Three gun charges against Hunter Biden: First time a sitting US President's child has been criminally prosecuted

(Patria) - US President Joe Biden's son, Hunter, has been criminally charged on three counts for lying while purchasing a firearm, after a proposed plea deal fell through. This is the first time a sitting US President's child has been criminally prosecuted.

A planned plea deal to resolve the gun and tax charges he faced abruptly collapsed in July. All three counts relate to Biden (53), who allegedly lied on forms when he bought a gun while using drugs, the BBC reported.

Prosecutors allege he falsely claimed that he was "not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any
dispensary of controlled substances" when he bought a Colt Cobra Special revolver at a gun shop in Delaware in October 2018. At the time, Biden was a heavy user of crack cocaine.

Under US federal law, it is a crime to lie on such documentation or to possess a firearm while being a drug user. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, the Justice Department said.

Actual sentences for federal crimes are usually less than the maximum possible penalties.

Biden's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, suggested the charges were influenced by "inappropriate and
partisan Republican interference in this process." He said his client "did not break the law" and that his brief possession of an unloaded gun never posed a threat to public safety. "But the prosecutor, with all the power imaginable, bowing to political pressure poses a serious threat to our justice system."

Cornell Law School professor Randy Zellin told the BBC that he believed it was unlikely Biden would go to jail and that a plea deal was probable. "It's nonsense," he said.

"Nobody was hurt. It's a victimless crime. He's never been in trouble before. Do we really want to spend judicial resources?"

In June, a two-part agreement had been reached between prosecutors and Biden's legal team, which later collapsed. Under the terms of that agreement, he would have been charged with two misdemeanor counts for failing to pay taxes on time in 2017 and 2018. He also would have been required to admit to unlawful possession of a firearm and agree to drug treatment and monitoring to avoid a felony charge and potential prison time.

But US District Judge Maryellen Noreika said she could not "sign off on the agreement," adding that the proposed resolution of the gun-related felony charge was "unusual." Thursday's charges are the first brought by Justice Department special counsel David Weiss, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August.

Weiss had previously said he intended to charge Biden by September 29. Hunter Biden's legal troubles have become political as his father seeks re-election, though the defendant has never held office in the White House or his father's administration.

Earlier this week, Republicans in the House of Representatives announced an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Among the accusations leveled against Biden are that he lied about his involvement in his son's business dealings while he was vice president from 2009 to 2017. Two tax investigators also alleged that the Justice Department obstructed the investigation into Hunter Biden's tax filings. The department has denied those claims.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, the man who led the investigation into the indictment, said the charges against Hunter Biden were "a very small start."

"But if US Attorney Weiss does not investigate everyone involved in the fraud and influence peddling schemes, it will be clear that President Biden's Justice Department is protecting Hunter Biden and the big guy."