Biden convicted of felony charges relating to gun purchase
U.S. President Joe Biden’s troubled son, Hunter, is facing as long as 25 years in prison after being convicted of three felony charges Tuesday related to a fraudulent gun purchase.
Prosecutors argued Hunter Biden lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form when he bought a revolver in 2018 by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs.
It’s unclear how long of a sentence he’ll get. As a first-time offender, he may not be given any time behind bars. The sentence is up to Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was nominated to the bench by Donald Trump
Noreika noted that sentencing typically is 120 days out, but no sentencing date was set after the verdict was read Tuesday.
Hunter Biden has another court case set in September for the unrelated charge of tax evasion.
Hunter Biden’s addiction
Hunter Biden has for years struggled with addiction to crack cocaine. Jurors saw images of the president’s son bare-chested and dishevelled in a filthy room, and half-naked holding crack pipes.
His lawyers, however, argued that at the time of his gun purchase, he was in recovery and no longer considered himself an addict. Hunter’s daughter, Naomi, testified that he seemed be improving in the weeks before he bought the gun.
Hunter Biden has said he has been sober since 2019. Prosecutors used his memoir to make the case he knew he was still an addict when he purchased the gun. They also presented a text message he sent weeks after the gun purchase in which he wrote that he was an addict.
What happened to the gun?
Hunter Biden had the gun for 11 days before Hallie Biden, his brother’s widow, found it unloaded in his truck, panicked and threw it away. It was found by a man collecting recyclables who gave it to the police.
Could Hunter Biden receive a Presidential pardon?
Joe Biden has steered clear of the federal courtroom in Delaware where his son was tried and said little about the case, wary of creating an impression of interfering in a criminal matter brought by his own Justice Department. But allies of the Democrat have worried about the toll that the trial — and now the conviction — will take on the 81-year-old, who has long been concerned with his only living son’s health and sustained sobriety.
“As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” Biden said in the wake of his son’s conviction. “Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.
“As I also said last week, I will accept the outcome of this case and will continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal,” the president added. “Jill and I will always be there for Hunter and the rest of our family with our love and support. Nothing will ever change that.”
Hunter Biden and Trump have both argued they were victimized by the politics of the moment. But while Trump has continued to falsely claim the verdict was “rigged,” Joe Biden has said he would accept the results of the verdict and would not seek to pardon his son. The president has the power to pardon federal crimes, such as the ones Hunter Biden was convicted of.
Hunter Biden has said he was charged because the Justice Department bowed to pressure from Republicans who argued the Democratic president’s son was getting special treatment.
Hunter Biden nearly secured a plea deal but it fell apart after Trump and other Republicans derided what they called a “sweetheart deal” to insulate the president’s son from consequences.
The defence has noted that charges related to gun possession by drug users are rare when not in connection with a more serious crime.
Still, the Trump campaign was not satisfied with the conviction Tuesday.
“This trial has been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family, which has raked in tens of millions of dollars from China, Russia and Ukraine. Crooked Joe Biden’s reign over the Biden Family Criminal Empire is all coming to an end on November 5th, and never again will a Biden sell government access for personal profit. As for Hunter, we wish him well in his recovery and legal affairs.”
There is no evidence to support any of these claims.
Another trial on the horizon
Hunter Biden’s legal troubles aren’t over. He faces a trial in September in California on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
Congressional Republicans have also signalled they will keep investigating him for his business dealings in Ukraine, which Republicans assert were corrupt and an effort on the part of the company that hired him to gain influence over the Obama administration. This is part of Republicans’ stalled impeachment effort into the president that seeks to link him to this alleged corruption. The president has not been accused or charged with any wrongdoing by prosecutors investigating his son.
With files from the Associated Press
This article was first reported by The Star
