In a landmark decision on June 11, Hunter Biden was found guilty on all charges in his gun trial, marking a historic moment as the first child of a sitting president to face a federal trial and conviction. The trial revolved around a Colt Cobra revolver that Biden purchased from a gun store on October 12, 2018, during a period prosecutors allege he was struggling with a crack cocaine addiction.
Hunter Biden faced accusations of lying to a federally licensed gun store by falsely claiming on his application that he was not a drug user at the time of purchase, and unlawfully possessing the firearm for 11 days. Despite pleading not guilty to the three felony charges, the jury's verdict concluded a dramatic weeklong trial.
Jurors deliberated for an hour on the afternoon of June 10 and resumed the following morning, spending a total of three hours to reach their decision. The trial featured testimonies from Biden's ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan, sister-in-law and former partner Hallie Biden, his daughter Naomi Biden, as well as expert witnesses, the gun store owner, the clerk who sold the gun, and the individual who discovered the firearm in the trash.
Prosecutors built their case on testimony from Biden’s ex-romantic partners, text messages, and excerpts from his memoir, arguing that Biden was “knowingly” an active drug addict in October 2018 when he purchased the firearm. In his closing arguments, prosecutor Leo Wise underscored Biden's own admissions of drug use in his memoir and text messages to Hallie Biden, which described his interactions with drug dealers and drug use around the time of the gun purchase.
“He knew he was using drugs. That’s what the evidence shows. And he knew he was addicted to drugs. That’s what the evidence shows,” Wise asserted.
The defense argued that Biden did not consider himself an addict when he purchased the gun, and thus did not “knowingly” lie on the application form when he answered “no” to the question about being a drug addict. However, the jury sided with the prosecution, finding that the evidence presented overwhelmingly proved Biden’s awareness of his addiction and his subsequent deceit on the gun application.
This conviction raises significant questions about accountability and the rule of law, even for those connected to the highest echelons of power. As the son of President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden’s legal battles have not only been a personal saga but also a highly publicized affair with political ramifications. The outcome of this trial underscores the principle that no one is above the law, regardless of their family connections.
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