Investigation into Hunter Biden’s Drug Addiction Set to Make History

The upcoming criminal trial of Hunter Biden on gun charges is set to start next week. Federal prosecutors are expected to delve into graphic details of his crack cocaine addiction, which could be used by opponents of his father’s presidential reelection campaign.

When jury selection begins on Monday, Hunter Biden will become the first child of a sitting president to face criminal charges. The trial comes shortly after another landmark event: the criminal trial of a former U.S. president.

President Joe Biden’s son has pleaded not guilty to three federal criminal charges related to his purchase of a .38-caliber Colt revolver in 2018. He was charged in September by U.S. Special Counsel David Weiss, a Trump appointee, for lying about his drug use during the handgun purchase and unlawfully possessing the weapon for 11 days in October 2018.

If convicted on all counts, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison. This trial comes at a challenging time for Joe Biden, who is campaigning for a second term but faces challenges related to inflation, conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and concerns about his advanced age as the oldest U.S. president at 81.

The trial coincides with closing arguments in a New York trial accusing Donald Trump, Biden’s Republican rival in the upcoming election, of falsifying records to conceal hush-money payments during the 2016 election. Trump also faces three other criminal trials yet to be scheduled.

As prosecutors focus on Trump, Republicans have intensified allegations of financial wrongdoing against the president’s family, particularly his son, Hunter Biden. Republicans have long tried to prove that Hunter Biden used his father’s influence for personal gain. In September, he faces a separate federal tax trial in Los Angeles, also brought by Weiss.

The gun trial in Wilmington, Delaware, where the Biden family resides, is expected to last more than two weeks. Prosecutors plan to present evidence, including photos, messages, and testimony, to show that Hunter Biden was using illegal drugs around the time of the gun purchase and failed to disclose this information as required on the federal form.

The government may call his ex-wife to testify about specific incidents, such as removing drugs from Hunter Biden’s car to protect their daughter. Prosecutors may also use information from his phone, iCloud account, and a laptop left at a repair store, including photos of Hunter Biden using crack and texts arranging drug deals.

In his autobiography, Hunter Biden admitted to being a crack addict and living a moment-to-moment existence with the drug. Prosecutors may use these statements during the trial.

To secure convictions for the gun-related charges, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hunter Biden knowingly provided false information on the gun purchase form and that he was aware of his unlawful drug use when possessing the firearm.

Defense attorneys have raised questions about the quality of evidence, including traces of cocaine found on the gun storage pouch and alleged tampering with the laptop containing incriminating information.

Despite the challenges, Hunter Biden’s legal team continues to dispute the charges. They argue that he believed he was sober at the time of the gun purchase due to completing a rehabilitation program and could have ticked the wrong box on the form by mistake.

During a hearing in July, U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, a Trump nominee, declined to approve a plea deal that would have avoided the gun charges, leading to the upcoming trial.

Joe Biden and Hunter’s sister, Ashley Biden, are the surviving children of the president. Their other sister, Naomi, died as an infant in a tragic car accident that also claimed the life of Joe Biden’s first wife, Neilia. His son, Beau Biden, passed away from cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.