Hunter Biden indicted on gun charges

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
15 Sep 2023 14:57

The US District Court in Delaware has indicted Hunter Biden for illegally possessing a firearm back in October 2018. Find out more about the controversy.

From Left to Right US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden and Hunter Biden with his son Beau watch the Independence Day fireworks display from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 4, 2023. (AFP)

Federal prosecutors have filed gun-related charges against Hunter Biden after a plea deal was reached in July disintegrated.

The indictment, submitted in the US District Court in Delaware, alleges that Hunter Biden, who is 53 years old, unlawfully acquired and possessed a Colt revolver in October 2018. The accusation is based on the assertion that he made a false declaration stating he neither used nor was addicted to narcotic drugs when obtaining the firearm.

This development is historic in US history as it marks the first time a child of a sitting US president has faced federal criminal charges.

The potential consequences for Hunter Biden are severe, including the possibility of up to ten years in prison for each of the two counts of making false statements to a Delaware gun dealer and an additional five years for possessing the firearm due to his history of drug addiction.

The indictment was initiated by special counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, who was designated as a special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland last month. It follows the collapse of a plea deal encompassing two misdemeanor tax charges against Hunter Biden, further exacerbating the political tensions surrounding the Biden family.

This development coincides with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's announcement of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden's business dealings involving his son.

Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden's attorney, condemned the indictment as politically motivated and raised concerns about alleged prosecutorial interference influenced by political pressures. Lowell said, "Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure, presents a grave threat to our system of justice."

Democrats argue that the impeachment inquiry is a distraction aimed at appeasing hardliners within the Republican Party amid an ongoing dispute over government funding. The White House has deferred questions regarding the matter to the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden's private legal counsel.

The future of the tax evasion charges against Hunter Biden remains uncertain, with Weiss hinting at the possibility of additional charges. This latest development serves to further intensify the existing political polarization surrounding the Biden family, adding layers of complexity to the ongoing several legal cases, which both Republicans and Democrats have described as politically motivated.