WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday painted President Joe Biden’s son Hunter as deceptive and driven by addiction, a man whose dark habits ensnared loved ones and who knew what he was doing when he lied on federal forms to purchase a gun in 2018. Meanwhile, Hunter Biden's attorney argued that his client did not believe he was in the throes of addiction when he stated in the paperwork that he did not have a drug problem.
And he did nothing with the gun in the short time he had it, attorney Abbe Lowell said in opening statements. “You will see that he is not guilty,” Lowell said. Hunter Biden has been charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of the Colt revolver when he was, according to his memoir, addicted to crack.
He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days. The case is dredging up painful memories for the president and his family, and revealing new and highly personal details about their struggles with addiction as the 2024 election looms, all while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom. Jurors will hear testimony from the president’s brother James Biden, who is close with Hunter and helped his nephew through rehab stints in the past.
They will also hear how Hallie Biden, the widow of the president's late son, also became addicted to crack during a brief relationship with Hunte.