A federal gun case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter opened on Monday, June 3 with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election. First lady Jill Biden was seated in the front row of the courtroom, in a show of support for her son.
In a statement, the president said he has "boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength". "I am the President, but I am also a dad," he said, adding that would have no further comment on the case. "Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today."
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 used to screen firearms applicants by saying he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
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 trial comes just days after Donald Trump, Republicans' presumptive 2024 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. While the two criminal cases are unrelated, their proximity underscores how the criminal courts have taken center stage during the 2024 campaign.
In Delaware, prospective jurors were quizzed individually by Judge Maryellen Noreika to determine whether they could be fair and impartial. One by one, they were dismissed. Questions ranged from their knowledge of the case to their thoughts about gun ownership and whether they or anyone close to them have struggled with substance abuse or addiction or ever owned a gun. Other questions focused on the role politics may have played in the charges.
One prospective juror 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. Another prospective juror was dismissed because his family has a long history in law enforcement, and he said he could not be impartial. A third was excused because he was very aware of the case, and said: "It seems like politics is playing a big role in who gets charged with what and when."
Hunter Biden also faces a separate trial in California in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes . Both cases were to have been resolved through a deal with prosecutors last July, the culmination of a yearslong investigation into his business dealings.
But Noreika, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, questioned some unusual aspects of the deal, which included a proposed guilty plea to misdemeanor offenses to resolve the tax crimes and a diversion agreement on the gun charge, which meant as long as he stayed out of trouble for two years the case would be dismissed. Lawyers could not come to a resolution, and the deal fell apart.
The president's allies are worried about the toll the trial may take on the elderly Biden, who has long been concerned about the wellbeing and sobriety of his only living son and who must now watch as his painful mistakes are publicly scrutinized.
Allies are also worried the trial could become a distraction as the president tries to campaign under anemic poll numbers and as he is preparing for an upcoming presidential debate while the proceedings play out.
If convicted, Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, though first-time offenders do not get anywhere near the maximum, and it's unclear whether the judge would give him time behind bars.