US President Joe Biden has stated that, following a week-long trial that exposed a turbulent period for the family, he will honor the jury’s verdict finding his son guilty of gun offenses.
Hunter Biden, 54, was found guilty by the 12-member jury of lying on a paperwork regarding his drug use while buying a weapon in 2018. After the verdict, which was the first to prosecute a sitting president’s kid criminally, he could go to jail.
His conviction on all three felony counts occurs less than two weeks after his opponent in the election, Donald Trump, was found guilty of a crime in New York, and during President Biden’s reelection campaign in November.
First Lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family frequently attended the trial in Delaware, even though President Biden did not. Throughout the proceedings, Hunter Biden’s uncle, sister, and wife were all occasionally present to support him.
Hunter Biden, 54, was found guilty by the 12-member jury of lying on a paperwork regarding his drug use while buying a weapon in 2018. After the verdict, which was the first to prosecute a sitting president’s kid criminally, he could go to jail.
His conviction on all three felony counts occurs less than two weeks after his opponent in the election, Donald Trump, was found guilty of a crime in New York, and during President Biden’s reelection campaign in November.
First Lady Jill Biden and other members of the Biden family frequently attended the trial in Delaware, even though President Biden did not. Throughout the proceedings, Hunter Biden’s uncle, sister, and wife were all occasionally present to support him.
His ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and his ex-girlfriend, Zoe Kestan, testified before the jury about his regular drug use, which negatively impacted his friends and family. The court was also shown text messages that described his addiction and pictures, some of which featured a half-naked Hunter Biden.
Politicians reacted quickly to the Tuesday judgment, even Republicans in Congress who had been looking into Hunter Biden’s business dealings and behavior for years.
The head of the House oversight committee, a Republican named James Comer, termed it a “step toward accountability,” but he also stated that “everyone involved” in the “Bidens’ corrupt influence peddling schemes” ought to be looked into.
The trial has “been nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes of the Biden Crime Family,” according to a statement released by the Trump team. On the campaign trail, the former president frequently brought up the family’s portrayal in reference to Republican accusations of unethical behavior directed at the president and his son.
Members of Congress who are Democrats hailed the US legal system while accusing their Republican counterparts of hypocrisy.
Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, asked the committee to “compare and contrast the difference in reaction between the Republicans and the Democrats.”
He made reference to Trump’s criminal conviction when he stated, “I don’t hear a single Democrat crying foul, but the Republicans are attacking our entire system of justice and the rule of law because they don’t like the way one case came out.”
Politics, according to a number of the jurors who found Hunter Biden guilty, had no bearing on their choice. One jury told the, “I was never thinking of President Joe Biden.”
“Out of all the jurors, nobody mentioned anything about political motivations,” he stated.
President Biden has been actively following the case, and according to his aides, US news sources have reported that the trial and verdict have emotionally taxed Mr. Biden.
While traveling to France for D-Day commemoration activities, Politico reported that Mr. Biden had been “consumed with the trial for weeks” and had contacted family members for updates.
The publication added that Mr. Biden feels his son’s legal issues are partly his own and that he has occasionally felt guilty about the attention his son has received.
The president’s advisors have reportedly avoided talking to him about his son on numerous occasions, and some have even attempted to restrict Hunter Biden’s public appearances, according to the Washington Post.
Hunter Biden’s sentencing is scheduled to occur within the next 120 days, however the presiding judge has not yet scheduled the hearing. He might receive a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, but considering that he is a first-time, non-violent offender, legal experts say it is extremely improbable that he will receive a sentence anywhere near that.
His legal troubles are expected to last the entire year and the duration of his father’s political campaign. He is accused of not paying $1.4 million (£1.1 million) in income taxes, and he will go on trial in California in September.
Hunter Biden might spend up to 17 years behind bars if found guilty in that instance.
