President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted by the Justice Department for accusations of lying about his drug use when he purchased a handgun in Oct. 2018. This indictment seems to be leading to a potentially chaotic trial, after a failed plea deal. This trial will take place during a critical time in Biden senior’s reelection campaign.
Biden risks being sentenced to a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000. According to the New York Times, drug users being indicted on illegal possession is very rare unless that possession is relevant in another, more serious, crime.
Most individuals who are in similar positions to Biden’s plea out; however, the plea deal that was originally being discussed was thrown out after Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) Officials accused David Weiss, Special Counsel Attorney on Biden’s case, of hindering progress to the investigation.
The original deal had Biden pleading not guilty to all charges until the I.R.S. Official’s accusations as well as the presentation of evidence that Biden had evaded paying taxes on $4 million dollars of income in 2017 and 2018, according to the Associated Press. The plea deal was then changed to include a guilty plea on the misdemeanor counts of tax evasion, which was rejected. The I.R.S. agents and their republican allies feel that the timing of this discovery played a huge role in the now-coming indictment.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, told CNN that the indictment was a result of political pressure. After the accusation of Mr. Weiss “hamstringing” the investigation, it could be said that he felt the need to overcorrect going forward. This means that the indictment of these charges, though unusual froma law perspective, should not be entirely shocking.
Along with the charge of illegal possession, Biden also marked on the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form, a form that is signed when purchasing a federal firearm, that he was not addicted to any substance at the time of the purchase. Prosecutors claim this was a lie since Biden has publicly stated that he was in and out of rehab around the time for his use of cocaine.
According to CNN, these charges are still being pursued, but prosecutors say that the statute of limitations may run out this month. Once the statute has run out, prosecutors will no longer be able to charge Biden.
With the trial not set to officially start until 2024, it is hard to say whether a judge will allow Biden to be tried for these charges.
CNN also claimed that the legality of the gun possession law that Biden is being indicted of is being called into question after three southern states ruled in August that it was unconstitutional to restrict drug users’ right to bear arms because it violated the Second Amendment.
CNBC says that amidst this, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other members of the Republican Party such as former President Donald Trump are questioning the involvement of President Biden in his son’s alleged illegal activities. However, so far, nothing to support these allegations has been found.
