George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley argued Monday that Hunter Biden “blew away” the “suggested defense” of his lawyer Abbe Lowell by discussing his sobriety with Axios.
Biden suggested to the outlet his sobriety is key to defeating former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election and the “future of democracy.” He is facing three counts for providing false statements and knowingly purchasing a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018 while under the influence of drugs.
“I think he [Biden] should worry less about democracy and more his liberty,” Turley said on “America Reports.” “I think the problem with his interview with Axios is that he blew away the suggested defense of his counsel, Abbe Lowell. Lowell suggested that he might argue that he was in a period of sobriety when he signed the statement falsely. He contradicts that and says that his first day of sobriety was actually the day before his father announced for president. It was the day of his wedding, that’s eight months after he signed that form.”
“So he doesn’t leave a lot of runway for the defense and the curious thing, Bret, is they appear to be moving towards either challenging the statute, this law that Joe Biden has championed, or adopting arguments from the NRA, arguing that his Second Amendment rights are being violated. Either way, it’s a rather otherworldly position for a Biden,” Turley concluded.
In July 2023, the younger Biden swore in federal court that he has been sober since June 1, 2019, according to Axios. He initially referred to May 17, 2019, as his sobriety date, the day before his father officially kicked off his campaign in Philadelphia. (RELATED: Jonathan Turley Says Hunter Biden’s Financier Threatened Him With Defamation Lawsuit)
He said in his memoir, “Beautiful Things,” that he still suffering from addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol at the time his father announced his candidacy on April 25, 2019. He testified in court that he had a “drink or two” between then and June 1.
He married documentary filmmaker Melissa Cohen in the first week of his father’s candidacy, who reportedly helped him heal from his addiction, Axios reported.
Biden is set to appear for a closed-door deposition before Congress on Feb. 28, nearly one week after his uncle, James Biden, appeared for a closed-door deposition in connection to House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry.