By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)
Hunter Biden may have a trial in Delaware for federal firearms charges around June, which is during his father's reelection campaign.
U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika mentioned the potential date in a short phone hearing on Wednesday, but she is still considering defense motions that could stop the case against the president’s son.
The trial is planned to begin on June 3 and could go on for up to nine days. Another trial on tax charges in California is tentatively set to start later in the month.
President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, has pleaded not guilty to lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days. During that time, he admitted to an addiction to crack cocaine, but his lawyers claim he didn’t break the law and believe he would not have been charged if he were another nonviolent, first-time offender.
He was indicted after a plea deal that would have settled the case fell through in July 2023 when a judge who was supposed to approve it instead raised a series of questions.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers have been trying to get the case thrown out by arguing that prosecutors succumbed to political pressure after the agreement was publicly criticized by Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, as a “sweetheart deal.”
They also argue that immunity provisions from the original deal still apply, a point that defense attorney Abbe Lowell emphasized with the judge on Wednesday.
Noreika said she hadn’t fully decided how she would handle the case’s four pending motions to dismiss but wanted to ensure that time for any trial would be available on her calendar.
Prosecutors have stated that there’s no proof the case is politically motivated, the evidence against him is “overwhelming,” and the immunity deal fell through along with the rest of the plea deal.
Hunter Biden has also pleaded not guilty to separate tax charges in Los Angeles, which allege a four-year plan to evade paying $1.4 million in taxes while living a lavish lifestyle.
