Lawyers on Tuesday began presenting opening arguments in the federal gun possession case against Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, following jury selection for the trial.
Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a firearm in 2018, when, according to his memoirs, he was mired in crack addiction. He is accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the application that he did not use drugs, and illegally keeping the gun for 11 days.
Hunter Biden arrived at the courthouse with his wife, Melissa, in an SUV. First lady Jill Biden and his sister Ashley Biden joined him in court again.
The process comes after the collapse of a plea deal, which would have avoided the spectacle of a trial very close to the 2024 election. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty and claims he is being unfairly attacked by the Department of Justice because Republicans condemned the now-defunct plea deal, saying it was special treatment for the Democratic president’s son.
The trial takes place just days before Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City. The cases are not related to each other, but their proximity underscores the central role the courts have played in the 2024 campaign.
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Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington and Fatima Hussein aboard Air Force One contributed to this report.
