Hunter Biden’s conviction for lying about his drug use on a handgun licence application will be a devastating personal blow for his father, US President Joe Biden.
A federal jury in Delaware has convicted President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, on felony gun charges stemming from his purchase of a Colt revolver in 2018 when he was addicted to crack cocaine.
The verdict, handed down after three hours of deliberations, capped a weeklong trial in federal court in Wilmington, Del. The jury found Hunter Biden guilty on two counts of making false statements about his drug use when he bought the weapon and one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a drug user or addict.
This was the first of two cases against Hunter Biden brought by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss. The president’s son also faces tax charges in a separate prosecution scheduled to go to trial in September.
The US President has seen his share of personal tragedy and trauma within his own family.
Now his surviving son has been found guilty on all three counts and faces a potential prison sentence.
But the verdict is unlikely to change how Americans vote in November’s election.
His father’s name will be on the ballot, not his. There’s no evidence connecting the president to his son’s offenses. And there has been scant polling evidence that the public is following this trial closely.
At the start of the trial, the president released a statement hinting at the dual obligations demanding his attention.
“I am the president, but I am also a dad,” President Joe Biden said.
He added that he supported his son and was proud of the man he is today, but he wouldn’t comment on the proceedings.
Joe Biden may not have wanted to talk about the trial, but his son’s courtroom drama has followed him for weeks, as he conducts his official duties and campaigns for re-election. Hunter’s yet-to-be determined punishment may be similarly distracting as the president prepares later this month for a pivotal presidential debate.
While in France for D-Day commemorations last week, President Biden said that he would not consider using his authority to pardon his son. And he added that he would accept the jury’s verdict – a contrast from Donald Trump’s rejection of his own conviction as rigged and corrupt.
Trump’s trial became a partisan brawl, with Republican officials lining up behind the former president to condemn the proceedings. Hunter’s conviction had a different feel, marking the culmination of a dark period for a Biden family that has known more than its share of turmoil.
San Miguel Times
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