Hunter Biden Loses Bid to Delay Start of Gun Trial

(AP)

Hunter Biden lost his latest attempt on Tuesday to delay the start of his criminal trial on gun charges, according to Politico.

Abbe Lowell, who is representing Biden, told Judge Maryellen Noreika the defense team is not ready for the June 3 start date because it has had difficulty finding expert witnesses who are willing to help the first son, especially regarding drug addiction and drug forensics issues.

“We have not been delaying, we have not been tardy,” Lowell said in his opening remarks, according to Politico. “We have been trying.”

Claiming that the current situation is unlike any he’s faced before, Lowell pushed to postpone the trial to September.

The high-profile defense attorney told the judge that three people had “tentatively agreed” to serve as expert witnesses, but had not yet finalized their retention agreements.

“People are reluctant to become involved in this case,” he said.

Hunter Biden has been charged with three felony counts for allegedly owning a handgun while addicted to drugs and lying on a form when he purchased the gun in 2018.

Noreika noted the indictment was handed down eight months ago and that Biden’s lawyers knew long before then that an investigation was underway. She declined to delay the case and said the trial would proceed as scheduled.

Lowell then made a last-ditch effort to get her to push off the start of the trial until the first week of July.

“I am pleading with your honor to give me the time to do this,” he said.

According to Politico, Noreika, a Trump appointee, appeared unmoved and signaled irritation with the defense throughout the hearing.

On top of the gun case he faces in Delaware, the president’s son also faces a separate criminal indictment in California stemming from tax issues. Special counsel David Weiss headed an investigation that resulted in both cases.

While Biden’s lawyers have filed motions to dismiss both cases, the judges overseeing them – Noreika and Judge Mark Scarsi in California — have rejected them, leading the defense team to file appeals.

During the hearing, Lowell suggested that Biden’s legal team is running out of resources to handle proceedings in two district courts and two appellate courts on opposite coasts.

“They have the resources to be ready on both coasts,” Lowell said, referring to the prosecutors. “I wish we did. But it’s not for want of trying.”

Lowell indicated he will seek an injunction from an appellate court, ordering Noreika to delay the trial. The judge said she did “not find it credible” that Lowell won’t be ready to proceed as scheduled and said she doesn’t expect his appeal to succeed.