The judge in charge of Hunter Biden’s trial for federal firearms charges has decided to stop prosecutors from talking about some of his personal problems, but might allow it if he decides to testify. This trial could go on for up to two weeks during his dad’s reelection campaign and might have lots of arguments about proof.
The president’s son got in trouble for lying about doing drugs in October 2018 to buy a gun he had for about 11 days in Delaware. The trial is supposed to start on June 3. Hunter Biden has admitted to having a problem with crack cocaine during that time, but his lawyers say he didn’t do anything against the law and that it’s all happening because of politics. He didn’t answer questions when he was at the Wilmington courthouse with his lawyers.
The judge overseeing Hunter Biden 's federal firearms charges trial agreed Friday to block prosecutors from telling jurors about some other unflattering episodes from his personal life, but left the door open to allowing them in if the president's son… https://t.co/8GaGcXDaJJ
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 25, 2024
The judge agreed with the defense and said that prosecutors don’t need to prove that Hunter used drugs on the day he bought the gun. She also said that other things from his past, like a child-support case and getting fired from the Navy for failing a drug test, should be left out. But if he does testify, the judge said those things might be talked about.
His attorneys want to ask questions about a laptop that he supposedly left at a Delaware repair shop. They want to talk about whether the information on the laptop is real or not. Prosecutors say there’s no proof that the information is bad and that arguing about it would waste time. The judge said she will think about it as the trial goes on.
Prosecutors also want to show parts of a book that Hunter Biden wrote in 2021 about his struggle with alcohol and drugs after his brother died. Defense lawyers say prosecutors are only picking what they want to show, and the judge said they can show more.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer says there are signs that the form for buying the gun was changed after he got it. Prosecutors say that only a little bit was added and it wasn’t connected to what Hunter wrote.
The trial is supposed to start with picking the jury on June 3. Hunter Biden is also dealing with a different trial in Los Angeles about not paying taxes. His lawyers have tried to get both trials dropped, saying that the prosecutors only did this because of politics. Both cases are still going on.