US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted for lying about his drug use when he purchased a handgun in 2018. The charges include making false statements on a federal firearms form and owning a firearm as a prohibited person.
The indictment comes as House Republicans recently increased their efforts to capitalise on Hunter Biden’s international activities to build a case for impeaching President Biden.
Gun Charges on Hunter Biden
A federal grand jury in Wilmington, Delaware, indicted Biden on three felonies: lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the federal firearms application used to screen applicants, and possessing an illegally obtained gun for 11 days from 12 October to 23 October 2018.
Prosecutors claim Hunter checked a box on a federal form declaring that he did not use or was not addicted to drugs when he bought a Colt Cobra Special handgun in Delaware in 2018.
According to the indictment, Hunter was using drugs at the time he purchased the gun and deceived the company selling him the firearms by making false statements.
Hunter Biden “provided a written statement on Form 4473 certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious,” the indictment stated.
It is a violation under US federal law to lie on such documents or to possess a firearm while being a drug user.
The Justice Department said in a statement that, if convicted, the president’s son faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, adding that actual punishments for federal offences are frequently less severe than the maximum penalties.
Biden’s Attorney’s Response
Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, argued that the allegations were motivated by “Republicans’ improper and partisan interference in this process.”
Lowell defended Biden, saying, “Hunter Biden possessing an unloaded gun for 11 days was not a threat to public safety, but a prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bending to political pressure presents a grave threat to our system of justice.”
Additional Charges on Hunter Biden
Since 2018, the Justice Department has been investigating Hunter Biden on various issues, including his work for Ukrainian gas and oil company Burisma, his connections with oligarchs, and his business dealings in China.
Hunter Biden has been charged with two misdemeanour tax offences, and according to tax records, he earned more than $1.5 million in taxable income in calendar years 2017 and 2018. Even though he owed more than $100,000 in federal income taxes each year, he did not pay the tax due for either year. But that tax bill has since been repaid.
According to sources, Burisma hired Hunter Biden as a board member in 2013. The company chief executive claimed in 2015 that he was “forced” to pay Joe and Hunter Biden $5 million each in exchange for orchestrating the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor named Viktor Shokin, who was allegedly investigating Burisma at the time.
Reports suggest that the indictment adds to the pressure the Bidens have been under this week: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, authorised Republican leaders on Tuesday to launch an impeachment investigation into charges that Joe Biden benefitted from his son’s international business activities while holding office.
Hunter Biden Indicted on Three Federal Gun Charges Amid Republican Efforts to Impeach Joe Biden
The indictment comes as House Republicans recently increased their efforts to capitalise on Hunter Biden’s international activities to build a case for impeaching his father, US President Joe Biden.
September 15, 2023
IMAGE SOURCE: APUS President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden.