Week In a Nutshell, 6/23/23

June 23, 2023 | Updated Jun 29 2023

Hunter Biden speaks during the World Food Program USA's 2016 McGovern-Dole Leadership Award Ceremony. (Kris Connor/WireImage)

Here are some of the legal news stories making headlines this week:

Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to two federal tax charges and enter into a pretrial diversion agreement on a gun charge.

Prosecutors charged Hunter Biden with two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes. He is expected to be sentenced to two years of probation for pleading guilty to these crimes. Separately, Hunter Biden stands charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. ugs. For that charge, he has agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement, which requires him to never again own a firearm and remain drug-free for two years.
As long as the conditions of the agreement are followed, prosecutors will drop the gun charge and Biden will avoid serving time in jail. The deal must be approved by Trump-appointed federal district judge Maryellen Noreika, who is overseeing the case.
Despite the guilty plea, House Republicans have vowed to continue their investigations into Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden, and other members of the Biden family. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said, “The Department of Justice’s charges against President Biden’s son Hunter reveal a two-tiered system of justice…These charges against Hunter Biden and sweetheart plea deal have no impact on the Oversight Committee’s investigation. We will not rest until the full extent of President Biden’s involvement in the family’s schemes are revealed.”

There are a number of developments related to January 6.

According to a Washington Post report, FBI and DOJ leadership resisted, for over a year, launching an investigation into Donald Trump’s involvement in January 6..
A federal judge sentenced January 6 rioter Daniel Rodriguez to 12-and-a-half years in prison for his conduct that day. Rodriguez shoved a stun gun into the neck of then-D.C. police officer Michael Fanone during the riot. Earlier this year, he pled guilty to four counts, including assault with a dangerous weapon and obstruction of an official proceeding. As Rodriguez was escorted out of the courtroom at the end of the hearing, he shouted, “Trump won!”
Conservative attorney John Eastman is facing potential disbarment in California for his involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The State Bar of California filed 11 disciplinary charges against Eastman for allegedly devising the plan to obstruct the electoral vote count in a number of states. The Bar also accused him of making false and misleading statements concerning election integrity during a speech at the Ellipse on the morning of January 6. The proceedings are expected to last through next week.