Hunter Biden trial: President changes his schedule to be with his son after guilty verdict
After three hours of deliberations, the jury convicted the president’s son on all charges
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President Joe Biden flew to Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday to be with his son Hunter Biden after a jury convicted him on three federal gun charges.
Hours after the verdict, the White House Press Office announced that the president’s schedule had changed and that he would head hometown. Later that afternoon, Biden landed in Delaware – greeting his son, daughter-in-law and grandson on the tarmac.
Hunter was charged with two counts of making false statements and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm for obtaining a gun in October 2018 while he was addicted to crack cocaine.
The president has already said he will not pardon his son but issued a statement saying he and first lady Jill Biden love and support their son and are proud of his resilience in recovery.
Throughout Hunter’s federal gun charges trial, members of the Biden family flocked to the courthouse to show their support for the defendant.
On Tuesday evening, CNN aired a montage comparing and contrasting the very different reaction of Fox News hosts to the criminal convictions of Donald Trump and the younger Biden at their respective trials.
Sidebars take up most of the morning
Monday’s morning proceedings consisted mostly of sidebars in which defense attorney Abbe Lowell was very animated as they argued over jury instructions and verdict sheets.
For the first time since the trial began, Hunter Biden joined his attorneys on the side of the bench to participate in discussions.
Judge instructs jury to remain neutral about Hunter Biden testifying
Judge Maryellen Noreika has read the jury some instructions up to the part related to closing arguments – which includes asking the 12 jurors to remain neutral about Hunter Biden not testifying.
“You must not attach any significance to the fact that the defendant did not testify,” she told jurors on Monday.
Prosecution invokes similar phrasing in closing arguments
“No one is above the law,” federal prosecutor Leo Wise told the jury on Monday – a familiar phrase that his colleague Derek Hines invoked during opening arguments.
“All of this is not evidence,” Wise said while gesturing at the packed courtroom filled with Biden’s family and friends – including first lady Jill Biden.
“People sitting in the gallery are not evidence,” he added.
What is the firearms form at the center of Hunter Biden’s gun trial?
The prosecution of Hunter Biden on federal firearms charges stems from a 7-page form that would-be gun buyers must fill out when purchasing a weapon from a licensed gun business. The form includes standard questions about things that would disqualify someone from legal gun ownership, like previous felony convictions, mental health problems or illegal drug use.
The drug question has landed Biden in court — prosecutors say he lied on the paperwork for a gun purchase in 2018 when he said he wasn’t using drugs. Biden’s attorneys say he didn’t consider himself a drug addict when he purchased the weapon.
While people are sometimes prosecuted for allegedly lying on the form, experts say it usually happens as part of a larger case involving more serious conduct, and cases like the one brought against Biden are rare.
Defense teams begins closing arguments
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, tells jurors to think carefully before convicting Biden, reminding them that the government must prove Biden knowingly used drugs and bought a firearm.
“With this very high burden, it’s time to end this case,” Lowell said.
Prosecutor calls evidence against Hunter Biden ‘ugly’ and ‘overwhelming'
Wise told jurors that the issue in the case is if Hunter Biden is an unlawful use of, or addicted to, illegal drugs and purchased a gun knowing that – he says the evidence the government has presented is “ugly” and “overwhelming.”
“The evidence was personal, it was ugly, it was overwhelming,” Wise said adding it was “absolutely necessary.”
He pinpointed back to Zoe Kestan’s testimony about Biden using drugs in September 2018, weeks before he purchased the gun. He told jurors to recall the text messages Biden sent to Hallie Biden days before buying the gun in which he claimed he was buying and using drugs.
Wise also called on Naomi Biden’s testimony, using text messages she exchanged with her father in October 2018 to show that Biden was “not OK”.
Despite not testifying, Hunter Biden’s words are used against him
Although Hunter Biden did not testify in his federal gun charges trial, his words were still used against him through his memoir.
Prosecutors spent a considerable amount of time having the jury listen to audiobook portions of Beautiful Things so jurors could hear directly from Biden about his addiction to crack cocaine before he bought a firearm in October 2018.
Through his memoir, Biden tells a sad but powerful story about life while in the throws of addiction. The exact type of storytelling that prosecutors needed to make their case solid.
Defense points to gun salesman
During closing arguments, Lowell told jurors that more blame should be placed on Gordon Cleveland, the gun salesman who sold Hunter Biden the firearm.
Lowell argued that the gun salesman skirted around rules – like allowing Biden to not have proper ID that contained an updated address.
He painted Cleveland as someone willing to go around the rules in order to make a sale.
Defense attorneys undermine ‘poor Hallie Biden’
Lowell hit out at one of the prosecutions’ key witnesses in the case, Hallie Biden insinuating her inability to recall moments in October 2018 and role in discarding the gun makes her unreliable.
Hallie Biden, Hunter’s sister-in-law and former girlfriend, testified about Hunter’s addiction to crack cocaine and how she found and discarded the gun that he purchased.
Lowell pointed out that Hallie was unable to recall exact moments leading up to and after she threw the gun out at a grocery store. He also pointed out that Hunter often lied to Hallie about his whereabouts because he did not want to see her.
“Poor Hallie Biden, who had to be dragged through this period of her life again,” Lowell told the jury.
Defense slams Hallie Biden for throwing away gun
Lowell shifted some of the blame to Hallie Biden during closing arguments, telling jurors she made an “incredibly stupid” mistake when she threw away Hunter Biden’s gun.
Hallie testified that Hunter made her file a police report after she told him she discarded the firearm – something Lowell argued was the sign of a person is not using drugs.
Lowell also reiterated to jurors that there is no evidence showing the gun was not properly stored or used in the 11 days Biden owned it
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