Appearing in a federal court in Wilmington, Del., for jury selection Monday, Hunter Biden, appeared attentive in his dark suit and orange-color rimmed glasses as he heard jurors respond to questions.
Over the next two days, the court will evaluate 250 prospective jurors by asking them questions related to politics, guns and drug addiction, and select 12, with four alternate options, as NBC News reported.
First lady Jill Biden was also seen in the front row wearing a purple suit, huddled alongside Ashley Biden and Melissa Cohen. According to The Washington Post, Hunter Biden greeted the first lady with a joke about her 73rd birthday.
“Happy birthday,” he said. “I got you a special event.” The pair laughed.
This was the start of the felony gun trial that could have a far-reaching impact on Hunter Biden’s father President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign.
According to the indictment released in September 2023, Hunter Biden bought a Colt Cobra revolver on Oct. 12, 2018, and “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive that dealer with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm … certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.”
As the Deseret News reported, special counsel David C. Weiss charged Hunter Biden with three felony counts. The first two are related to him lying on the form about his drug use. The third count is related to him holding the revolver in his possession for 11 days while tampering with illicit drugs. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
President Biden issued a statement Monday morning: “I am the president, but I am also a Dad. 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 overcome addiction and know what we mean,” the statement said. “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.”
On Saturday, before noon, the president and Hunter Biden were reportedly seen riding their bikes at a trail near Rehoboth Beach, where the Biden family has a beach house. Later that day, the father and son were seen leaving the St. Edmonds Catholic Church, as People Magazine reported. President Biden and the first lady had arrived at the Delaware beach on Thursday, the ninth anniversary of son Beau Biden’s death, the family’s oldest son who died in 2015 of brain cancer.
In the past, when President Biden was asked to comment on his son’s alleged crimes, he defended Hunter Biden. Once, he adamantly declared his son “has done nothing wrong,” in an interview in May 2023.
“I trust him. I have faith in him, and it impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,” the president added.
Some Republicans, like Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, said this trial is more serious than the case against former President Donald Trump.
“Unlike the case against Trump, no legal sorcery was required: lying about drug use on a background check is pretty clear cut,” Collins said, as Fox News reported, before questioning whether Democrats will accept a guilty verdict. “Will Dems stick to the ‘no one is above the law’ talkers?” Collins said. “Is Hunter the sacrificial lamb to make it look like they are playing fair?”
Trump was found guilty on Thursday of falsifying business records. But Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia pushed back Monday, saying the two trials are “not comparable.”
“Hunter Biden was not elected official and surely not the president of the United States, and is not comparable to the multiple crimes that clearly Donald Trump has committed,” Garcia said.
“I think that we all agree that Hunter’s made some mistakes,” he continued. “He’s got to be held accountable, so I don’t think it has anything to do with the election for president.”
According to Politico, the prosecution is expected to call a dozen witnesses, including several women Hunter Biden was romantically involved with. This includes Hallie Biden, who was romantically linked to Hunter Biden after her husband Beau Biden died. She is expected to testify about Hunter Biden’s frequent drug use and stints in rehab.
Kathleen Buhle, Hunter Biden’s ex-wife, will discuss checking Hunter Biden’s car and finding drugs or paraphernalia on a dozen other occasions. She and the president’s son share three daughters and were married from 1993 to 2017. A few years ago, Buhle authored a tell-all, “If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction and Healing.” Politico reported the third woman is Zoe Kestan, who will also testify about Hunter Biden’s frequent drug use.
Prosecutors plan on reading portions from Biden’s 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” to the jury during trial, as the Deseret News reported last week. Biden describes his struggle with drug abuse and alcoholism in the memoir.
The defense will give Hunter Biden the floor to tell his account of the gun purchase made in October 2018.