Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges brought by special counsel David Weiss began Monday with jury selection.
First Lady Jill Biden joined her son at the courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, according to CBS News. Hunter Biden was indicted in September on three felony gun charges for allegedly making false statements on a firearm purchase form and knowingly possessing a gun in 2018 while addicted to drugs.
Witnesses to be called during the trial could include three women with whom Hunter Biden was romantically involved, his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, his late brother’s widow Hallie Biden, and Zoe Kestan, according to the New York Post.
For evidence, prosecutors said they intend to cite portions of Hunter Biden’s memoir, Beautiful Things, where he describes his drug use in 2018. They also will introduce text messages that address his drug usage in 2018. Some messages and material were obtained from his abandoned laptop.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys have challenged the authenticity of evidence on the laptop, though prosecutors said his claims were “a conspiracy theory with no supporting evidence.”
“He has not provided any evidence or information that shows that his laptop contains false information, and the government’s evidence shows the opposite – the defendant’s laptop is real,” prosecutors responded in court filings.
Police officers enter the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 26, 2023. (Photo by RYAN COLLERD/AFP via Getty Images)
Judge Maryellen Noreika, who is overseeing the trial, granted Weiss’ request Sunday to stop a doctor Hunter Biden wanted to call as an expert witness from testifying.
“The inadequacy of Defendant’s expert disclosure for Dr. Aoun leaves the government in the dark as to what his opinions about the facts of this case will be, thus rendering the government unable to prepare for trial,” Noreika wrote. (RELATED: Biden Pays Visit To Daughter-In-Law Ahead Of Expected Testimony In Hunter’s Gun Trial)
Hunter Biden’s attorneys continually tried to delay the trial and dismiss the case, citing constitutional problems with the indictment and violations of the pretrial diversion agreement they argued remained valid. They also argued Weiss was unlawfully appointed and said Hunter Biden was the target of “selective and vindictive prosecution.”
“This is perhaps the clearest of cases of prosecutors making prosecutorial decisions for political reasons, selectively and vindictively prosecuting Mr. Biden based on his familial and political affiliation with his father, the President of the United States,” his attorneys claimed.
Hunter Biden’s plea deal fell apart last year after Noreika scrutinized a portion of the diversion agreement that would grant him broad immunity.
Hunter Biden’s case in California on tax charges is scheduled for September 5. The judge postponed the trial, initially set to begin June 20, due to the gun charges trial.
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