Politics
A Trial Date Has Been Set For Hunter Biden’s Gun Case
President Biden’s son, Hunter, will go on trial for gun-related charges on June 3, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.
Hunter Biden was indicted on federal gun charges brought forward by Special Counsel David Weiss this past November.
According to court documents, Hunter Biden is alleged to have made false statements on a federal firearms transaction record during the purchase of a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver from a licensed firearms dealer in Wilmington, Delaware. The incident occurred in October of 2018.
The form requires prospective firearm purchasers to certify several statements, including whether they are “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.” The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden falsely certified that he was not an unlawful user or addicted to any controlled substance when purchasing the firearm.
In court Wednesday, attorneys for Biden and prosecutors said the trial would likely last a maximum of nine days. This schedule would include two days for jury selection, three to five days for the prosecution to present its case and one to two days for the defense.
If the early June trial date holds, Hunter could be facing back-back-trials. Weiss also indicted the president’s son on a number of tax-related charges in California. That trial is currently scheduled to begin on June 20.
The possibility of the gun case being moved back is very likely, as Weiss told Judge Maryellen Noreika that the California trial could take several weeks to complete.
Hunter has pleaded not guilty in both cases, while his lawyers have filed several motions arguing that all charges should be thrown out. He had initially agreed to a plea agreement last year, though it was thrown out by Judge Noreika after attorneys for Biden allegedly lied to a judicial clerk. Noreika also took issue with a provision of the deal that would have shielded Biden from other tax-related violations over the same period in question.