It looks like Hunter Biden’s run as Fortunate Son is done.
A federal jury in Wilmington, Del. found Hunter Biden guilty of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018.
Jurors found him guilty of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application by saying he was not a drug user and illegally having the gun for 11 days.
Like former President Donald Trump’s recent trial, details brought to light in the courtroom were less than flattering: embarrassing text messages and photos of Hunter Biden with drug paraphernalia or partially clothed.
The timing of the verdict was serendipitous: President Biden was getting ready to speak at a conference hosted by the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund in Washington. He kept Hunter out of it in his remarks on his administration’s efforts to stop gun violence.
It’s also fortuitous that the verdict came down before Joe Biden’s June 27 debate with Trump. Both candidates now have an elephant in the room.
What Trump doesn’t have, however, is a mainstream media eager to move on to other stories. Trump’s trial was a buffet of breathless coverage: Stormy Daniels’ testimony, speculation on the absence of wife Melania in the courtroom, his bid to attend son Barron’s high school graduation, and whether he was sleeping during the proceedings.
To say nothing of the commentary by national pundits.
President Joe Biden said in a statement after his son’s verdict that he would accept the outcome and “continue to respect the judicial process as Hunter considers an appeal.”
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who didn’t set a sentencing date. As a first time offender, it’s unlikely he would anywhere near the maximum sentence, or even see the inside of a prison cell at all. The New York Post, however, noted that Noreika issued a harsher than expected prison sentence in a similar firearms case.
She sentenced that defendant, Zhi Dong, to one year — double the amount of time prosecutors had asked for — on May 2.
If Hunter Biden does get prison time, it’s a given that Democrats will slam dark GOP forces, as they did during the investigation in his activities.
Biden told ABC News last week that he wouldn’t pardon Hunter. Biden says a lot of things.
While it’s a relief to the Biden camp that the trial and verdict are now in the rear-view, Hunter Biden isn’t out of the woods. Nor is potential fallout for his father’s re-election campaign.
Hunter Biden’s trial on nine federal tax charges is set to begin Sept. 5, a mere two months from Election Day. He’s charged with six misdemeanor counts of failure to file his tax returns and pay taxes, one felony count of tax evasion and two felony counts of filing a false return. He’s alleged to have not paid at least $1.4 million income taxes.
A bad look for Dad Joe, whose Inflation Reduction Act supercharged the IRS to enforce tax compliance by the wealthiest tax evaders.
President Biden will have to pull out all the stops to keep his son’s legal problems from sucking all the oxygen from the room. Getting tougher on immigration and reining in spending would be a good start.
