The trial against Hunter Bidenson of the president of the United States, Joe Biden, began on Monday in a federal court in Wilmington, in the state of Delaware, with the selection of the 12 members of the jury. And this Tuesday the lawyers presented their opening arguments. The 54-year-old is accused of three offenses related to the purchase of a firearm and his drug addiction.
Hunter Biden He arrived at court on Tuesday with his wife, Melissa. The First Lady, Jill Bidenwho is not his biological mother, and his sister, Ashley Biden, accompanied him in court, the American press reported.
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The trial is classified as historical janunited states because it is the first time that the son of a sitting president faces court.
Hunter Biden, accompanied by his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, arrives at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 3, 2024 in Wilmington, Delaware. (RYAN COLLERD / AFP).
/ RYAN COLLERD
Furthermore, being in the midst of an electoral situation and with Joe Biden aspiring to re-election, the trial could harm the Democrat’s campaign, since the case of Hunter Biden It has been used constantly by Republicans as a weapon against the president.
These are the keys to the media trial:
The origin, the purchase of a revolver
On October 12, 2018, Hunter Biden He went to StarQuest Shooters & Survival Supply, a firearms store located north of Wilmington. In that place bought a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver.
As part of the procedure, he filled out a form where, among other requirements, He was asked to answer the question of whether he was an illegal user or addict of any stimulant, narcotic drug or any other controlled substance.. The president’s son marked with an X in the no box.
The Spanish newspaper El País points out that a note at the bottom of the form I asked him certify that your answers were “true, correct and complete”and warned him that he was prohibited from purchasing a weapon if he answered affirmatively to that question and that making a false statement in this regard was a crime.
Hunter Biden He bought the revolver and had it for 11 days. Then the gun appeared in a trash can in a supermarket. Greenvilleabout 10 minutes by car from the gun store.
According to his memoirs, At the time of purchasing the gun he was mired in crack addiction..
Hunter Biden attends an official state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/AFP).
/ STEFANI REYNOLDS
The charges he faces
Hunter Biden He is accused of three crimes: false statement when purchasing a firearm, false statement in documents to be kept in the files of the seller of the weapon and illegal possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors maintain that Hunter Biden He was a drug user and addict when he bought the revolver.
He has pleaded not guilty and said he is being unfairly attacked by the Justice Department because Republicans condemned a defunct plea deal on the grounds that it was special treatment for the son of the president. Democratic president.
At this point, it is worth explaining that Hunter Biden stood before federal court ready to plead guilty to minor tax crimes. But the agreement between him and prosecutors, which was going to save him a trial and avoid spending time in prison (they were going to give him two years of probation), fell apart.
The agreement had been announced in June last year. Almost three years ago, Hunter Biden had confirmed the federal investigation into his tax affairs, shortly after his father’s election, Univisión notes.
El País reports that to achieve a conviction on the two charges related to the purchase of the revolver, prosecutors must convince the jury that Hunter Biden knowingly made a false statement on your form of weapons purchases and that the lie was relevant for the operation to be closed. For the weapons possession charge, They must prove that they knew they were an illegal user of a controlled substance or that he was a drug addict and owned a firearm.
The case is expected to be over in a couple of weeks.
The sentence that Hunter Biden could receive
The court has said that Hunter Biden could receive up to 10 years in prison for the first offense of false declaration when purchasing a firearm. Five years in prison for false declaration in the documents to be kept in the files of the seller of the weapon, and others 10 years for illegal possession of a firearm. The fines that would be imposed could reach up to $250,000 for each of the crimes. He also may be sentenced to up to three years of probation.
In total, the maximum penalty would be 25 years in prison. However, the United States press maintains that sentences for those who are first offenders are not close to the maximum. Even Hunter Biden might not go to prison.
The prosecutors’ evidence
The memoir published by Hunter Biden, “Beautiful Things, in a bookstore on the day of its release in Washington, DC, on April 6, 2021. (Photo by Agnès BUN / AFP).
/ AGNES BUN
Prosecutors use excerpts from Hunter Biden’s memoirs in their indictment, Beautiful Thingsin which he acknowledges that he was addicted to drugs for four years until March 2019. Prosecutors also have text messages from the defendant from that time.
The Prosecutor’s Office wants to call Hunter Biden’s ex-wife as witnesses, Kathleen Buhlealready the widow of his older brother Beau BidenHallie Biden, with whom he later had a relationship, to testify about his addiction.
in his memories, Hunter Biden described being consumed by drugs and alcohol after his brother Beau died in 2015. at 46 years old from brain cancer. The brothers were very close, as they survived a car accident when they were young, in which their mother and little sister died, reports the AP agency.
Hunter Biden He has said he is sober since 2019. But prosecutors intend to use his memoirs to argue that he knew he was addicted to drugs when he denied it in court. form that every person must complete when purchasing a gun. They plan to show jurors text messages, videos and photographs of Hunter Biden smoking crack, as well as details about cocaine residue that authorities said was found in the bag he used to hold his gun.
“I am a liar, a thief, an accuser and a user, I am delusional and an addict, different and above all the other addicts you know, and I have ruined every relationship I have ever held dear,” he wrote. Hunter Biden in a text message weeks after purchasing the firearm, according to prosecutors.
Regarding the fate of the weapon, Hallie Biden He was the one who found it in Hunter Biden’s truck and threw it in the trash in a Greenville supermarket. She was found by a recycler, who handed her over to the police.
The defense strategy
According to AP, the defense has suggested that will attack the credibility of gun store employeessince it assures that there were changes in the form purchase after sale. Prosecutors maintain there were minor additions unrelated to the portions Hunter Biden completed.
Furthermore, his lawyers have suggested that they may argue that Hunter Biden didn’t see himself as an addict when prosecutors say he checked “no” to the question on the form.
“The terms ‘user’ or ‘addict’ are not defined on the form and were not explained to you,” the defense wrote in a recent filing. “Someone, like Mr. Bidenwho had just completed an 11-day rehab program and lived with a sober partner after that, could surely believe that he was not a present-tense user or addict.”
Another case in California
It is planned that Hunter Biden start being tried in September in California in a case in which he is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over four years.
Biden’s son regularized the pending payments and the case was to be closed in the aforementioned agreement with prosecutors, which ultimately failed.
US President Joe Biden (right) hugs his son Hunter Biden and first lady Jill Biden after being sworn in on January 20, 2021. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP).
/ OLIVIER DOULIERY
What has President Biden said?
He president biden He said Monday that he and the first lady were “very proud” of Hunter.
“As president, I do not and will not comment on pending federal cases, but as a father, I have boundless love for my son, trust in him, and respect for his strength,” he said. Biden it’s a statement.
He added that his son’s strength to leave his problems behind gives encouragement to the family. “The resilience of Hunter in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery inspires us. “Many families have loved ones who have overcome addiction and know what we mean,” Biden said.
