Biden Hunter is attending a status hearing Friday ahead of the trial he faces next month on gun charges, the first charge against the son of a sitting president.
The trial is expected to begin June 3 after a federal appeals court denied Hunter Biden’s request to postpone it.
At the hearing, scheduled for noon, Hunter Biden’s lawyers and prosecutors will have the opportunity to discuss what evidence they intend to present during the trial, as well as the witnesses they intend to call to testify. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the jury selection process and jury instructions and to discuss any pending motions prior to trial. The hearing is expected to last approximately 90 minutes.
Prosecutors are expected to call Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his late brother’s widow, Hallie Olivere Biden, to testify.
Judge Maryellen Noreika has yet to rule on pending motions from both sides. The government, for example, wants to admit parts of Hunter Biden’s book “Beautiful Things” and dozens of Biden’s text and WhatsApp messages to apparent drug dealers, family and friends. Prosecutors also want to exclude claims made by Hunter Biden’s defense team that this is a “vindictive and selective prosecution” or that the prosecution is “somehow due to or part of a malign Russian election influence campaign.”
On the other hand, BidenHarry’s lawyers want to delete any references to his pending tax case in California or child support case in Arkansas. They want to delete any reference to Biden’s discharge from the Navy and any statements made by Biden at the July 26, 2023 hearing in which the original plea deal fell through. And they also want to exclude “any reference to his alleged ‘extravagant lifestyle’”.
President Joe Biden’s son, 54, was indicted last September on three counts linked to possession of a weapon while using narcotics. He pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors accused Biden of failing to accurately fill out a form indicating he was not using illegal drugs when he purchased a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018. Prosecutors also alleged he possessed a firearm while using a narcotic.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden are scheduled to travel to Wilmington on Friday afternoon, where he owns a home, while the pretrial hearing is underway, to kick off the holiday weekend.
Biden has faced attacks from the right over his son’s business dealings. The Republican-led impeachment inquiry revealed no evidence implicating Biden in his son’s legal matters and the president has denied any wrongdoing.
The president will be abroad during part of his son’s trial next month, but he is should closely monitor developments like a concerned father, not an incumbent seeking re-election, according to three people familiar with the president’s thinking.
The president’s aides will monitor the trial, watching for any references to it and deciding whether to respond in real time.
Hunter Biden also faces tax charges in California and on Wednesday, a federal judge granted hIt is request to postpone the trial from the original date of June 20th to September 5th. He also pleaded not guilty in that case.
David Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware and a Trump appointee, led the investigation into Hunter Biden. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Weiss as special counsel in August 2023.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
