Hunter Biden indicted on firearms charges
U.S. President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has been charged with firearms and also criminally on three counts of lying while purchasing a firearm after a proposed plea deal fell through.
The indictment marks the first time the son of a sitting president has been criminally tried.
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| Hunter Biden speaks to a person during an official state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2023. (Photo: Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters) |
A bargaining plan to settle gun- and tax-related charges he faced collapsed in July.
Biden allegedly lied on form while buying guns
All three charges relate to Biden, 53, who allegedly lied on forms while buying guns when he was a drug user.
Prosecutors allege he falsely stated that he was "not an unlawful user and addicted to stimulant narcotic drugs" when he purchased a Colt Cobra Special pistol at a Delaware gun store in October 2018.
At the time, Biden was a heavy user of cocaine.
Also, read: Hunter Biden Ready to Plead Guilty to Tax Misconduct Charges.
Under U.S. federal law, it's a crime to lie on such documentation, or possess a firearm while a drug user.
The justice department in a statement said if convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The actual penalty for federal crimes is usually less than the maximum possible sentence.
It remains unclear when and where Biden's first hearing will take place.
Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, argued that the indictment was influenced by inappropriate and partisan Republican interference in the process.
He said his client had "not broken the law" and that possession of dismantled weapons had never been a threat to public safety.
"But a prosecutor, with all his powers, bowing to political pressure poses a grave threat to our justice system."
Cornell Law School professor Randy Zellin told the BBC he believed Mr. Biden would most likely not serve any jail time and there would most likely be a plea deal.
"That's a no-nonsense case," he said.
"No one was injured. This is a victimless crime. He had never been in trouble before. Is this a way we want to waste judicial resources?"
In June, a two-part deal was reached between prosecutors and Biden's legal team, which later fell through.
Under the terms of that agreement, he will be charged with two misdemeanor counts for failing to pay taxes on time in 2017 and 2018.
He will also be forced to admit to illegal possession of firearms and agree to drug treatment and monitoring to avoid felony charges and possible jail time.
But US District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika said she could not agree to the agreement, adding that the proposed settlement of gun-related offenses was "unusual".
Thursday's (9/14/2023) allegations are the first filed by Justice Department special counsel Davis Weiss, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August.
Weiss's office previously said he sought to indict Biden on Sept. 29.
Biden's legal troubles have become political issues as his father ran for reelection, though he never held office in the White House or his father's administration.
Earlier this week, Republicans in the US House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
Among the allegations leveled against Biden is that he lied about his involvement in his son's business dealings while serving as vice president from 2009-2017.
Two tax investigators also claim the justice department obstructed the investigation of Hunter Biden's tax returns. The department has denied the claims.
On X, the platform officially known as Twitter, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer – the man leading the indictment investigation – said the indictment against Hunter Biden was a "very small beginning".
"But unless U.S. Attorney Weiss investigates everyone involved in the fraud and influence-selling scheme, it will be clear that President Biden's Department of Justice is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guys."