The judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s paternity case abruptly recused himself from the case this week.
Lunden Alexis Roberts, 28, filed a paternity suit against Biden alleging he is the father of her infant child in May. On Tuesday, Independence County Circuit Judge Don McSpadden filed an order saying he was recusing pursuant to the Administrative Plan of the 16th Judicial Circuit but did not provide any explanation, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
Biden, 49, took a DNA test that proved “with scientific certainty” that he fathered Roberts’s child after he denied the claim. Her lawyer said she was filing the lawsuit because she “wants this baby to get financial support from the baby’s father” but added, “She really does not want this to be a media spectacle. She does not want this to affect Joe Biden’s campaign.”
The case took an unexpected turn nearly two weeks ago when a private investigation firm claimed Biden is the subject of criminal inquiries for “fraud, money laundering and a counterfeiting scheme” in court documents. However, McSpadden removed it from the record after the former vice president’s son argued that “the notice is filed by a non-party simply to make scandalous allegations in the pending suit to gain some media attention.”
One of the firm’s allegations of improper activity relates to Biden’s work with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company. His time on the board, while his father was vice president, became the subject of scrutiny from Republicans, including President Trump. The president’s call for Ukraine to launch an investigation into Biden’s work with the company spurred his impeachment in the House of Representatives.
