U.S. President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, arrives at the federal courthouse in Wilmington, U.S., June 3, 2024, with his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden (AFP / RYAN COLLERD)
Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s illegal gun possession trial began Monday in federal court in Wilmington, a potential threat to the U.S. president amid his re-election campaign.
Hunter Biden, 54, who has recovered from years of drug and alcohol abuse, is one of the favorite targets of his father’s Republican opponents — starting with his predecessor Donald Trump — who consider him Joe Biden’s Achilles heel.
The trial begins four days after a New York court found that Donald Trump falsified a $130,000 payment to avoid a sex scandal at the end of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Hunter Biden arrived at the courthouse Monday morning with his wife and the wife of the US president, Jill Biden. By the end of the day, a 12-member jury was selected and deliberations are expected to begin on Tuesday.
“As president, I will not comment on ongoing federal action, but as a father, I have infinite love for my son, I trust him, and I respect his strength,” Joe Biden said in a press release.
Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty in the case in October.
In 2018 he was accused of lying while filling out forms to get a gun, in which he denied being a drug addict.
A jury in Wilmington, Biden’s stronghold in the US east coast state of Delaware, must decide two lawsuits and a third in 2018 alleging falsification of documents required to purchase a revolver. Regarding illegal possession of this weapon.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, but in practice such cases rarely result in prison time.
– Vodka and crack –
He was charged with tax evasion in December for “scheming” to evade a $1.4 million tax liability. He has pleaded not guilty to the case and will go on trial in September in California (West), where he now lives.
Joe Biden with his son Hunter in South Carolina, April 13, 2022 (AFP / Nicholas Kamm)
The two trials could interfere with Joe Biden’s efforts to mark a contrast with his Republican opponent, who has been targeted in four separate criminal proceedings.
Discussions at the hearing will surely focus on Hunter Biden’s book “Les Belles Choises” (2021), in which he drinks vodka from the bottle, late-night wanderings around seedy shops looking for crack, failed attempts at detoxification, and a love affair with his brother’s widow…
A lawyer and then businessman, he turned to painting after recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
In Congress, elected Republican officials began impeachment proceedings against Joe Biden in September, accusing him of using his influence as Barack Obama’s vice president (2009-2017) to allow his son Hunter to do business in China and Ukraine.
But no evidence was actually produced in the matter and no legal action was taken against him.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”
