For US President Joe Biden, his son’s past is becoming more and more of a burden: Hunter Biden has now been charged with weapons possession – a year before the presidential election.
Charges have been brought against the son of US President Joe Biden. Hunter Biden is accused of concealing his drug addiction during a gun purchase years ago.
The 53-year-old is said to have briefly owned the revolver in 2018. In order to be able to buy the Colt, he is said to have given false information to the arms dealer.
In total, the charge includes three counts: making a false statement when making a purchase, making false statements to the dealer and possessing a weapon despite illegal drug use. The maximum possible penalty is ten years in prison. However, the public prosecutor in the state of Delaware had previously stated that similar offenses often receive sentences far below the maximum penalty.
Deal collapsed
Hunter Biden actually admitted to illegal gun possession and tax offenses in a deal with the Delaware federal prosecutor’s office in June. In return for pleading guilty to both counts, he was to receive only a lenient sentence. In addition, he would have been spared a trial.
But the deal fell through in July after the judge questioned its contents. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty.
In August, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Delaware federal prosecutor David Weiss, who had been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, as special prosecutor. He has now brought charges against the 53-year-old for illegal possession of weapons. The tax case in Delaware was closed but will be reopened elsewhere.
The indictment does not come as a surprise: Special investigator Weiss had already announced last week that he was planning to indict the president’s son later this month.
Political burden
Hunter Biden has been a political burden for his father Joe Biden for years – and is likely to become so with a view to the presidential election in November 2024. The opposition Republicans accuse the 53-year-old of having in the past exploited his father’s important position as Barack Obama’s vice president for business in Ukraine and China.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, ordered a formal impeachment investigation into President Biden in connection with his son’s business activities. However, it is still unclear whether there will actually be impeachment proceedings against Biden.
Hunter Biden is a lawyer and worked as a businessman for a long time. He has openly admitted to having suffered from serious drug problems in the past. He has been working as an artist for several years.