Now the trial against Joe Biden's son begins

It has been called "the other" great political trial in the US. Now, the federal court process against Hunter Biden is underway. The president's son has been charged with lying about his drug abuse when he bought a firearm.

» Updated: July 16 2024

» Published: June 03 2024

Now the trial against Joe Biden's son begins
Photo: Matt Rourke/AP/TT

Share this article

It has been called "the other" major political trial in the US.

The federal trial against Hunter Biden is now underway. The president's son has been charged with lying about his drug use when he bought a firearm.

"I was a crack addict. I had no plan beyond crack's recurring demand."

The words are President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, as they are read in his memoir "Beautiful Things" (Beautiful Things), published in 2021 by the 54-year-old lawyer and businessman.

They may now be used against him. This in a politically charged trial in his home state of Delaware, which starts just days after the high-profile New York trial against former President Donald Trump.

Hunter Biden has been charged by Trump-appointed district attorney and special prosecutor David Weiss on three counts. Weiss claims that Biden did not tell the truth about his use when he bought a Colt revolver in the fall of 2018 and then illegally possessed the weapon for a time. The case focuses on the federal form that Biden filled out when he bought the gun, where he swore that he did not use or abuse drugs, according to media.

Witness testimony from, among others, Hunter Biden's ex-wife and evidence in the form of his memoir, revealing photos, and text messages to acquaintances are expected, according to newspaper reports.

Hunter Biden denies the charges and claims to be innocent. The defense plans to question what it means to be aware of one's addiction and to emphasize that Biden, at the time of the purchase, had just completed treatment for drug addiction.

If convicted, Biden faces up to 25 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines. But the trial is also seen as a test for Donald Trump, who has long claimed that the Democratic Party is corrupt.

Weiss has also charged Hunter Biden with tax fraud in California. And Trump loyalists in the House of Representatives began a impeachment process against the president last fall. In it, it is alleged that Joe Biden used his political positions to help his son make business deals in Ukraine. No direct evidence has been presented.

The guilty verdict against Donald Trump in New York was historic, as it was the first time a former president or presidential candidate of a major party had been charged in a criminal case. But Hunter Biden's trial will also be remembered for a long time, as it is the first time a child of a sitting president has been put on trial in a criminal case.

Jury selection for the trial is expected to begin on Monday and is expected to last around two weeks.

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

Hunter Biden's tragic childhood history 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 to the Senate just a month earlier, became a single father and was known as the "commuter" between his home in Wilmington and Washington DC.

In 1977, Joe Biden remarried to educator Jill Tracy Jacobs. In 1981, they had a daughter, Ashley Biden.

Joe Biden was a senator from Delaware for 36 years. In 2009, he was sworn in as Vice President under Barack Obama and in 2021 became President of the United States after defeating Donald Trump in the election.

In 2015, the family suffered 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 partnership with the energy company Burisma, have been the subject of several investigations.

Tags

Author

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

More news

US House Releases 33,000 Epstein Investigation Documents
1 MIN READ

US House Releases 33,000 Epstein Investigation Documents

Trump Claims US Military Attacked Venezuelan Drug Ship
149 MIN READ

Trump Claims US Military Attacked Venezuelan Drug Ship

Suicide Attacks in Pakistan Leave Over 25 Dead
1 MIN READ

Suicide Attacks in Pakistan Leave Over 25 Dead

Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-Un, and Putin Unite at Beijing Military Parade
3 MIN READ

Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-Un, and Putin Unite at Beijing Military Parade

Trump Reemerges to Announce Military Space Command Move to Alabama
1 MIN READ

Trump Reemerges to Announce Military Space Command Move to Alabama

Several Injured in Marseille Knife Attack at Hotel
1 MIN READ

Several Injured in Marseille Knife Attack at Hotel

Trump Criticized for National Guard Plan in Chicago Amid Crime Concerns
2 MIN READ

Trump Criticized for National Guard Plan in Chicago Amid Crime Concerns

Moscow and Washington Plan New Foreign Ministers Meeting
1 MIN READ

Moscow and Washington Plan New Foreign Ministers Meeting

Israel Calls Up 60,000 Reservists and Orders Gaza City Evacuation
2 MIN READ

Israel Calls Up 60,000 Reservists and Orders Gaza City Evacuation

Zelenskyj to Meet European Leaders in Paris for Ukraine Summit
1 MIN READ

Zelenskyj to Meet European Leaders in Paris for Ukraine Summit

Danish Spy Wins Supreme Court Case Over Terror Conviction
3 MIN READ

Danish Spy Wins Supreme Court Case Over Terror Conviction

UN Predicts Possible La Niña Return This Autumn
1 MIN READ

UN Predicts Possible La Niña Return This Autumn

Kim Jong-Un's Armored Train: North Korea's Air Force One on Rails
3 MIN READ

Kim Jong-Un's Armored Train: North Korea's Air Force One on Rails

Israel Army Chief Warns of Potential Military Rule in Gaza
2 MIN READ

Israel Army Chief Warns of Potential Military Rule in Gaza

New Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts
2 MIN READ

New Earthquake Strikes Eastern Afghanistan Amid Ongoing Rescue Efforts

Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Agreement via Mongolia
1 MIN READ

Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Agreement via Mongolia

2,000 North Korean Soldiers Reported Dead in Ukraine War
1 MIN READ

2,000 North Korean Soldiers Reported Dead in Ukraine War

Xi and Putin Reaffirm Strong Ties During Beijing Meeting
1 MIN READ

Xi and Putin Reaffirm Strong Ties During Beijing Meeting

Genocide Expert: Gaza Conflict May Take Years for Legal Verdict
4 MIN READ

Genocide Expert: Gaza Conflict May Take Years for Legal Verdict

20 Missing After Violent Protests in Indonesia
1 MIN READ

20 Missing After Violent Protests in Indonesia