Washington: In a massive blow for US President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase and illegal possession of a firearm in 2018 when prosecutors argued that he lied about not illegally using or addicted to drugs. Hunter Biden was found guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application form that he was not addicted to drugs and illegally possessing the firearm for 11 days.
The President's son now faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge Maryellen Noreika, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it's unclear whether she would give him time behind bars. Nevertheless, Hunter Biden has become the first child of a sitting US president to be convicted of a crime.
Hunter, 54, lightly nodded his head after the verdict was read but otherwise showed little reaction. He then patted his lawyer Abbe Lowell on the back and hugged another member of his legal team. The judge set no date for sentencing but added the timeline is usually within 120 days, a month before November's presidential elections.
What happened in the trial?
The Hunter Biden case was brought by US Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee. Hunter Biden’s lawyers sought to show he was not using drugs when he bought the gun and did not intend to deceive because he didn’t consider himself a drug user when he filled out the form.
Jurors also heard Hunter Biden's ex-wife and a former girlfriend testify about his spiraling crack addiction and their failed efforts to help him get clean. Images showing Hunter Biden half-naked holding crack pipes were also displayed. The defence called Hunter Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, who testified that her father seemed to be doing well when she saw him shortly before and after he bought the gun.
Hunter Biden did not testify but jurors heard his voice when prosecutors played audio excerpts of his 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things,” in which he talks about hitting bottom after the death of his brother Beau in 2015, and his descent into drugs before his eventual sobriety.
Parallels between Hunter Biden and Donald Trump
Hunter Biden and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, Joe Biden's arch-rival, have both been convicted by American jurors in an election year that has seen much of the drama in the courtroom as outside in campaign events. Joe Biden has refrained from discussing or getting involved in the case too much to avoid an impression of interfering in a criminal matter brought by his own Justice Department.
Hunter Biden and Trump have both argued they were victimised by the politics. But while Trump has continued to falsely claim the verdict was “rigged,” Joe Biden has said he would accept the results of the verdict and would not seek to pardon his son. However, there are now concerns about the impact of the conviction on Joe Biden's presidential bid and his personal life.
Hunter said he was charged because the Justice Department bowed to pressure from Republicans who argued the Democratic president's son was getting special treatment. The matter gained prominence after the widow of his deceased brother found an unloaded gun in Hunter's trunk in 2018, after which she tossed it in the trash. She eventually called the police.
Hunter Biden's future legal troubles
Hunter has also been charged with three felony and six misdemeanour tax offences in California, alleging he failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019 while spending millions on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other high-ticket items. Congressional Republicans have signalled they will keep going after him in their stalled impeachment effort for the president.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to those charges. A trial is scheduled for September 5 in Los Angeles. The President's son had hoped last year to resolve a long-running investigation federal investigation under a deal with prosecutors that would avoid the spectacle of the gun trial so close to the 2024 election. Under the deal, he would have pleaded guilty to misdemeanour tax offences and avoided prosecution in the gun case if he stayed out of trouble for two years. The deal fell apart when the judge questioned unusual aspects of the deal.
(with inputs from agencies)
