Defense says it will call the president’s brother as a witness in the trial against Hunter Biden

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday described Hunter, President Joe Biden’s son, as an obvious drug addict whose habits ensnared his loved ones and who knew what he was doing when he lied on federal forms to purchase a firearm in 2018. when he said he was not mired in addiction.

For his part, Hunter Biden’s defense attorney said he would call the president’s brother, James Biden, to testify. James and Hunter have a close relationship, and in the past, the uncle helped his nephew during her rehabilitation periods.

Hunter Biden has been accused of three felonies derived from the purchase of a firearm in 2018, when, according to his memoirs, he was addicted to crack. He is accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false statement on the application that he did not use drugs, and illegally keeping the gun for 11 days.

In its opening statement, prosecutors told jurors that Hunter Biden was clearly an addict when he acquired the gun, and that he told his brother’s widow that he was waiting for a drug dealer a few days before lying on the form.

“No one is allowed to lie like that on a federal form, not even Hunter Biden,” said U.S. Attorney Derek Hines.

“He crossed the line when he decided to purchase a gun and lie about a federal background check… the defendant’s decision to purchase a gun is the reason we are here.”

Hines said “addiction is depressing,” but that Hunter Biden’s addiction is not the reason for the case.

The process comes after the collapse of a plea deal, which would have avoided the spectacle of a trial very close to the 2024 election. Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty and claims he is being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department because Republicans condemned the now-defunct plea deal as special treatment for the Democratic president’s son.

The first lady, Jill Biden, and her sister, Ashley Biden, accompanied him again in court, at the beginning of the opening statements.

The trial takes place a few days after Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City. The cases are not related to each other, but their proximity underscores the central role the courts have played in the 2024 campaign.

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