Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hunter Biden’s trial on gun charges will begin next month after judge rejects bid to delay

The president’s son will go on trial in June on three felony gun charges, including falsifying a firearms application, lying to a federally licensed gun dealer and possession of an illegally obtained gun

Katie Hawkinson
Tuesday 14 May 2024 14:42 EDT
Comments
Related video: Why has Hunter Biden been indicted?

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Hunter Biden will head to trial to face federal gun charges next month after a Delaware judge rejected his last-ditch bid to delay the trial until September.

President Joe Biden’s son is accused of lying about his history of drug abuse in order to buy a gun, which prosecutors say he possessed for eleven days.

He was indicted on three felony gun charges, including falsifying a firearms application, lying to a federally licensed gun dealer and possession of an illegally obtained gun, in September.

His attorneys have argued that the 54-year-old had struggled with drug addiction but did not break the law when filling out the form.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and faces 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000 if convicted.

Mr Biden’s attorneys told US District Judge Maryellen Noreika they needed several more months to decide on witnesses and review evidence submitted by the prosecution.

But the judge denied the request on Tuesday, paving the way for the trial to begin as planned on 3 June, according to recent court filings.

Earlier this month, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected Mr Biden’s bid to dismiss the federal gun charges against him.

The charges against the president’s son came after the US Justice Department spent nearly four years investigating his business dealings and personal conduct.

Hunter Biden, pictured arriving at the US Capitol for a closed-door deposition in February, will go to trial in June on federal gun charges
Hunter Biden, pictured arriving at the US Capitol for a closed-door deposition in February, will go to trial in June on federal gun charges (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Earlier this year, Mr Biden gave testimony to House Republicans for six hours behind closed doors, as part of an impeachment probe against his father.

The transcript of the testimony, released days later, revealed Mr Biden accused Republican members of building an “entire partisan house of cards on lies.”

The ongoing impeachment inquiry – accusing the president of bribery and “corruption” through alleged family business dealings with foreign powers – has yielded nothing but chaos, not to mention no evidence to support the claims.

Last month, a hearing on the president’s potential impeachment descended into verbal blows between two members.

Republican chairman James Comer and Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin clashed repeatedly, each claiming the other “needed therapy.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in