Hunter Biden’s trial will enter its fifth day in Wilmington, Del., on Friday.
The president’s son is on trial for three alleged crimes related to the purchase of a gun in October 2018.
The central question is whether he lied when he denied that he was addicted when filling out a form during the gun purchase process.
The charges are lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the form and illegally possessing the gun. The weapon was in Biden’s possession for 11 days.
Biden wrote extensively about his struggle with crack and alcohol addiction in a 2021 memoir.
He pleaded not guilty. If he is convicted, the president’s son could theoretically face up to 25 years in prison. But such a sentence would be extremely unusual given that he would be a first-time offender and there are no significant aggravating circumstances.
The prosecution is expected to close its case on Friday.
Here are the key takeaways so far.
Trial brings dark details of addiction to light
Although Hunter Biden has documented his struggles with addiction, the trial highlighted grim details that are difficult to hear — especially for the millions of Americans of all political persuasions who have seen family or friends in the grip of drugs and alcohol. Abuse.
Texts between Hunter Biden and Hallie Biden included an instance in which he wrote that he was “sleeping in a car smoking crack.” They also included messages that, she assumed, alluded to his meeting with a drug dealer and others where he confessed to being “a drunk” and “an addict.”
Hallie Biden is the widow of Hunter’s brother, Beau, who died of brain cancer in May 2015. According to her, she and Hunter began a romantic relationship in late 2015 or early 2016.
She testified that she began using drugs around this time and that it was Hunter who introduced her to narcotics. According to the Associated Press, Hunter “rests her face on her left hand and looks down” as she recounts this detail.
Previously, Hunter Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle testified that she realized her then-husband was using crack cocaine when she found a crack pipe in an ashtray in 2015.
There were many other similar details. Not all of them are directly relevant to Hunter’s guilt or innocence, but they were not comfortable moments for him or anyone in his family.
No presidential pardon if convicted
President Biden, who is in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, told ABC News on Thursday that he would not pardon his son if Hunter were convicted.
Asked by ABC’s “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir whether he would accept the verdict and rule out a pardon, Biden answered “yes” to both questions.
The president has mainly sought to avoid extensive comments about his son’s legal troubles.
But in a statement at the start of the trial on Monday, Biden highlighted his dual role as president and “also a father.”
The statement paid tribute to Hunter’s “resilience in the face of adversity” and said the president and first lady Jill Biden “will continue to support Hunter and our family with our love and support.”
The first lady has been a near-constant presence at the Wilmington courthouse until Thursday, when she joined her husband in France. She should be back for Friday’s proceedings.
“As president, I do not and will not comment on pending federal cases, but as a father, I have boundless love for my son, trust in him, and respect for his strength,” the president said in his statement Monday. .
Defense tries to create doubts
Many legal observers think that defense attorneys face tough challenges at trial, given their client’s open acknowledgment of his addiction problems during the general period in which he purchased the gun.
The defense appears to be pinning its hopes, in part, on the suggestion that Hunter did not use drugs during the exact period he purchased and owned the gun.
For example, on Thursday, defense attorney Abbe Lowell got Hallie Biden to admit that she did not witness Hunter using drugs firsthand during this period.
There have also been suggestions that some of Hunter Biden’s texts that appear to acknowledge drug use could have been fabrications to dodge his partner or to hide time spent in the company of other women.
Time will tell how persuasive the jury finds this explanation.
Republican Party issues request for new lawsuit against Hunter Biden
Beyond the specifics of the gun case, Republicans in Congress have long had Hunter Biden in their sights – for his business dealings as well as his personal peccadilloes.
On Wednesday, the Republican chairmen of three House committees sent letters to the Justice Department recommending the prosecution of Hunter Biden and James Biden for allegedly making false statements to Congress. James Biden is the president’s younger brother.
The letter came from Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Ky.) Mo.).
Such referrals do not obligate the Department of Justice to act, and the Department of Justice does not directly relate to the events being examined in the Delaware court.
Lowell, Hunter Biden’s attorney, responded in a statement that the Republican Party was trying to “twist Hunter’s testimony so they can divert attention from his failed impeachment inquiry and interfere with his trial.”
Hunter’s wife confronts Trump ally
Hunter Biden never sought elected office, but politics, of course, showed up in court — sometimes in unexpected ways.
One of the most striking moments came on Tuesday, when Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen-Biden, was seen by reporters confronting former Trump White House official Garrett Ziegler.
Ziegler “has turned himself into an expert on Hunter Biden, compiling personal and financial records from anywhere he can get them,” according to The Washington Post. “Then your nonprofit posts them online.”
NBC News staffer Sarah Fitzpatrick wrote that during a break in proceedings Tuesday morning, she witnessed Cohen-Biden approach Ziegler, point his finger at him and tell him, “You have no right to be here.” , you Nazi piece of s-‑ -,” before walking away.
Cohen-Biden soon after claimed to NBC that Ziegler called it “the most horrible Jewish slurs,” which Ziegler in turn called an “absurd” suggestion.
Ziegler added: “For the record, I am not a Nazi. I believe in the U.S. Constitution.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
