After gun possession charges: Hunter Biden pleads not guilty

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Hunter Biden, the son of US President Joe Biden, who was accused of possessing illegal weapons, pleaded not guilty in court. The 53-year-old denied the allegations against him on Tuesday in a federal court in the east coast state of Delaware, as US media have repeatedly reported. This brings a trial closer that could, at least in theory, result in the president’s son being sentenced to a long prison sentence.

Hunter Biden was indicted in mid-September on charges of briefly possessing a handgun in 2018, even though he was prohibited from doing so as a drug user. He is also said to have declared in an official document that he did not use illegal drugs when purchasing the Colt. Biden was impeached for three crimes in total.

The president’s son, who openly discussed his former drug addiction in his autobiography, could face a total of 25 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. However, this refers to the sum of the maximum penalties for each charge. In practice, prison sentences in such cases are significantly lower.

The case also has complex legal issues. Advocates for the right to own guns argue that a federal law banning drug users from owning firearms is unconstitutional. In August, a federal appeals court ruled in a case involving marijuana users that the law violated the Second Amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizens the right to bear arms.

He is also targeted by authorities for tax crimes

The US justice system has been investigating Hunter Biden for years. In addition to being charged with illegal weapons possession, they are also suspected of tax crimes. The president’s son pleaded guilty in June to illegal gun possession and tax crimes as part of a deal with the Delaware federal prosecutor’s office. In both cases, in exchange for pleading guilty, he would receive only a light sentence and would also avoid prosecution.

But the deal collapsed in July after the judge in charge questioned its contents. In August, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Delaware federal prosecutor David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2019, as a special prosecutor.

This brought charges against the 53-year-old for illegal weapons possession. The tax case in Delaware has been closed but will be reopened elsewhere.

Hunter Biden is also the center of attention of opposition Republicans. They accuse him in the past of exploiting his father’s prominent position as Barack Obama’s Vice President (from 2009 to 2017) for business in Ukraine and China. The allegations form the basis of Republican efforts to launch an impeachment inquiry against President Biden. They accuse him of meddling in his son’s foreign affairs and lying to the public.

Last week, Republicans in the House of Representatives held their first impeachment trial but failed to present any evidence of the president’s abuse of power. The 80-year-old actor, who plans to run for a second term next year, has flatly denied all the allegations. But the allegations could hurt him in the 2024 election campaign, as did the lawsuit alleging his son violated gun laws. (AFP)

Source :Blick