Monday marks the start of jury selection in Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s gun trial, the first prosecution of a sitting president’s child in US history, and it coincides with the Democratic leader’s attempt to quicken his reelection campaign.
Following another historic trial in which potential presidential candidate Donald Trump was found guilty of a felony, Republicans are eager to divert attention from their front-runner’s legal troubles.
Hunter Biden, 54, has admitted that he had a serious drug addiction at the time of his purchase of a.38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver in 2018. He is denying three criminal counts related to this transaction.
The Yale-trained lawyer and lobbyist-turned-artist has been plagued by legal troubles and controversies, mostly connected to alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, that have dragged on his father’s campaign.
In Wilmington, Delaware, the family’s hometown, he will stand trial on two charges of falsifying documents related to gun purchases to claim he was not using drugs unlawfully.
He was only in possession of the firearm for 11 days in October 2018, which brings him up for a third accusation of illegal possession.
Hunter Biden almost got away with it. But a plea deal collapsed in July of last year.
If proven guilty, Biden might spend 25 years behind bars; however, in reality, jail is rarely the result of such acts, especially if there are no additional charges involved.
‘Rehabilitation’
Prosecutors will recount to the jury the defendant’s drug use and the sequence of events that culminated in his purchase of the handgun in Delaware.
The prosecution has argued for more specific definitions of the terms “addict” and “user,” and they have asked for directions mandating the defendant’s acquittal in the event that the jury finds that the defendant did not believe he met those criteria.
His attorney, Abbe Lowell, stated in court filings that “the terms ‘user’ or ‘addict’ are not defined on the form and were not explained to him.”
“Someone, like Mr. Biden who had just completed an 11-day rehabilitation program and lived with a sober companion after that, could surely believe he was not a present tense user or addict.”
Hunter’s brother Beau Biden’s widow Hallie Biden, the defendant’s lover at the time of the weapon incident, is allegedly among those likely to testify.
Republicans are conducting an impeachment investigation in Congress into what they allege to be a criminal conspiracy involving the Biden family, despite the fact that they have not shown any supporting documentation.
Hunter Biden has not been prosecuted with any crimes pertaining to his international transactions, despite accusations from Republican senators that he engaged in fraudulent business practices in China and Ukraine.
According to the president, he loves and supports his son in his efforts to overcome his drug addiction.
Democrats who support Biden, including Congressman Adam Schiff, stated on CNN on Sunday that people should “absolutely” respect the jury’s decision, no matter how it is rendered.
“And I think the president himself will respect the verdict — much as it is painful, I’m sure, to see one of your children on trial.”
The untelevised trial is expected to run roughly two weeks, with prosecutors estimating that it will take three days to deliver their case.
A trial for Hunter Biden’s separate tax evasion allegations is scheduled for later this year in California.
In a Manhattan court last week, Trump was found guilty on 34 charges of fabricating financial documents to hide the payment of hush money to an adult film star.
