Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, a favorite target of the American right and his father’s political torment, was indicted on Thursday at the federal level for illegal possession of a firearm. Hunter Biden is accused of making a false statement when purchasing a gun in 2018, saying he did not suffer from addiction. He “knowingly made a false written statement” and came into illegal possession of the gun, according to court documents.
After trying at all costs to avoid being brought to justice, Hunter Biden could find himself on trial in the middle of the electoral campaign for next year’s presidential election, during which his father is seeking a new term. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. The indictments, which come from a federal grand jury, were issued by David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden for several years and was recently named a special prosecutor.
The son of the Democratic president reached an initial agreement negotiated with David Weiss in Delaware in June, which would likely have allowed him to avoid prison and an embarrassing trial for him and his father. But a judge cast doubt on the validity of the arrangement. Then prosecutors — led by Mr. Weiss — confirmed that it was no longer on the agenda.
Hunter Biden has also been targeted for years by his father’s predecessor, Donald Trump, and many other Republicans, who accuse him of corruption. Conservative parliamentarians criticize him in particular for having made dubious deals in Ukraine and China while Joe Biden was Barack Obama’s vice-president (2009-2017), capitalizing on his father’s networks and name.
A former associate of Hunter Biden recently told Congress that Biden arranged for his father to speak on the phone several times with foreign partners, but without Joe Biden getting involved in his affairs. The president has always claimed to stand by his son in his personal and legal setbacks. “My son did nothing wrong. I have confidence in him,” Mr. Biden said recently regarding Hunter’s charges of tax evasion and illegal possession of a firearm.
“He never gave up on me,” Hunter Biden once wrote about his father. “At times, his perseverance made me angry. I was trying to disappear into a black hole with alcohol or drugs and then there he was, showing up again with his lantern.” Hunter, who has long suffered from drug and alcohol addiction, claims to have stopped taking anything since 2019 following an intervention by his second wife Melissa, with whom he had a son, and his father .