A federal judge has denied attempts by Hunter Biden to dismiss his felony gun indictment in Delaware, paving the way for his trial to begin in early June. This is the first time a child of a sitting US president is facing a criminal trial. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying on federal firearm forms and possessing a gun while using illicit drugs. The judge rejected claims that he was being selectively prosecuted because of his relationship to President Joe Biden, noting that the attorney general overseeing the case was appointed by Hunter Biden’s father.
The judge also ruled that Hunter Biden’s defunct 2023 deal with special counsel David Weiss did not grant him immunity from prosecution and dismissed his argument that the charges were politically motivated. She found that there was no clear evidence to suggest that the decision to pursue an indictment was based on political affiliations, and that there were legitimate reasons for the prosecution to proceed. A ruling on a motion challenging the constitutionality of the gun laws used to charge Hunter Biden has not yet been issued. In addition to the gun case in Delaware, he is also facing federal tax charges in California.
While the tax trial is set to begin in late June, the judge overseeing that case has also rejected many of the same arguments made by Hunter Biden regarding the 2023 agreement and the alleged politicization of Weiss’ investigation. The judge in the tax case upheld that there were legitimate reasons for the charges to be pursued and found no evidence to suggest that the prosecution was politically motivated. Both cases are proceeding against Hunter Biden, with the gun trial scheduled to begin before the tax trial gets underway. The rulings from the judges in each case seem to support the decision to prosecute Hunter Biden based on the evidence at hand.
Hunter Biden’s defense team has been unable to convince the judges in both cases that he was unfairly targeted because of his father’s position as President of the United States. The rulings have upheld the legal basis for the charges and have dismissed claims of political motivations behind the prosecutions. The upcoming trials will be closely watched as they proceed, given the high-profile nature of the defendant’s relationship to the sitting president. The rulings issued by the judges have set the stage for the trials to move forward in Delaware and California, where Hunter Biden will have to defend himself against the charges brought against him.
