In a recent development, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has entered a plea of not guilty to felony gun charges. This sets the stage for a potential high-profile trial as his father prepares for a reelection bid in the coming year.
At 53 years old, Hunter Biden was charged last month with three counts related to allegedly lying on a federal form in order to obtain a Colt Cobra handgun back in 2018. Additionally, he is accused of being an illegal drug user in possession of a firearm.
The total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000 along with three years of supervised release. Tuesday’s hearing sets the stage for a historic first: The criminal trial of the adult child of a president who is campaigning for reelection.
Meanwhile, Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, said on Tuesday he would file a motion to dismiss the case. He believes the previous agreement remains in effect and thinks the statute was unconstitutional.
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Lowell said, his client “was not a threat to public safety” when he possessed the unloaded gun and said of special counsel David Weiss that his “bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice.” He continued, “We believe these charges are barred by the agreement the prosecutors made with Mr. Biden, the recent rulings by several federal courts that this statute is unconstitutional, and the facts that he did not violate that law, and we plan to demonstrate all of that in court.”
Speaking more on the case, Keith Rosen, a former federal prosecutor told CBS News that an issue for the prosecutors in the case involving Hunter Biden could be establishing that he was actively using drugs in the 11-day span he had the revolver.
“I think this is going to be an important question that the defense is going to raise as they litigate this case. I suspect they’ll argue, just like in Daniels, that it may be true that Hunter was using drugs during this period of time when he got the gun, but unless the government can prove that he was high at the time that he physically had the gun then they can’t prevail,” Rosen said. “I think the government will resist that. Historically, courts would not have required the government to prove that somebody was high at the specific time that they were holding the weapon, but in light of Daniels I think that’s going to be a live issue in this case.”
This legal situation adds an extra layer of complexity to Joe Biden’s political landscape. As he seeks another term as President, his son’s legal troubles may become a focal point for opponents and media scrutiny alike.
The outcome of this case will undoubtedly have implications not only for Hunter Biden but also for his father’s political future. The trial could potentially become highly publicized and impact public perception surrounding the Biden family.
The next court date has not yet been assigned. However, there is a pretrial motion deadline of Nov. 3.
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