Wilmington: Jury deliberations began Monday in Hunter Biden’s trial on federal gun charges, a historic crime against the son of a sitting US president.
Hunter Biden, 54, the son of President Joe Biden, was accused of falsely claiming he was using drugs when he bought a gun in 2018.
The trial comes less than two weeks after his father is seeking re-election and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been accused of business fraud in November.
The 12-member jury began deliberations after prosecutors and Hunter Biden’s defense team presented their closing arguments.
According to CNN and other US media outlets, the jury spent nearly an hour deliberating today. They will return at 9:00 am on Tuesday.
Hunter Biden did not speak during the week-long trial held in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
First wife Jill Biden covered Monday’s hearing. The president was not present, but said he and Jill were “obeyed” by their son.
“As president, I do not and will not comment on pending federal litigation, but as a father, I have an undying love for my son, and respect for his strength and faith in him,” Biden said.
The case, along with Hunter Biden’s other trial on tax evasion charges in California, has complicated efforts by Democrats to focus on Trump, the first former president to face criminal charges.
In addition to political interference, Hunter Biden’s legal problems have opened up deep emotional wounds for the family since his drug addiction.
His brother Beau died of cancer in 2015, and his sister Naomi died as a baby in a car accident in 1972, while their mother, Neilia, was Joe Biden’s first wife.
2018, a lawyer and lobbyist trained by Alejandro, falsely claimed that he did not use drugs when he bought a .38 caliber revolver in 2018.
He was also charged with illegal possession of a firearm for just 11 days in October that year.
The president’s son, who has openly written about drug addiction, said he did not consider himself an addict when he bought the revolver.
Among those testifying at the trial were Hunter Biden’s ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, his brother Beau’s widow Hallie Biden and daughter Naomi Biden.
If convicted, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, but no prison time as a first offender.
Hunter Biden has long been a target of far-right Republicans, and Trump allies have long been under scrutiny over allegations of corruption and business dealings in Congress. No charges were filed.
Hunter Biden’s actions in China and Ukraine have provided the basis for Republican lawmakers’ impeachment efforts against his father. This effort went nowhere.
White said there will be no presidential pardon for Hunter Biden if the case is closed.
