On Monday, a jury began the trial of Hunter Biden on gun charges, marking a historic criminal prosecution of a sitting president’s son that could impact the 2024 presidential election.
Hunter Biden, 54, faces trial at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware. This event occurred four days after Republican Donald Trump, the Democratic president’s rival for the Nov. 5 U.S. election, became the first former president convicted of a crime.
Authorities accuse Hunter Biden of failing to disclose his illegal drug use when he purchased a Colt Cobra .38-caliber revolver and of illegally possessing the weapon for 11 days in October 2018. He pleaded not guilty to the three felony charges.
U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, brought the case against Hunter Biden. This trial is one of Hunter Biden’s two criminal cases; he also faces federal tax charges in California.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika swore in the 12 jurors and four alternates, instructing them, “Your job is to find the facts,” and reminding them not to discuss the case with anyone, including each other.
The case will focus on Hunter Biden’s crack cocaine use and addiction, which he has publicly discussed, notably in his 2021 autobiography, “Beautiful Things.” He informed Noreika at a hearing last year that he has remained sober since mid-2019.
Republicans have used Hunter Biden’s legal issues to divert attention from Trump’s legal problems. Trump, who faces sentencing on July 11, has pleaded not guilty in three other pending criminal cases.
Hunter Biden’s wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, and his half-sister, Ashley Biden, attended the trial. Wilmington is the Bidens’ hometown. Joe Biden expressed support for his son, stating, “Jill and I love our son and we are so proud of the man he is today,” and noting that many families have loved ones who have overcome addiction.
Congressional Republicans have tried for years, without success, to find evidence of a corrupt link between Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings, including his work for Ukrainian energy company Burisma, and his father’s political influence.
Several jurors disclosed personal experiences with drug addiction. One juror had a friend who overdosed, while another, selected as an alternate, had an uncle whose drug use led to jail time.
“Substance abuse feels like an everyday part of the world,” remarked the alternate juror. Few jurors expressed strong political views, though a handful knew members of the Biden family. One potential juror, who knew Hunter Biden, told the judge, “Wilmington is a small place,” before being dismissed.
All 12 jurors must unanimously agree on Hunter Biden’s guilt to convict him. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 25 years in prison, though shorter sentences are common, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
Hunter Biden spent the weekend with his father in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where they biked and attended church together on Saturday.
Prosecutors plan to show that Hunter Biden knowingly lied when he answered “no” to a question on a federal gun purchase form about his illegal drug use. They may present evidence from Hunter Biden’s phone and iCloud account, including photos of him smoking crack and messages with drug dealers. Prosecutors may also call his former wife, Kathleen Buhle, who accused him in their 2017 divorce proceedings of spending money on drugs, alcohol, and prostitutes.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers may argue that he had completed a drug rehabilitation program before purchasing the gun and believed his answer on the form was truthful. A plea agreement that would have resolved the gun and tax charges without prison time fell apart last year after Noreika questioned its scope. Hunter Biden’s lawyers blamed Republican pressure for the plea deal’s collapse.
Over the weekend, Noreika issued multiple orders requested by prosecutors, which appeared to weaken the defense’s legal strategy. The judge ruled that the defense could not present expert testimony suggesting that people with substance abuse disorders might not consider themselves addicts, which could have helped Biden argue that he did not knowingly lie on the background check form. The government must prove that Biden knowingly lied.
