US judiciary
Attorney: Hunter Biden wants to plead not guilty
Hunter Biden has been charged with violating firearms regulations. photo
© Julio Cortez/AP/dpa
The US President’s son is accused of providing false information when purchasing weapons. According to his lawyer, Hunter Biden plans to plead not guilty.
According to his lawyer, the son of US President Joe Biden wants to plead “not guilty” after being charged with a gun purchase. This comes from a letter from Hunter Biden’s lawyer on Tuesday (local time).
In it, he requests that the 53-year-old does not have to appear in person at the next court date in Wilmington, Delaware. “Mr. Biden will not plead guilty, and there is no reason why he cannot utter these two words via video conference,” the letter said. It would be too much effort for all sides if Hunter Biden had to travel “all over the country” – he lives in the US state of California on the west coast. Delaware is on the east coast.
The indictment consists of three counts
Hunter Biden is accused of making false statements during a gun purchase several years ago and knowingly concealing his drug addiction. A planned deal between Hunter Biden and the public prosecutor responsible for the allegations had previously collapsed.
According to court documents, the charge includes three counts: making a false statement when making a purchase, making a false statement to the dealer and possessing a weapon while illegally using drugs. The maximum possible penalty is ten years in prison. But prosecutors in Delaware have previously said that similar offenses often result in sentences well below the possible maximum penalty.
Influence on the US election campaign
Hunter Biden made his long-term drug addiction public in a book in 2021. He has been in the sights of the US justice system for a long time. In mid-August, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special investigator in the case: The prosecutor David Weiss, who had already been investigating, was given additional powers and finally brought charges in mid-September.
The investigation and a possible trial against Hunter Biden could also have an impact on the election campaign. Democrat Joe Biden wants to run again in the 2024 election. The investigation against his son is not about the president. But the Republicans repeatedly portray the Bidens as a crime family.