President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, was convicted of federal gun violations following a trial that lasted just over a week in Wilmington, Delaware. The trial focused on the younger Biden’s long struggle with drug addiction and featured testimony from several current and former members of the president’s family. Here are answers to the main questions about the trial.
What was Hunter Biden convicted of?
Hunter Biden was convicted of three misdemeanors related to a gun he purchased in 2018. He was accused of making two false statements while completing paperwork necessary to purchase the gun. He claimed not to be addicted to or use illegal drugs, the indictment says, “when in fact, as he knew, this statement was false and fictitious.” Then he certified that he was telling the truth.
The third charge accuses Mr. Biden of illegally possessing the weapon, a Colt revolver, for 11 days following the purchase. This charge is based on a federal law that prohibits the possession of a weapon while a person is using illegal drugs.
What will happen next? Will he go to prison?
The next step in this case is the sentencing of Hunter Biden. The maximum sentence for the most serious crime in the indictment is 10 years in prison. However, under federal sentencing guidelines, Biden, who has no prior crimes and admitted to being a drug addict at the time of purchasing the gun, should likely receive a much lesser sentence. heavy.
Will President Biden pardon Hunter?
President Joe Biden recently said he would not pardon his son if he was convicted in his gun-related trial.
Can Hunter Biden appeal?
Yes, he can appeal the verdict. In a statement after the verdict, President Joe Biden said he “will accept the outcome of this case and continue to respect the legal process as Hunter considers filing an appeal.”
What about the other Hunter Biden trial?
Last year, Mr. Biden was charged in Los Angeles with failing to report and pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes between 2016 and 2019, tax evasion and filing false tax returns. Three of the charges are felonies; six are misdemeanors. The trial is scheduled to take place in September.
Although the gun case and the tax case are separate, they arise from the same troubled period in Mr. Biden’s life, share some evidence and have been closely linked on more than one occasion. Last summer, Hunter Biden reached a tentative deal with prosecutors to plead guilty in Delaware to two tax crimes and to admit to gun charges. But that deal fell apart after Delaware District Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned some of its terms.
What effects does the verdict have on President Joe Biden’s campaign?
The verdict will most affect the personal psyche of President Joe Biden, who is concerned about his son’s well-being and — since he has said he will not pardon Hunter — the prospect that his son could spend time in prison .
This verdict has potential benefits for the campaign. As Donald Trump and his allies continue to assert that the Justice Department is targeting him for political reasons, Democrats now have additional ammunition to argue that the department is acting independently of politics — to the point of charging the son of the president of a crime.
At the same time, the verdict gives Republicans an opportunity to try to offset some of the arguments about Trump and his own legal problems, although Democrats also point out that it is Trump who is running for president, while Hunter Biden is a private citizen.
