ROGER KIMBALL: Hunter’s sweetheart deal goes bust.

The chief thing to keep in mind as you savor the soap opera of Hunter Biden’s faux prosecution is that Hunter’s story is inseparable from the story of dear old dad, “the Big Guy,” Mr. 10 percent, i.e., Joe Biden, president of the United States. Yesterday, Hunter was supposed to plead guilty in a Delaware court to a sweetheart deal.

How sweet? Recognized medical authorities say it should come with a warning to diabetics. It’s so sweet, in fact, that Hunter, though he failed to pay more (way more) than $1 million in income tax, was going to be allowed to plead guilty to a couple of misdemeanor charges, avoid all jail time and — added bonus — have a felony gun charged dropped, swept under the carpet or otherwise “disappeared” just like an enemy of an Argentinean junta.

Sweet though it was, Hunter decided that the deal was not quite sweet enough when prosecutors held open the possibility of future liability for the famous once-and-future laptop owner. For her part, District Judge Maryellen Noreika was troubled by the prosecutors’ linking the tax charges to the gun charge: what did they have to do with one another? Was what they were asking her to do even constitutional?

So the plea bargain turned out to be no bargain. Judge Noreika gave the two sides thirty days to “clarify” the matter. Result: the miniseries will proceed for at least another season. The best part came on Tuesday when a lawyer on Hunter’s team rang up the court pretending to be from a GOP congressional committee. “You know that damaging file we sent to the court? Can you please take it down?”

Really? Yes really. Miranda Devine has all the details. Judge Noreika was not amused but it is not yet clear what the outcome or upshot of that “insane” (I quote a former federal prosecutor) behavior will be.

Why, it’s as if: The fix was in for Hunter Biden — until a hero judge stepped up.