First son Hunter Biden’s criminal trial got underway Monday at the federal district court in Wilmington, Delaware, and things are looking bad for both Hunter and his father.
At issue is whether Hunter lied on an ATF Form 4473, a Firearm Transaction Record, when he purchased a gun and checked “No” to the question, “Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance?”
Lying on the form is a felony.
Had he answered truthfully, he would have been denied the firearm.
But his defense lawyer’s argument should sound familiar to anyone who has listened to his father’s excises: It’s not my fault.
According to defense counsel Abbe Lowell’s opening statement, Hunter didn’t consider himself addicted, and the gun shop clerk should have known better than to sell Hunter a firearm because he “only” had a U.S. passport as identification.
He even blamed Hallie Biden, his brother Beau’s widow.
At the time Hunter acquired the weapon, Hallie was also his live-in girlfriend. She found the weapon, placed in in a bag, and threw it in a dumpster, fearing Hunter might use it to take his own life.
It eventually came into the hands of the police, who found a white substance on the bag that tested positive for cocaine — Hunter’s drug of choice.
“Hunter put the gun in the locked box of the Ford Truck,” Lowell told the jury.
“Hallie put it in the bag.”
Per NBC News, “It seems clear Lowell is throwing Hallie Biden, Beau Biden’s widow, under the bus here.”
NBC also reported that Hallie will appear as a prosecution witness, and will be testifying under immunity from prosecution for her own drug use.
Last week NBC News correspondent Gary Grumbach reported that “President Biden tonight stopped by the home of Hallie Biden, his late son Beau Biden’s widow, per the WH.”
He added, “Hallie is one of the 12 witnesses prosecutors expect to call in Hunter Biden’s gun case in June.”
The White House claimed it was an innocent meeting, saying, “He visited her because of the approaching 9th anniversary of Beau’s passing.” Beau died on May 30, 2015.
It still sounds kinda fishy, no? But it may not help.
On Sunday, the day before jury selection, the trial judge dealt the defense a couple of blows.
Judge Maryellen Noreika “blocked a key piece of evidence that the defense wanted to use about the gun forms,” CNN’s Marshall Cohen reported. “Second, she refused to allow their expert witness on addiction.” Cohen concluded, “Makes a tough case even tougher for Hunter.”
On Monday, opening day of the trial, the president released a statement:
“I am the President, but I am also a Dad,” the statement began.
“Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today. Hunter’s resilience in the face of adversity and the strength he has brought to his recovery are inspiring to us.
“A lot of families have loved ones who have addiction and know what we mean.”
He concluded, “As the President, I don’t and won’t comment on pending federal cases, but as a Dad, I have boundless love for my son, confidence in him, and respect for his strength.
“Our family has been through a lot together, and Jill and I are going to continue to be there for Hunter and our family with our love and support.”
Steve Guest, former communications advisor to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, thought it a tad fishy. “This statement from Joe Biden is as subtle as a heart attack as Hunter’s trial begins” he said, noting the president’s words: “I am the President.”
He actually said it twice. It was a reminder to the jury — and the federal judge.
But no matter how the trial ends, it won’t mean the end of Hunter’s problems — as well as his father’s. A book written by Lunden Roberts, “Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden,” is about to be released.
Roberts is the mother of Hunter’s daughter Navy, who the Biden White House refused to acknowledge for years. The book is described as “The tell-all memoir of Lunden Roberts’s tumultuous relationship with Hunter Biden.”
It’s scheduled to be released Aug. 20.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19–22.
Meanwhile, on May 31, in response to a Manhattan jury finding former President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts, Biden noted that “No one is above the law.”
He may soon discover how true that statement is.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz’s Reports — More Here.
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