Hunter Biden asks judge to subpoena Donald Trump, ex-Justice Department officials in criminal case

First son Hunter Biden on Wednesday asked the federal judge presiding over his criminal case in Delaware to approve subpoenas of former President Donald Trump and his former top Justice Department officials as he argues that his investigation was the result of "incessant, improper, and partisan pressure" from the former president and his allies. 

The court filing asked U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump appointee, to subpoena the former president, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, according to NBC News. 

"Mr. Biden seeks specific information from three former DOJ officials and the former President that goes to the heart of his defense that this is, possibly, a vindictive or selective prosecution arising from an unrelenting pressure campaign beginning in the last administration, in violation of Mr. Biden’s Fifth Amendment rights under the Constitution," the filing states. 

"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,'" Biden's attorneys also said in the document. 

Noreika is presiding over Biden's case involving federal firearms charges, to which he pleaded not guilty last month.

The case was brought by special counsel David Weiss after Biden's plea deal on misdemeanor tax charges fell through when Noreika questioned the constitutionality of the proposal. 

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