy on Hunter Biden by offering him a plea deal to end the years-long tax and gun charges probe.
Lowell said that pressure “culminated in Special Counsel Weiss’s then changing course and bringing this Indictment on September 14 against Mr. Biden, charging three felony counts for the same gun and same facts that just a few months prior Mr. Weiss had agreed to divert under a pre-trial diversion agreement.”
The proposed subpoenas would call for the four to turn over all “documents and records (personal or official platforms) reflecting communications” during the Trump administration “relating to or discussing any formal or informal investigation or prosecution of Hunter Biden, including, but not limited to, any decision, referral, or request to investigate or not investigate or charge or not charge Hunter Biden.”
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to the gun charges in October.
NBC News has reached out to the special counsel’s office for comment.
