Lawyers for Hunter Biden ask who filled out form in gun trial.
Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, appeared in a Delaware federal court on Friday, seeming to hint at a key element of his defense strategy in the case regarding the federal gun form at the heart of the trial.
The core of the government’s argument revolves around the claim that President Biden’s son checked a box on a government form that stated he was not using or addicted to drugs at the time he bought a firearm in October 2018 – a violation of federal law.
During the hearing, Lowell mentioned that there were signs the form was altered by employees after the sale. On the other hand, prosecutors contended that there were only minor additions unrelated to the sections filled out by Hunter Biden.
There are two versions of the form in question that Hunter Biden completed. The first was sent via email on October 26, 2018, and U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika has permitted this form as evidence.
Furthermore, there is a physical version of the form that was filled out at the gun store. It was disclosed at the hearing that a gun store employee, Gordon Cleveland, assisted Hunter Biden in completing the form on that day.
Cleveland is expected to testify, with Noreika indicating that the government would likely ask him to confirm that Hunter Biden filled out and signed the form.
“We want to know who wrote what on the form,” Lowell stated in court, prompting Noreika to inquire, “Is there evidence that he didn’t check the box?”
“We now know that they tampered with that form… Cleveland accepted an ID he shouldn’t have and [Ron] Palmieri [the gun store owner] changed the form,” Lowell claimed.
Noreika emphasized that the crucial factor was what Hunter Biden entered on the form. Lowell reiterated that all this information is “subject to examination.”
Noreika mentioned that she would decide later on whether the physical form would be admissible as evidence, but she seemed to agree that the gun store employees could be questioned.
The trial is set to commence with jury selection on June 3. Both sides have agreed that it would last until approximately the 14th or potentially into the following week.
As Hunter Biden exited the courtroom, he, sporting tangerine-colored reading glasses during the proceeding, patted sketch artist Bill Hennessy on the back and asked, “how’s it coming?”
Hunter Biden has acknowledged his past struggles with substance abuse around the time he bought the firearm, but his legal team has dismissed the case as politically motivated.
President Biden’s son is also confronting federal tax charges in Los Angeles. Noreika ruled that Special Counsel cannot bring up that case, Hunter Biden’s alleged failure to pay child support, or his Navy discharge.
Jurors are allowed to view segments of Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” where he openly discussed his battles with alcoholism and drug addiction.
Hunter Biden’s attorneys have made unsuccessful attempts to have both the tax charges and the gun charges dismissed. They argue that prosecutors caved to political pressure to indict him following the collapse of a plea deal last year.
The prolonged federal inquiry into the president’s son appeared close to concluding with a plea agreement initially, but it fell through after a judge raised concerns. Subsequently, Hunter Biden was indicted.
Under the initial agreement, he would have received two years of probation after admitting to misdemeanor tax charges. He would have also avoided prosecution on the gun charge by staying out of trouble.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
