Hunter Biden's legal team is defending their decision to include Rudy Giuliani's name in the upcoming tax evasion trial. The move has sparked a dispute with special counsel David Weiss, who is prosecuting the case.
According to Newsweek, the disagreement centers around a glossary of key terms and individuals to be used during the trial.
Mark Geragos, Hunter Biden's attorney, responded to Weiss's accusations of potentially violating court rules by including non-agreed-upon names, such as former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Geragos argued that the inclusion of these names does not necessarily mean they will be discussed in front of the jury, explaining that they could be mentioned during proceedings outside the jury's presence.
Special counsel David Weiss expressed his concerns in an eight-page filing on Thursday. He claimed that the defense counsel had proposed additional names that the government believed would violate the court's ruling on motions.
Weiss's filing suggested that the inclusion of these names, particularly Giuliani's, could potentially impact the fairness of the trial.
In response, Geragos strongly rejected Weiss's characterization of the situation. He argued that the special counsel was attempting to cast the defense in a negative light and prejudice the defendant before the court. Geragos emphasized that the defense has no intention of violating any court orders by including these names.
The dispute highlights the tension between the prosecution and defense as they prepare for the upcoming trial. Both sides are carefully navigating the legal boundaries and attempting to establish their strategies for the courtroom proceedings.
The trial in question revolves around tax evasion charges against Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden. The Department of Justice announced the indictment on December 8, 2023, alleging that Hunter Biden failed to pay millions of dollars in taxes on consultancy fees earned from foreign business interests.
According to the indictment, Hunter Biden earned substantial income while serving on the boards of Ukrainian industrial conglomerate Burisma and a Chinese private equity fund. Prosecutors claim that between 2016 and October 2020, he received more than $7 million in total gross income.
The charges against Hunter Biden include three felony tax offenses and six misdemeanor tax offenses. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The indictment alleges that instead of paying his taxes, Biden spent large sums on personal expenses, including drugs, escorts, luxury hotels, and exotic cars.
The trial is set to begin on September 9, with jury selection starting on September 5. As both sides prepare for the courtroom battle, the dispute over the inclusion of names like Rudy Giuliani's demonstrates the intricate legal maneuvering taking place.
Hunter Biden's legal team is defending their decision to include Rudy Giuliani's name in the upcoming tax evasion trial, which has led to a dispute with special counsel David Weiss. The disagreement centers around the inclusion of names in a glossary for trial use, with Weiss concerned about potential court rule violations. Hunter Biden's attorney, Mark Geragos, argues that the names are for discussions outside the jury's presence, emphasizing no intention to break court orders.
