(Washington) Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, a favorite target of the American right and his father’s political torment, was charged Thursday at the federal level with illegal possession of a firearm.
Hunter Biden is accused of lying about purchasing a Colt Cobra in 2018, saying he did not suffer from addictions even though he admitted to using drugs at the time.
He “knowingly made a false written statement” and came into illegal possession of the gun, according to court documents.
After trying at all costs to avoid being brought to justice, Hunter Biden could find himself on trial in the middle of the electoral campaign for next year’s presidential election, during which his father is seeking a new term.
If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.
The indictments, which come from a federal grand jury, were issued by David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden for several years and was recently named a special prosecutor.
The son of the Democratic president reached an initial agreement negotiated with David Weiss in Delaware in June, which would likely have allowed him to avoid prison and an embarrassing trial for him and his father.
But a judge cast doubt on the validity of the arrangement. Then prosecutors – led by Mr. Weiss – confirmed that it was no longer on the agenda.
Supported by his father
Hunter Biden has also been targeted for years by his father’s predecessor, Donald Trump, and many other Republicans, who accuse him of corruption.
PHOTO ANDREW HARNIK, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Hunter and Joe Biden
Conservative parliamentarians accuse him in particular of having made dubious deals in Ukraine and China while Joe Biden was Barack Obama’s vice-president (2009-2017), taking advantage of his father’s networks and name.
A former associate of Hunter Biden recently told Congress that Biden arranged for his father to speak on the phone several times with foreign partners, but without Joe Biden getting involved in his affairs.
The president has always claimed to stand by his son in his personal and legal setbacks.
“My son did nothing wrong. I have confidence in him,” Mr. Biden said recently regarding Hunter’s charges of tax evasion and illegal possession of a firearm.
“He never gave up on me,” Hunter Biden once wrote about his father. “At times, his perseverance put me beside myself. I was trying to disappear into a black hole with alcohol or drugs and then there he was, showing up again with his lantern.”
Hunter, who has long suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, claims to have stopped taking anything since 2019 following an intervention by his second wife Melissa, with whom he had a son, and his father.