On Wednesday, one of the firearms charges against Hunter Biden was withdrawn by Special Counsel David Weiss, as Breitbart News reported.
The Associated Press reported it as a procedural step, saying that on Wednesday, the prosecutors who initially charged Hunter Biden with gun offenses moved to formally dismiss a gun count that had been a part of a plea arrangement that ultimately fell through.
A claim that he violated a law that prohibits drug addicts from owning guns when he bought a gun in 2018, during a period of time when he has acknowledged battling addiction, has been dropped as a result of a procedural step.
The accusation against the president's son now includes three counts, all of which relate to the same purchase and accuse him of either possessing a gun or making a false statement.
David Weiss, the special counsel who is supervising the case, has not yet brought any additional tax accusations against the defendants.
As part of the deal that Hunter Biden struck with prosecutors, it was anticipated that he would not be prosecuted on the gun accusation and instead plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses.
The agreement, however, fell through after a judge questioned its validity during a hearing in July, and a new indictment was handed down a few weeks after that.
On Tuesday, Hunter Biden entered a plea of not guilty to the accusations, which pushes the matter closer to the possibility of going to trial as the 2024 election draws closer.
The decision that Weiss made to "renege on the previously agreed-upon plea agreement" is still in place and binding, according to the legal brief that Hunter Biden's attorneys submitted to the court in August.
A felony gun violation was effectively removed from Hunter Biden's record as a result of the diversion deal, which enabled him to plead guilty to some misdemeanor tax offenses.
Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Hunter Biden, stated on Tuesday before United States Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke that he intended to submit a motion to have the accusations against his client dismissed.
Lowell is of the opinion that the "sweetheart" plea deal that was reached in July will continue to be in effect, and that the Guns Act, which prohibits drug users from possessing firearms, is unconstitutional.
Hunter Biden was informed by Judge Burke that the motion needs to be submitted this year, no later than November 3.
