Hunter Biden convicted of firearms offences

USA's president's son Hunter Biden is convicted of firearms offences in the trial in the state of Delaware. It is the first time that a child of a sitting president is brought to court and convicted of a crime.

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Hunter Biden convicted of firearms offences
Photo: Matt Rourke/AP/TT

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USA's President's son, Hunter Biden, is convicted of firearms offences in the trial in the state of Delaware.

This is the first time a child of a sitting President has been put on trial and convicted of a crime.

Hunter Biden, 54, is convicted on all three counts.

He is guilty of lying about his drug use when he bought a pistol, according to the verdict.

USA's President Joe Biden says after the verdict that he will "respect the legal process" and that he is proud of Hunter Biden, who has managed to overcome his addiction.

He has previously said that he would never pardon his son Hunter Biden in the event of a guilty verdict.

May not affect the election

The verdict may not necessarily affect the American presidential election in the autumn, where President Biden is trying to be re-elected, according to Dag Blanck, professor of North American Studies at Uppsala University.

It's not Joe Biden who has been convicted, it's his son. In American politics, most people have already made up their minds. The whole election is about those who can change their position, he says, and continues:

I don't think Hunter will be very important for those who can consider voting for Biden instead of Trump or vice versa.

Joe Biden's political opponents may, however, try to use the verdict to discredit him, according to Blanck.

Hunter Biden was prosecuted by the district attorney and special prosecutor David Weiss, who was appointed by USA's former President Donald Trump.

Weiss claims that Biden did not tell the truth about his drug use when he bought a Colt revolver in the autumn of 2018 and subsequently illegally possessed the weapon for a period.

The case has focused on, among other things, the federal form Hunter Biden filled out when purchasing the weapon, where he assured that he did not use or abuse drugs, according to media.

Denied the allegations

Testimonies from, among others, Hunter Biden's ex-wife and evidence in the form of revealing images and excerpts from his own autobiography have been used in the trial.

Hunter Biden has denied the allegations and claimed to be innocent. He risks 25 years in prison and millions of kronor in fines. The sentence will be announced at a later date.

Weiss has also prosecuted Hunter Biden for tax evasion in California. And Trump-loyal Republicans in the House of Representatives initiated an impeachment process against the President last autumn. It is claimed that Joe Biden used his political positions to, among other things, help his son do business in Ukraine. No direct evidence has been presented.

Corrected: In an earlier version of the text, an incorrect description of the family relationships in the Biden family appeared in the image caption.

Hunter Biden, born 1970, is a businessman and lawyer with a degree from prestigious Yale University. He is the son of USA's current President Joe Biden and his first wife Neilia Hunter.

Hunter Biden's tragic childhood story is well-known: in 1972, his mother and one-year-old sister died in a car accident. Hunter and his older brother Beau were in the car and were injured but survived. Their father, who had been elected as Delaware's senator a month earlier, became a single father and was known as a commuter between his home in Wilmington and Washington DC.

In 1977, Joe Biden married educator Jill Tracy Jacobs. In 1981, they had daughter Ashley Biden.

Joe Biden was Delaware's senator for 36 years. In 2009, he was sworn in as Barack Obama's Vice President and in 2021, he became the President of the USA after defeating Donald Trump in the election.

In 2015, the family was struck by another tragedy when Joe Biden's eldest son Beau died of brain cancer.

Hunter Biden has struggled with alcohol and drug addiction for much of his life. His business dealings in Ukraine, particularly his cooperation with the energy company Burisma, have been the subject of several investigations.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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