Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, will go on trial Monday on gun charges, marking the first prosecution in US history of a sitting president’s child. This trial coincides with President Biden’s push for re-election. The 54-year-old Hunter Biden denies three felony counts related to his 2018 purchase of a .38-caliber Colt Cobra revolver during a period when he was heavily addicted to drugs, by his admission.
A Yale-trained lawyer turned artist, Hunter Biden has faced numerous legal troubles and controversies, often linked to his struggles with alcoholism and crack cocaine addiction, which have impacted his father’s political campaigns. The trial will occur in Wilmington, Delaware, the Bidens’ hometown.
The charges against Hunter Biden include two counts of making false statements on paperwork for the gun purchase and one count of illegally possessing the firearm, which he owned for only 11 days in October 2018. Despite the serious charges, such offences rarely result in jail time if unaccompanied by other charges.
Jurors will hear about Hunter Biden’s excessive drug use as prosecutors outline the events leading to the firearm purchase, including an incident where his girlfriend disposed of the gun in a grocery store trash can. Hunter Biden, who claims to have been sober since 2019, detailed his addiction struggles in his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” where he admitted to “smoking crack every 15 minutes.” Prosecutors are expected to reference these admissions during the trial.
The defence has argued for narrow definitions of “addict” and “user,” asserting that Hunter Biden, having completed an 11-day rehabilitation program and living with a sober companion, did not consider himself an active user at the time of the gun purchase. “The terms ‘user’ or ‘addict’ are not defined on the form and were not explained to him,” his lawyer Abbe Lowell stated in court documents.
This trial poses a public relations challenge for the Democrats, especially as it follows another significant legal event: Donald Trump’s criminal conviction, the first for a former US president. Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, though such a severe sentence is unlikely.
The trial, expected to last about two weeks, comes as Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry into alleged Biden family corruption, though no evidence has implicated President Biden. The president has expressed support for his son’s recovery efforts, while the White House has refrained from commenting on the investigation. Separately, Hunter Biden faces tax evasion charges in California, set for trial later this year.