Federal prosecutors say US President Biden’s son was suffering from a severe crack addiction when he bought the gun.
Hunter Biden’s widowed sister-in-law testified that she found his gun and threw it away out of fear of his growing drug addiction, potentially bolstering prosecutors’ case that President Joe Biden’s son violated a law that prohibits users of illegal drugs from possessing firearms.
Hallie Biden told jurors about the moment she found the gun in her truck, describing how she put it in a leather bag, stuffed it in a shopping bag and threw it in a trash can outside a grocery store near your home.
“I panicked and wanted to get rid of them,” she testified about finding the gun and ammunition in the vehicle’s console in October 2018. “I didn’t want him to get hurt and I didn’t want my kids to get hurt. find and get hurt.
Hunter Biden’s purchase of the Colt revolver – and Hallie Biden’s frantic disposal of it – are central to the case against him. Federal prosecutors say the president’s son was addicted to crack when he bought the gun.
He was charged with three crimes: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the application that he was not a drug user, and illegally keeping the gun for 11 days.
Hunter Biden, who has pleaded not guilty, said the Justice Department is bowing to political pressure from Republicans and that he is being unfairly targeted.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC that he would accept the jury’s verdict and ruled out a pardon for his son. Hunter Biden is the first son of a United States president to face a criminal trial.
A Delaware jury this week heard testimony from witnesses, including his ex-wife and an ex-girlfriend, about the 54-year-old’s prolific drug use, which he has publicly acknowledged.
Prosecutors did not rest their case on Thursday and said they planned to call two more witnesses on Friday. Hunter Biden’s lawyer said he could wrap up the case by the end of Monday.
Hunter Biden Gun Accusations
Hallie Biden, who had a brief romantic relationship with Hunter after Beau Biden’s death in 2015, testified that from the time Hunter returned to Delaware from a trip to California in 2018 until she threw away his gun, she did not see him. using drugs. That period included the day he purchased the gun.
Much of her testimony focused on Oct. 23, 2018 — 11 days after he purchased the gun and when she discarded it. Hunter was with her and looked exhausted. Asked by the prosecutor if it appeared Hunter was using drugs at the time, she said, “He could have been.”
While Hunter slept at his house, Hallie Biden went to check on his car. She said she hoped to help him get or stay sober, free from alcohol and cocaine. She said she found remains of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia. She also found the gun Hunter had purchased in a box with a broken lock that prevented it from closing completely. There was also ammunition.
Hunter Biden watched blankly as Hallie spoke. She told jurors that she found crack cocaine in his home and saw him using it. She said she was with him occasionally when he met drug dealers.
Jurors also heard from the gun store clerk, who testified about how he explained some options to Hunter Biden before deciding on the gun.
The clerk then watched as the customer filled out the firearms transaction log, a required document for purchasing a gun, and saw him mark “no” to the question of whether he was “an illegal user of or addicted to” marijuana. , stimulants, narcotics or any other controlled substance.
The case is unfolding after the collapse of a plea deal that would have resolved the gun charge and a separate tax case, and spared the Biden family the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election.
The president’s sister, Valerie, was in court on Thursday. First lady Jill Biden spent the first part of the week there before leaving for France. Allies worry about the impact the lawsuit will have on the president, who is deeply concerned about the health and continued sobriety of his only living son.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders are nowhere near the maximum, and it is unclear whether the judge would sentence him to prison time.
He also faces a separate trial in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
