The Hunter Biden saga has taken yet another interesting turn, with the overseeing judge, Maryellen Noreika, threatening to sanction Biden’s legal team over deliberate misrepresentation.
Latham & Watkins lawyer Jessica Bengels allegedly pretended to be calling from another law firm in an attempt to remove certain documents from the public court docket. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith had earlier filed these documents to block Biden’s plea agreement. The documents, based on recent whistleblower testimony, suggest Biden received preferential treatment from the IRS.
Noreika ordered Biden’s attorneys to justify in writing why they shouldn’t face sanctions following Bengels’ suspicious phone call to the clerk’s office.
“The matter under consideration appears to stem from an unfortunate and unintentional miscommunication,” said Matthew Salerno, a Biden attorney, denying any wrongdoing. According to a declaration from Bengels, she clarified that she had revealed her law firm’s name during the call and indicated that the documents were filed by attorney Theodore Kittila’s firm, representing Chairman Smith. She also stated that any miscommunication may have resulted from information being incorrectly relayed between court employees.
Meanwhile, Kittila expressed his deep concern about the episode, noting that the documents had been publicly accessible since June 2023. “Moreover, the documents that were made public were redacted by both counsel for the minority and the majority members of the Ways and Means Committee,” Kittila wrote.
