The judge overseeing Hunter Biden's federal firearms charges trial agreed Friday to block prosecutors from telling jurors about some other unflattering episodes from his personal life, but left the door open to allowing them in if the president's son testifies. It's unclear whether the president's son would take the stand during the trial, which could last up to two weeks during his father's reelection campaign and likely include sharp disagreements over evidence. President Joe Biden's son is charged with lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware.
A trial is set to begin June 3 and could last up to two weeks as his father's re-election campaign unfolds. Hunter Biden has acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers have said he didn't break the law and the case is politically motivated. He didn't speak to reporters as he accompanied his lawyers to and from the Wilmington courthouse for a hearing on Friday.
Prosecutors won a victory on a key point as U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika found that they wouldn't have to prove that he specifically used drugs on the day of the purchase.
She agreed to a defense push to keep out other details about his past, including a child-support case in Arkansas and his dismissal from the Navy after a positive drug test. If he does take the stand, however, "there's a number of issues that may become more contentious," Noreika said. Prosecutors ha.