US President Joe Biden has said he has “boundless love” for his son Hunter as jury selection in his federal gun case began on Monday.
hunter biden He has been charged in Delaware with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a firearm in 2018 when he was allegedly addicted to crack cocaine.
He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the application used to screen firearms applicants when he said he did not use drugs, and illegally possessing the gun for 11 days.
A plea agreement that would avoided a trial so close to the 2024 elections it previously collapsed.
Biden pleaded not guilty and has argued that he is being unfairly attacked by the US Department of Justice, after Republicans denounced the now-defunct agreement as special treatment for the Democratic president’s son.
Joe Biden He said that as president he would not comment on the criminal process, but as a father he feels “unlimited love for my son, trust in him and respect for his strength.”
Proud father
The American leader said: “I am president, but I am also a father. Jill and I love our son and are very proud of the man he is today.”
First woman Jill Biden was sitting in the front row of the Delaware courtroom in a show of support.
Hunter Biden’s trial comes a few days later donald trumpthe presumptive Republican presidential candidate, was convicted of 34 serious crimes In New York.
Jill Biden arrives in court on the opening day of Hunter Biden’s trial. Photo: Reuters
A jury found the former president guilty of a scheme to cover up a money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels made to prevent damage to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Potential jurors in the Hunter Biden case were questioned individually to determine whether they could be fair and impartial.
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The questions they were asked ranged from their knowledge of the case, their thoughts on gun ownership, and whether they or anyone close to them has struggled with substance abuse or addiction, or if they have ever owned a gun.
Hunter Biden also faces a separate trial in California in September for failing to pay $1.4 million (£1.1 million) in taxes.
Campaign distraction
Joe BIden’s allies are concerned that the trial could become a distraction as the presidential election campaign progresses.
Joe Biden and Hunter Biden go for a bike ride on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Prosecutors hope to show that Hunter Biden was mired in addiction when he purchased the gun and therefore lied on the forms.
They have said they plan to use his published memoirs as evidence, and may also present contents of a laptop he left at a Delaware repair shop and never recovered.
The highly personal content reached Republicans in 2020 and was publicly leaked to cause maximum embarrassment to the Biden camp.
Drug addiction
The case against Hunter Biden dates back to a period when he was addicted to crack cocaine.
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His descent into drugs and alcohol It followed the death of his brother, Beau Biden, from cancer in 2015.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in both cases, and his lawyers suggested they could argue that he didn’t see himself as an addict when prosecutors said he checked “no” to the question on the form. They will also attack the credibility of the gun store owner.
If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison, although first-time offenders are unlikely to come close to this maximum sentence, and it is unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.
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