Federal prosecutors are concluding their case against Hunter Biden, bringing in two additional witnesses on Friday to demonstrate that the president’s son lied on a mandatory gun purchase form by denying he was “an unlawful user of, or addicted to” drugs.
Prosecutors plan to call a drug expert and an FBI chemist, ending a week largely focused on presenting evidence of Hunter Biden’s severe drug addiction through highly personal and often explicit testimony.
Jurors have heard from his ex-wife and a former girlfriend about his chronic crack cocaine use and their unsuccessful attempts to help him recover. They were shown images of Biden disheveled and bare-chested in a dirty room, holding crack pipes, and videos of crack cocaine being weighed on a scale.
Prosecutors argue that this evidence proves Hunter Biden, 54, was addicted to drugs when he bought the gun and thus lied on the form. His lawyer, Abbe Lowell, contends that Hunter did not consider himself an “addict” at the time of the purchase and did not intend to deceive anyone.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has maintained a careful balance between his roles as president and father, stating in an ABC interview that he would respect the jury’s verdict and ruling out a pardon for his son. Earlier, he issued a statement expressing his love and pride for his son.
President Biden is currently in France for D-Day anniversary events. First lady Jill Biden, who attended court earlier in the week, returned to the trial on Friday before heading back to France for a state dinner.
Hunter Biden faces three felony charges: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, falsely claiming he was not a drug user, and illegally possessing the gun for 11 days. He has pleaded not guilty. He had hoped to resolve the gun case and a separate tax case in California through a plea deal last year, but the deal fell apart after a judge raised concerns about its terms.
Hunter Biden claims he was charged due to Republican pressure on the Justice Department, which he says argued that the president’s son was receiving special treatment. His lawyer, Lowell, mentioned that he might call the president’s brother, James, as a witness, but it remains unclear if Hunter Biden will testify.
Prosecutors have played excerpts from Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” in which he discusses his addiction issues, but the book, written after he got sober, does not specifically mention the gun.
Lowell argued that Hunter Biden’s state of mind was different when he wrote the book than when he purchased the gun, and that he did not believe he had a drug problem at that time. He also noted that some questions on the firearm form are in the present tense.
The gun issue arose because Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, found it unloaded in Hunter’s truck and threw it away out of concern for their safety. She testified about the incident, stating she panicked and didn’t want her children to find it.
Jurors also heard from officers who handled the case, the man who found the gun, and the store clerk who sold it to Hunter Biden.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders typically receive less severe sentences, and it’s unclear if he would serve time. He also faces a separate trial in September for failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes.
