Hunter Biden Guilty of Falsifying Drug Use Info | NEWS-21-INDIA
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was found guilty on June 10 by a jury in Wilmington, Delaware, for falsifying information about his drug use in order to illegally purchase a firearm.
This historic verdict marks Hunter Biden as the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. The case was decided unanimously by a 12-member jury. This development is expected to be used by Democrats to counter claims from former President Donald Trump about a politically biased justice system. Trump was recently convicted of a felony related to falsifying business records in connection with a sex scandal, becoming the first former U.S. president to be found guilty of a felony. Trump has accused Democrats of manipulating the justice system to hinder his bid to reclaim the presidency in the upcoming November election. Following the verdict, President Biden stated that he would accept the outcome of his son’s criminal case and respect the judicial process. Democrats are seizing upon Hunter Biden’s case to argue that President Biden is not interfering with the justice system for personal or political gain. President Biden had previously stated that he would not pardon his son if convicted.
The prosecution in the Hunter Biden case was led by U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Trump and has also charged him with multiple tax offences in California. For these charges, he has pleaded not guilty, along with a trial aligned on 5th September in LA. During the Delaware trial, testimonies from his ex-wife, former girlfriend, and sister-in-law described his severe addiction at the time he purchased the gun in October 2018. Prosecutors presented text messages, photos, and bank records to demonstrate Biden’s drug use during that period and his deliberate deception on a government form. Hunter Biden’s defense argued that he was not using drugs when he bought the gun and did not consider himself a drug user at the time. His daughter, Naomi Biden, testified in defense, suggesting that her father appeared to be doing well around the time he bought the gun. Sentencing guidelines for the gun-related charges recommend 15 to 21 months in prison. However, legal experts note that defendants in similar cases often receive shorter sentences or avoid incarceration altogether if they comply with pretrial release conditions.
