World News | A Jury Has Been Seated in Hunter Biden's Federal Firearms Case
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. A jury was seated Monday in a federal gun case against President Joe Biden's son Hunter, after prospective candidates were questioned on their thoughts about gun rights and drug addiction while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom in a show of support for her son. Opening statements will begin Tuesday.
Wilmington (Delaware), Jun 4 (AP) A jury was seated Monday in a federal gun case against President Joe Biden's son Hunter, after prospective candidates were questioned on their thoughts about gun rights and drug addiction while the first lady watched from the front row of the courtroom in a show of support for her son. Opening statements will begin Tuesday.
A jury of 12 panellists and four alternates was selected in one day.
Hunter Biden, who spent the weekend with his parents, has been charged in Delaware with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase when he was, according to his memoir, in the throes of a crack addiction. He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
More than 65 prospective jurors who were questioned and 29 had been dismissed by late afternoon. One who was sent home said she didn't know whether she could be impartial because of the opinion she had formed about Hunter Biden based on media reports.
"It's not a good one," she replied when an attorney asked her opinion.
The case is going to trial following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close to the 2024 election. He has pleaded not guilty and has argued he's being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department, after Republicans decried the now-defunct plea deal as special treatment for the Democratic president's son.
The proceedings are unfolding just days after Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was convicted of 34 felonies in New York City. A jury found the former president guilty of a scheme to cover up a hush money payment to a porn actor to fend off damage to his 2016 presidential campaign. The two criminal cases are unrelated, but their proximity underscores how the criminal courts have taken centrestage during the 2024 campaign.
In Delaware, prospective jurors who answered "yes" on a questionnaire were quizzed individually by Judge Maryellen Noreika to determine whether they could be fair and impartial. Their names were not made public.
The questions tested their knowledge of the case, surveyed their thoughts about gun ownership and inquired whether they or anyone close to them have struggled with substance abuse or addiction. Other questions focused on the role politics may have played in the charges.
One man was dismissed after telling the judge he had sold guns in the past and was familiar with the forms that need to be filled out. Also dismissed was a woman who said her husband was a friend of Joe Biden's late son, Beau, and that she thought Hunter was a good man.
A man was dismissed because his family has a long history in law enforcement, and he said he could not be impartial. Another was excused because he was very aware of the case, and, "It seems like politics is playing a big role in who gets charged with what and when."
Only one potential juror answered "no" to all the questions and moved on to the next phase. Another who was not dismissed said he holds a concealed carry permit and owns three handguns. The man said he has strong views on gun ownership and believes every law-abiding citizen should be able to own a gun.
"I believe the Second Amendment is very important," he explained.
Attorneys jointly moved to dismiss a woman who expressed strong anti-gun views during questioning.
Hunter Biden also faces a separate trial in California in September on charges of failing to pay USD 1.4 million in taxes. Both cases were to have been resolved through the deal with prosecutors last July, the culmination of a yearslong investigation into his business dealings.
This trial isn't about Hunter Biden's foreign business affairs -- which Republicans have seized on without evidence to try to paint the Biden family as corrupt. But it will excavate some of Hunter Biden's darkest moments and put them on display.
The president's allies are worried about the toll the trial may take on the elder Biden, who has long been concerned about his only living son and his sobriety and who must now watch as his son's painful past mistakes are publicly scrutinised.
Allies are also worried the trial could become a distraction as the president tries to campaign under anaemic poll numbers and as he is preparing for an upcoming presidential debate while the proceedings play out.
In a statement Monday, the president said he has "boundless love" for his son, "confidence in him and respect for his strength".
The president was nearby, in their Wilmington home, until he left for a campaign reception in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is traveling to France on Tuesday and will be gone the rest of the week.
The case against Hunter Biden stems from a period when, by his own public admission, he was addicted to crack. His descent into drugs and alcohol followed the 2015 death of his brother, Beau Biden, from cancer. He bought and owned a gun for 11 days in October 2018 and indicated on the gun purchase form that he was not using drugs. (AP)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)