Judge dismisses Hunter Biden tax charges -- for now

Federal Judge Mary Ellen Noreika dismissed two misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden on Thursday after a prior plea deal fell apart, but it probably won't be the end of Biden's legal woes on the charges.

The judge was expected to drop the charges but could end up refiling them or other tax-related counts as the case moves forward following the impasse.

Biden's legal team accused prosecutor David Weiss of reneging on the plea agreement, but Weiss said it wasn't possible for him to renege when the deal was never actually in place.

The sticking point was whether Biden would still be under investigation after the deal was finalized, with Weiss saying he was still being investigated over whether he violated FARA by not registering as a foreign agent when he conducted business overseas.

Biden still faces a felony gun charge for owning a firearm while he was using drugs and lying about it on a permit application.

A diversion program that he was supposed to enter in order to have the charge expunged from his record was also questioned by Noreika for its apparent immunity clause and will now probably be abandoned as well.