Hunter Biden on trial in case Republicans plan to use him as political weapon | Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden is expected to go on trial Monday on gun charges in a case that could embarrass his father, Joe Biden, and hand a political weapon to Republicans desperate for a distracting question in the wake of Donald Trump's conviction of 34 charges. last week.

The charges stem from Hunter Biden's firearms license application, in which he denied being a drug user. In theory, he could face a lengthy prison sentence, but this is widely considered highly unlikely. He long struggled with addiction issues and a turbulent private life.

The president's son admitted to suffering from a crack addiction during that time in 2018, but his lawyers said he did not break the law. In his memoir Beautiful Things, he described being consumed by drugs and alcohol after the death of his older brother, Beau, in 2015 at the age of 46 from brain cancer. The brothers were very close, having survived a car accident when they were young that killed their mother and younger sister.

Hunter Biden has said he has been sober since 2019. But prosecutors intend to use his memoir to demonstrate he knew he was a drug addict when he denied it on the form everyone must fill out when purchasing a firearm.

A plea deal aimed at avoiding a trial fell through last year, although it is possible that some form of pact could still be restored as the trial begins to unfold. But one thing is certain, which is that Republicans will use Hunter Biden's trial – and another more serious one on tax issues scheduled for September – as a weapon to attack Joe Biden, as they have sought to do for several years.

Republicans will undoubtedly be motivated by Trump's many legal difficulties. The former president, considered a lock to be the party's 2024 nominee, was convicted last week of falsifying business records related to secret payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels to cover up a case that was seen as potentially damaging to his 2016 election prospects. Like Hunter Biden, Trump could also be sentenced to prison, although that also seems unlikely.

The timing of the trial is unfortunate for Democrats, who seek to highlight the historic first of Trump being the only U.S. president to become a criminal. But Joe Biden, true to his reputation as a close family man, has stuck by Hunter Biden through all his troubles and that is unlikely to change during the trial which is expected to last about a week.

However, the trial could reveal potentially embarrassing family details.

David C Weiss, special counsel overseeing the prosecution, indicated he would call Hunter Biden's ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, to the stand. Prosecutors could also subpoena Hallie Biden, the widow of Joe Biden's son Beau, who died of brain cancer. Hallie Biden was dating Hunter Biden when he purchased a handgun in 2018.