Staff Reports
An appeals court recently decided that Hunter Biden’s requests to drop the gun charges against him were not accepted, setting the stage for his trial to start in less than a month. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals judges did not discuss the details of Biden’s appeals but stated that none of his concerns can be addressed before the trial. The trial is set to commence on June 3 and is expected to last for a week. A jury will then determine whether Biden is guilty of three felonies related to a gun purchase he made in 2018.
Hunter Biden’s appeals to dismiss gun charges denied ahead of June trial https://t.co/ZDGbK7ADUH via @dcexaminer
— 🇺🇸 The Briefing Room 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 (@Briefing__Room) May 9, 2024
The special counsel, David Weiss, claimed in an indictment last year that Biden falsely stated on a gun form that he did not have a drug addiction in order to buy a revolver. According to court documents filed by Weiss, federal investigators obtained warrants for Biden’s computer data several years ago and found messages in which Biden admitted to using hard drugs around the time of the firearm purchase. Additionally, after Biden was indicted, investigators tested a substance on the revolver and found it to be cocaine.
Biden’s lawyers raised objections to Weiss’s methods for collecting evidence, and these disputes are ongoing. Biden’s appeals were based on his argument that the charges should be dismissed due to three separate reasons: that Weiss was not lawfully appointed, that a previously rejected plea deal granted him immunity from prosecution, and that the Department of Justice violated the separation of powers by succumbing to congressional pressure to prosecute him.
However, Judge Maryellen Noreika dismissed all three motions, leaving open the possibility for new challenges after the trial. Noreika, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, has not yet responded to Biden’s request to dismiss the charges based on constitutional grounds. Whether the judge will address this request before the trial commences remains uncertain.
