Trial in Delaware
President’s son indicted: Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to gun possession charges
Hunter Biden, son of US President Biden, on the way to the court date in Delaware
© Matt Rourke / DPA
The son of US President Biden has had the judiciary breathing down his neck for a long time. The background is, among other things, an unlawful purchase of weapons several years ago. Now Hunter Biden has to take the stand in court.
US President Joe Biden’s son accused of illegal gun possession Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in court. The 53-year-old rejected the allegations against him on Tuesday in a federal court in the east coast state of Delaware, as US media consistently reported. This brings a trial closer that could, at least theoretically, result in a long prison sentence for the president’s son.
Hunter Biden was indicted in mid-September on charges of briefly possessing a revolver in 2018, even though he was prohibited from doing so as a drug user. He is also said to have falsely declared on an official document when purchasing the Colt that he did not consume any illegal drugs. In total, Biden was impeached on three counts.
Hunter Biden: prison sentence unlikely, but possible
According to the US Department of Justice, the president’s son, who openly discussed his former drug addiction in his autobiography, could be sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison if found guilty. However, this refers to the total of the maximum penalties for each individual count. In practice, prison sentences in such cases are significantly lower.
There are also complicated legal issues in the case. Proponents of the right to own guns argue that the federal law prohibiting drug users from owning firearms is unconstitutional. In August, a federal appeals court ruled in a marijuana user case that the law violated the Second Amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizens the right to bear arms.
The US justice system has been investigating Hunter Biden for years. In addition to the accusation of illegal possession of weapons, there are also suspected tax offenses. The president’s son actually admitted illegal possession of weapons and tax offenses in June as part of an agreement with the Delaware federal prosecutor’s office. In return for pleading guilty to both cases, he would only receive a light sentence and would also be spared a trial.
But the deal collapsed in July after the judge responsible questioned its contents. In August, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Delaware federal prosecutor David Weiss, who had been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, as special prosecutor. This brought charges against the 53-year-old for illegal possession of weapons. The tax case in Delaware was closed but will be reopened elsewhere.
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Hunter Biden is also in the sights of the opposition Republicans. They accuse him of having in the past exploited his father’s important position as Vice President of Barack Obama (2009 to 2017) for business in Ukraine and China. The allegations serve as the basis for Republican efforts to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Biden. They accuse him of being involved in his son’s foreign business and of lying to the public.
Last week, Republicans in the House of Representatives held their first impeachment hearing – but without being able to present any evidence of wrongdoing by the president. The 80-year-old, who plans to run for a second term next year, has firmly rejected all allegations. However, the allegations could harm him in the 2024 election campaign – as could a trial against his son for weapons law violations.