What impact will it have on Biden’s election? , the "black sheep" of the Biden family appeared in court including |Hunter|Biden
"Litigation" may be one of the key words in this year's U.S. presidential election.
Less than five days after Trump's criminal conviction, current President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, faces trial on felony gun charges.
The former is the first former president of the United States to be convicted in a criminal case, and the latter is the first child of a sitting president to face a criminal trial in the United States.
Now, the 81-year-old Biden is running the country while watching his own children go on trial. Analysts believe that such a "heavy burden" will have a negative impact on the elderly man's re-election.
On June 3, local time, Hunter, the son of US President Biden, stood trial on suspicion of "illegal purchase and possession of firearms." The trial will take place in his home state of Delaware and is expected to last one to two weeks.
Hunter is Biden's second son. He is 54 years old and has been involved in constant scandals and lawsuits. He is regarded by the outside world as the "black sheep" of the Biden family.
In September last year, Hunter was indicted for illegal possession of firearms, including three counts related to purchasing firearms while abusing drugs.
Two of the charges related to Hunter concealing his status as a drug addict when filling out a gun purchase form in 2018. He was charged for checking "no" to whether he had illegally used or been addicted to illegal drugs. lie. Another count was purchasing a firearm while under the influence of an addictive drug.
According to U.S. law, relevant crimes are punishable by up to 25 years in prison and a fine of $750,000.
However, even if he is convicted of all charges, it is believed that Hunter is unlikely to be sentenced to jail due to his status as a first-time offender.
In addition, the three charges faced by Hunter are all federal charges, so Biden, as the president of the United States, has the power to pardon his son or commute his sentence at any time.
However, the White House explicitly ruled out intervening in the case in July last year. However, analysis points out that Biden made the above-mentioned promise in order to control his own election, and this promise will most likely only be valid before the November election, and will likely be interfered with by various political considerations thereafter.
Hunter pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally purchasing and possessing a firearm, but admitted addiction to alcohol and drugs.
In addition to the above three charges, in December last year, Hunter was also charged with nine tax crimes, including failure to declare and pay taxes, tax evasion, and filing false or fraudulent tax returns. He still pleads not guilty, and the trial of the case is scheduled for September 5, coinciding with the final stage of the U.S. election.
As the case goes to trial, there are a few points worth noting.
The first is where the trial was held - Wilmington, Delaware. This is one of the smallest states in the United States, but it is also the hometown of the Biden clan. This is not only where Biden will be based as president, but where he launched his political career. Here, the Biden family has great influence.
At present, the selection of jury members for the case has been announced. The judge announced on the same day that 12 jury members and 4 alternate members were selected this time, consisting of 10 women and 6 men.
Sources revealed that approximately 250 Delaware residents were initially summoned to serve as jurors. Given Biden's ties to Delaware, residents were frequently asked questions about this year's U.S. election and President Joe Biden during the jury selection process, such as whether they voted for Biden in the past.
During the selection process that day, many members of the Biden family, including Hunter and first lady Jill Biden, were also present.
The second focus is on the federal district judge Marilyn Noreka who heard the case.
A former attorney, she was nominated by Trump to join the federal court in 2018. It was she who caused Hunter's plea deal with the Department of Justice to collapse last year, leading him to where he is today.
Some analysts commented that Noreka's serious attitude contained Hunter's attempt to interfere with the case, but she also spoke for Hunter on several key evidence issues.
It is worth mentioning that Trump put pressure on the Department of Justice and the President of Ukraine in 2020 and 2019 respectively to investigate Hunter.
Prosecutors in charge of the case said they plan to call about a dozen witnesses. Among them, they found three people who were romantically involved with Hunter to testify to his drug use before and after he purchased the gun, including his ex-wife and the widow of his late brother.
Prosecutors said there was also a medical examiner who could testify that a white residue on Hunter's gun bag tested positive for cocaine.
Separately, prosecutors plan to cite excerpts from Hunter's 2021 memoir, which shared details of Hunter's battle with drugs and substance abuse. It is reported that Hunter received more than 140,000 US dollars in remuneration through this autobiography. Little did he know that the original "cash cow" has now turned into a dagger stabbing him.
Hunter has not reacted much to his legal case since he was indicted last year.
However, sources said that Hunter seemed to want to take the "sensational route" when facing this round of trial. His lawyer originally wanted to ask an expert to describe to the jury how Hunter struggled with drugs, but this move was rejected last week. The judge refused.
There are numerous examples over the past few decades of presidential family members getting into legal trouble.
While George Bush was in office, his son faced civil penalties for violating banking laws; Jimmy Carter's brother also faced scrutiny for repeated racist and anti-Semitic comments. But nothing has yet reached the point of a criminal trial.
On the day the trial began, Biden simultaneously issued a statement expressing his support for Hunter, but refused to comment on the trial.
"I am the president, but I am also a father," Biden wrote in the statement. "As president, I cannot and will not comment on pending federal cases, but as a father, I am deeply concerned about my son. There is infinite love.”
Many local media mentioned that Hunter's trial will bring huge legal and political risks to Biden's re-election as President of the United States. At the same time, it "loads" the octogenarian president's brain and distracts him.
One is that on the eve of the general election, Biden may not have time to use Trump's status as a "felon" to win more voters in swing states, but will spend time gaining "political oxygen" for himself.
The second is that the trial may reveal more details about Hunter's drug use, thereby lifting the "fig leaf" of the Biden family and bringing it into public view.
Douglas Brinkley, an expert on U.S. presidential history, said the trial is a "heavy burden" hanging around President Joe Biden's neck. Although people hope that family is a safe haven, at this moment, family may be his biggest concern as he seeks re-election.
The same goes for Hunter. Legal sources pointed out that similar gun charges are rarely prosecuted individually, but they have happened to Hunter. This shows that as the son of the president, he is more susceptible to scrutiny than ordinary people.
